Importance Of Human Resource Planning For Successful Execution Of Complex Large-scale Projects

The Link between Strategic Human Resource Management and Human Resource Planning

Question:

Discuss the Importance of Human Resource Planning for the successful Complexion of Large Scale, Complex Projects, especially where Political Considerations Exist.

This essay presents the discussion about the effectiveness of human resource planning in the management of large-scale projects. It also presents the discussion that how Strategic human resource management and human resource planning are linked with each other. Along with this, it provides the discussion about human resource planning that how effectively HR planning helps in project management. Apart from this, essay discusses the resource based view of firm through identifying the role of human capital in achieving the organizational goals. It also presents the importance of resource-based view in effective HR planning.

The main aim of this essay is to identify the effectiveness of Human Resource planning in the success of large-scale projects and how effectively large scale projects can manage by HR planning. In this essay, there is two different Human Resource related issues are identified such as lack of HR planning, and lack of employees training that influence the success of train project in Brisbane.

Human resource planning is the process of identifying and forecasting the future human resource requirements of the firm to achieve the organizational goals and objectives. Along with this, HR planning creates the link between human resource management function and strategic plan of the business organizations that help in management of human resources in cost efficient manner (Mathis et al, 2016). It also deals with different activities to measure the demand and supply of human resources of organization through analyzing existing human resource needs. In addition to this, human resource planning is all about the formulated plan for the training, recruitment, selection, compensation, rules and regulations of the firm’s related to human resources (Snell and Bohlander, 2012). The process of human resource is developed to translate the business or corporate objectives into future business requirements as qualitative and quantitative employment requirements.

According to Reilly: “Workforce planning is a process in which an organization attempts to estimate the demand for labor and evaluate the size, nature and scores of supply which will required to meet the demand” (Armstrong, 2010).  

According to Bull and Scott: “Human resource planning is the process for ensuring that the human resource requirements of an organization are identified and plans are made for satisfying those requirements” (Prashanthi, 2013).

On the other hand, Strategic Human Resource Management is an approach of attracting, rewarding, and retaining the employees for the benefit of organization and employees. It is also a practice that discusses the effectiveness of Human resource policies and strategies to achieve the organization’s goals (Delahaye, 2015). Along with this, strategic human resource management is a process that helps the organization in identifying and developing the corporate capability to carry new business strategies.

According to Cascio, “SHRM is the choice, alignment, and integration of organization’s HRM system so that its human capital resources most effectively contribute to strategic business objectives”. (Armstrong and Taylor, 2017).

The Process and Significance of Human Resource Planning

On the other hand, Wright and McMahan stated “Strategic HRM as a research field focusing on the pattern of planned human resource deployments and activities intended to enable an organization to achieve its goals” (Meyer, 2016).

On basis of above definitions, it is analyzed that human resource planning and strategic human resource management are interlinked. The strategic human resource management is directly linked with organizational strategy and organization cannot implement the business strategy without effective planning. The human resource planning is the part of SHRM that play a significant role in achieving the organizational goals, as in the planning phase the human resource plan is developed. In addition to this, human resource planning measures the future requirement of human resources in organization to achieve the organizational goals (Teicher et al, 2013). Along with this, through measuring the requirement of human resources, SHRM identifies the value of workplace development or learning programs to support the organization and employees to achieve the long-term goals and objectives of business. Apart from this, SHRM includes the internal and external environment impact on business organization where HR planning represents the environmental trends that may influence the human resources of organization.

Human resource planning plays a significant role in the management of large scale project. HR planning helps the organizations in identifying the future requirement of human resources to fulfill the project or organizational goals. The planning of human resource helps the organization in maintaining and implementing the business strategies effectively for the success of projects or to achieve the business goals. The company cannot achieve the business goals without planning of human resources. In an organization human resource planning considers the various activities such as recruiting, screening, training, rewarding, and compensation, which has impact on the success of project or business (Härtel and Fujimoto, 2014). Along with this, the success of large-scale project depends on the effective HR planning because in large scale projects organization some time faces the various challenges such as lack of human resources, lack of employees skills and training, and lack of management. These different challenges affect the success of project negatively and projects become failures.

In addition to this, HR planning helps the management in determining the roles and responsibilities of project and measuring the different way of project’s success. The success of large-scale project depends on effective human resources planning because HR planning provides the guide and framework for the success of project. Human resource planning involves the project management activities to organize and manage the project team members (Zwikael et al, 2014). This effective management of team members helps the organizations in achieving the organizational or projects goals. At the same time, planning for human resources supports in identifying the demand and supply of human resources to achieve the project’s goals.

For example:Queensland Rail disruptions are the example of ineffective human resource planning. In this rail project, due to lack of HR planning about train drivers, more than 100 trains were cancelled in Brisbane by the Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk. This issue was arises from the ineffective HR planning about the recruitment and selection of train drivers and lack of drivers training. If Queensland Rail Board will hire the train drivers based on effective HR planning and provides the proper training to operate the new Redcliffe Peninsula line then the issue of drivers training could not arise (ABC, 2016). The Queensland rail board manages this rail project through effective HR planning and providing an interim timetable for Queensland Rail's network. In addition to this, Queensland rail board can manage this rail project through the effective HR planning about the hiring of experienced or skilled rail drivers. It is because effective planning about the recruitment and selection of train drivers and proper training of selected train drivers can reduce the disruptions of Queensland rail project.             

The Role of Human Resource Planning in the Management of Large-scale Projects

In this given project, due to lack of effective human resource planning the issue arises and over the 100 trains was cancelled in Brisbane. In the government project, for the implementation and planning of project’s the planning about the project are made through the consideration of different political parties. This consideration of political parties into projects supports in identifying and managing the project effectively by the help of human resource planning on different phases or levels (Boateng et al, 2015). In addition to this, to ensure the success of government large scale project and provision of public services there is requirement of political considerations to analyze project opportunity and challenges.

Resource based view is a way or method that help in viewing the firm and its strategy. The resource-based view of firm supports the business organization to become a bundle of resources, which helps in determining the competitive advantages. This resource-based view of firm about firm’s resources and way of analyzing the view, make firm different from its competitors. Resource based view model is used or considered as it uses the inside-our approach to analyze the performance and human resources of firm (Sawyer et al, 2014). In addition to this, resource-based view is also emphasis to achieve the competitive advantages through the combination of internal and external factors. Further, it also emphasize on measuring the role of people human capital in success of organization and achieving the organizational goals. The resource-based view method provides the justification of firm’s Human Resource policies and practices such as knowledge management, human capital, and talent management (Armstrong, 2011). Along with this, resource-based view measures the effectiveness of firm through identifying the combination of tangible and intangible resources, which is required to face the market competition.

“The resource-based view argues that firms possess resources, a subset of which enables them to achieve competitive advantages. This theory focus on the idea of costly-to copy attributes of the firm as sources of business returns and hence an essential way to achieve superior performance and competitive advantages” (Pimenidis and Odeh, 2015). 

Resource-based view is the most effective strategy route that contributes in growth and development of firm’s strategy. This approach measures the different characteristics such as value, competitive superiority, and rareness that helps management or firm in human resource planning to create competitive advantages for the firm. Along with this, RBV identifies the combination of internal and external factors that influence the growth of firm or project. It helps the management in planning of future human resource requirements and measuring the opportunities and challenges for the firm’s growth (Kramar et al, 2013). RBV also analyze the role of people human capital in achieving the firm’s goals that is important in planning of human resources to fulfill the future demand and supply of human resources. For instance, in the Queensland the Rail disruptions issue were arises because Queensland Rail board does not view the human resource requirement of rail project and QRB was unable to develop the effective HR planning to operate new Redcliffe Peninsula line in Brisbane (ABC, 2016). Due to lack of Resource-based view of Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe about new Redcliffe Peninsula line rail project, the project of Queensland rail board in Brisbane failed or over 100 trains were cancelled.

The Importance of Effective Human Resource Planning in Achieving Organizational Goals

Apart from this, Resource-Based View allows the firm to identify need of resources to provide the effective services to customers with project’s strategic resources and valuables. This approach also enhances the integration of strategic resources and its utilization to make difference between firms in market. The integration and utilization of strategic resources helps the HR planning to enhance the quality of services through the hiring of skilled employees (Härtel and Fujimoto, 2015). On the other hand, HR planning also allows firm to invest in development of capabilities of firm to achieve its long-term goals. In this way, through effective HR planning firm can invest in human capital (people) to ensure the future growth of the firm and projects.

Conclusion:

From the above analysis, it can be concluded that effective human resource planning supports in forecasting and identifying the future human resources requirements of the organization. HR planning also includes the planning about recruitment, screening, training, and compensation of employees. At the same time, Strategic Human resource Management approach discusses about the human resource strategies and policies to achieve the strategic business objectives. It is also concluded that HRP and SHRM are linked with each other as HR planning is the part of SHRM. Apart from this, human resource planning play important role in management of projects as HR planning measures the future human resource requirement of the project that supports in achieving the goals of the project effectively. Moreover, it can be concluded that Resource-Based View of the firm is a way of viewing the firm and its strategy that helps in achieving the competitive advantages by measuring the internal and external factors.

Apart from this, it can be concluded that the issue in Queensland rail project of new Redcliffe Peninsula line in Brisbane arises because Queensland rail board doesn’t build the effective HR planning about the Train drivers and they hire the less skilled drivers. In this way, it can be concluded that Queensland rail board can remove this issue through effective planning of human resources and providing training to train drivers of the new Redcliffe Peninsula line. 

References:

ABC, (2016) Queensland Rail disruptions: Annastacia Palaszczuk 'furious' over 100 cancelled trains in Brisbane [Online]. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-23/annastacia-palaszczuk-furious-over-queensland-rail-disruptions/7957862 (Accessed: 30 March, 2017).

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