CWS 3.0: July 30, 2014

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Lack of a change management strategy can derail program; act now

One of the most material components of program management is the ability to drive change in an organization. While there are many paths to execution — issuing mandates, soft selling, etc. — there a few core elements that can change your organization for the better. I think of them in terms of telescope vs. mirror vs. microscope.

  1. Telescope – the vision. The first step toward project success is developing a compelling vision for change. This involves more than just attending industry conferences and deciding that you need a vendor-neutral managed service program (MSP). Rather, it’s about identifying what role the contingent workforce plays in your company. How does your access to contingent work make a difference with your clients and give you a competitive edge? This is more than cost out. For example, maybe your access to a pool of talent can help you bring products to market faster. Or perhaps using crowdsourcing can bring more creative solutions to vexing problems. Build a program for the ideal future but at the same time be real with yourself about how long it will take and what is possible in the near term.
  2. The mirror - Know thyself. There are numerous solutions to contingent workforce problems. From vendor-neutral MSPs to procurement outsourcing to independent contractor management, tools at your disposal are legion. But in the end your organization may not be in a position where a particular solution would even make sense. That may be because your company doesn’t have the scale to support a more aggressive solution or the company culture is unfriendly to the idea. I have heard many buyers lament the intransigence of their leadership. In those cases, it may make sense to leave the project on the table and live to fight another day as opposed to pushing forward a project that’s doomed. Some organizations will never be ready for an integrated RPO/MSP solution! Focus on the tools at hand and be honest with what your leadership will allow.
  3. The microscope – the data. It all begins with the data. Many MSP providers lament deals that never reach their full potential. The project is sold at $100 million but only $20 million materializes. Make sure you have the data to support your program’s proposition not just to the market but to your teams as well.

    Also, the data that are tracked should be more than spend. It should include a whole host of details like types of jobs by title and resource with unique identifiers, location information with detailed descriptions and usage patterns with tenure and turnover information. Being able to provide detail at this level goes a long way toward identifying opportunities for efficiency and improvement. If you don’t have detailed data, you can get started but need to call it out.

Making a change is hard and managing the change even harder, but if you keep “telescope, mirror and microscope” in mind, you can at least get your program started on the right foot.