As HR functions take on increasingly complex business initiatives, project management has emerged as one of the profession's weakest capabilities. According to new research from global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company, only 19% of HR respondents rate their department as highly effective in project management, exposing a significant execution gap at a time when HR is expected to lead organisational transformation.
The findings come from the firm's 2023 to 2025 HR Management and Governance Survey, which gathered responses from 1,681 HR professionals. The research accompanies the release of McLean & Company's latest blueprint, Get Started with HR Project Management, designed to help HR teams improve how they plan, execute and close projects.
HR's expanding role is increasing execution demands
According to McLean & Company, HR departments are managing a broader portfolio of strategic and operational initiatives than ever before.
These include:
- Organisational redesign programmes
- Employee listening initiatives
- HR technology implementation
- Artificial intelligence adoption
- Broader workforce transformation projects
As HR's remit expands, the firm says project management is becoming essential to delivering measurable business outcomes. Despite this, relatively few HR teams have the foundations needed to deliver projects consistently on time, within scope and with clear organisational impact.
Missing fundamentals continue to undermine delivery
The research suggests the challenge is not a lack of commitment from HR teams, but weaknesses in the underlying disciplines required to manage projects effectively.
According to McLean & Company, common gaps include:
- Structured project planning
- Clear project scoping
- Proactive risk assessment
- Effective stakeholder engagement
- Consistent communication throughout project delivery
Without these fundamentals, HR projects become more vulnerable to missed deadlines, repeated work, expanding project scope and stakeholder dissatisfaction, limiting HR's ability to deliver strategic priorities.
Blueprint offers structured framework
To help organisations strengthen execution, McLean & Company has introduced its Get Started with HR Project Management blueprint.
The framework provides a three-step approach, supported by practical tools and templates, covering:
- Project setup and scoping
- Planning and execution
- Project closure and lessons learned
The blueprint is intended to help HR leaders improve governance, clarify project objectives, engage stakeholders more effectively, manage project risks and demonstrate measurable business value.
Lexi Hambides, Director of HR Research & Advisory Services at McLean & Company, said effective project outcomes rely on disciplined execution rather than good intentions alone.
"Successful HR projects don't happen by chance," Hambides said. "Success results from deliberate planning and execution grounded in project management fundamentals that drive progress, optimise resources, build stakeholder trust, and deliver measurable value to the organisation."
Project management becoming a strategic HR capability
The firm's research concludes project management is no longer an optional capability for HR functions.
As organisations expect HR to lead business transformation alongside day-to-day operations, structured project delivery is becoming increasingly important for maintaining operational consistency, organisational credibility and business impact.
By strengthening project management practices, McLean & Company says HR leaders can better manage workloads, improve stakeholder confidence and deliver stronger outcomes for both employees and the wider organisation.
With HR continuing to lead initiatives ranging from digital transformation to AI adoption, execution capability is likely to become an increasingly important measure of the function's strategic effectiveness.