Human Resource Plan (HRP) Purpose The human resource plan, in its many forms and formats, provides

an understanding of when and how team members will be applied to the project and to what degree. A natural extension of the project plan, the human resource plan defines what resources are required to achieve the project goals. Application The human resources plan is used on a variety of levels. For senior management, it identifies all of the resources that have been delegated to a given project and the degree to which they will be working on that effort. For the project manager, it provides pinpoint information on which resources are working on which tasks. For the team members, it affords them the ability to know what they will be working on, for how long, and with whom. Content The human resources plan includes either the names or the skill sets of the resources assigned to the project and the degree to which they will be used. Normally, this information is juxtaposed with the activity list or the work breakdown structure. In either case, it is ideal when the list (and concurrent resource usage) can be condensed into summary levels for management review and then broken out into extensive project detail for team member application. The chart should incorporate the resource, the time and degree of usage, and the task or areas to which the resource is being applied. Approaches The human resources plan can take on a variety of forms, including resource histograms (either team or individual), line charts, or spreadsheets with allocations over time. Each approach has its advantages. The resource histogram, such as that shown in Figure 4.4, provides a simple, oneresource perspective on task loading. If an individual is loaded at a level greater than 100% of its availability, it is highlighted on this chart. Human resource plans may also be reflected by name, hour, and responsibility in resource spreadsheets. Regardless of the choice of the display tool, the human resources plan should reflect when team members will be deployed on tasks and the degree to which they will be applied. Considerations The human resources plan, while seemingly innocuous, can actually become a source for controversy, because it involves individuals and how and when their time will be applied. Also, in some environments, the more detail that is provided on resource utilization, the more upper

management will micromanage the effort. For this reason, summary views (rather than task-bytask views) are often desirable when presenting the human resource plan to senior management. Summary The HRP, a part of the PMP, provides guidance on how project human resources should be defined, staffed, managed, controlled, and eventually released. The HRP includes: o Role the label describing the portion of the project for which a person is accountable (E.g. business analyst, civil engineer, etc.). o Authority the right to apply project resources, make decisions, and sign approvals. o Responsibility the work that a team member is expected to perform in order to complete the projects activities. o Competency the skill and capacity required to complete project activities.

relationships. management plan (SMP): The SMP, a part of the HRP within the PMP, describes how and when human resource requirements will be met. The SMP include: o Staff acquisition determining the method, location of team members, costs, etc. o Resource calendars description of human resource time frames. o Staff release plan determining the method and timing of releasing team members. o Training needs identifying team members competencies and required training. o Recognition and rewards clear criteria for rewards and a planned system for their use. o Compliance with applicable government regulations, union contracts, etc. o Safety policies and procedures that protect team members from safety hazards.