May 12th 2016

Project Management and Organizational Selection

Project management is the application of knowledge, practices and abilities in order to achieve and improve specific initiatives. These practices include establishing clear accountability, defining objectives and outcomes, establishing the scope, planning, monitoring, and reporting controls for project activities. There are five main project management stages that are implemented into order to facilitate these activities and the intended outcome of the project – initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and closing. Although traditionally embedded in military, business and scientific domains, the use of project management methodology and philosophy has been adopted in a wider range of organizations and their respective activities, one of which being personnel selection.
Organizations looking to competitively select high-performing individuals are utilizing a project management approach to facilitate an efficient and organized selection process. This approach enables organizations to work smarter through the establishment of well-defined phases and considerations that identify complexities, challenges, resources and intended outcomes.
Developing the selection process plan
By identifying the requirements, context, and resources upfront, organizations will be able to transfer these critical details into measurable goals. This initial step facilitates the development of the selection process plan and is the guiding framework for the remainder of the process. Once the parameters have been established, roles and responsibilities must be identified; timelines and deliverables must be set; and an accountability framework should be communicated. Once the preliminary framework is established, the real fun begins – the development of the selection process. This includes the position identification, the development of the position description and associated essential qualifications, the development of the selection approach and plan (including assessment strategies), and the identification of the selection board members.
For the purposes of this entry, the details of the stages will be excluded – however, if you are interested in obtaining more information on aligning project management approaches to personnel selection, please do not hesitate to contact us at support@epsi-inc.com.
Consequently, undefined intended outcomes and steps, insufficient communication and accountability, and unforeseen circumstances may negatively affect the efficiency and effectiveness of the process. In order to mitigate these challenges, adhering to a project management approach will facilitate the deliverance of a successful selection process, and, more importantly, the selection of high-performing individuals.
Although a project management approach proves to be advantageous, the following quote by William A. Cohen puts into perspective the challenges faced by many project leaders: “All successful projects are simply a long series of adversities that must be overcome. Far from it being unusual to face adversity, it is normal, and our business to overcome it. The real test is not when we are successful when there is no adversary, but when there is and we triumph.
With this in mind, a project management approach enables organizations and leaders to plan, execute and monitor their selection processes.