Most IT workforce planning efforts take a quarterly approach, and there is a high dependence on quickly assembling “flash teams” to get projects done, according to a survey of 300 IT leaders by TEKsystems. But putting more focus on workforce planning may help companies ensure they have the right skill sets in place to get a project done.

Case in point, the survey found 73% of IT leaders only start workforce planning 90 days or less in advance of a project. This might not be the ideal as 62% of organizations reported a negative business outcome as a result of this model, such as a project running over budget or a missed deadline, according to the survey report.

“It’s clear that workforce planning often occurs as an afterthought as compared to other areas of planning for IT projects and initiatives,” TEKsystems Research Manager Jason Hayman said.

“Most organizations invest an appropriate amount of planning time into budgeting or defining scope, yet delay in identifying the skill sets needed to build and run the project,” Hayman said. “This simply isn’t a successful or sustainable strategy. This type of ‘just add water’ team likely has a very different composition than the one you would build with a true workforce planning program, which supplies your staffing partners with the insight needed to provide you the strongest candidates as opposed to just the first-available. Organizations could avoid the negative issues they’re experiencing as a result of this short-term mentality if they invest more time and care into workforce planning for their initiatives.”

The survey also found that only 53% said their organizations have a formal strategic IT workforce planning strategy, although 68% agree that it’s more challenging to staff IT projects today than five years ago.

It also found that 68% cited hiring qualified IT talent quickly was the biggest challenge in workforce planning.

The full survey results are available online.