CWS 3.0: September 23, 2015

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QECR Performance Framework: A strategic CW program management model

Staffing Industry Analysts’ Certified Contingent Workforce Professional program regularly discusses the importance of understanding the difference between program performance and program maturity (capability). Performance is optimizing the service value being delivered and maturity is the structure leveraged to deliver that value.

One way to think about the concept is to consider the difference between health and lifestyle. It is sometimes possible to be temporarily healthy without living a healthy lifestyle, but health is not sustainable without a healthy lifestyle. It takes a healthy lifestyle to maintain and improve health over time. The same goes for CW programs: it takes a mature/capable program to maintain and improve performance over time.

When it comes to CW program performance management, we recommend using the QECR Performance Framework, which focuses on key dimensions that define a program’s overall performance. Executing the framework requires a true understanding of the current, “As-Is” state of your program and then driving improvement toward your “Desired” state goals. Ultimately, managing a CW program is about coordinating a company’s contingent workforce and associated staffing partners for the betterment of the company’s operations.

QECR Performance Management Framework

We think about this coordination management across four key performance dimensions: quality, efficiency, cost and risk (QECR). These four performance dimensions break down as follows:

Quality. Quality objectives are generally divided into three aspects: talent quality, supplier service quality and program operation service quality. Many organizations rate quality as the most important dimension of a CW management program. Certainly engagement managers primarily view the well-performing CW Program as critical access to “just-in-time” talent resources that can assist them in supporting their business mission and goals.

Efficiency. Efficiency involves tracking the speed of various processes within a CW program — candidate submissions and onboarding/offboarding, sourcing, financial/ transaction reporting, invoicing and payment, etc. This is often measured by the ability to hit the program client’s predetermined service request timeframes.

Cost. Cost management includes not just bill rate governance, but the total costs of the overall program, including competitive candidate pay rates, program tools and resources, enablement software, data management and analysis, marketing/communication, program office expenses, uncontained risks, etc.

Risk. Risk stems from service delays and failures of information systems, data and intellectual property vulnerability, imperfect compliance, and co-employment/misclassification, all of which can lead to losses or result in government fines or lawsuits. CW program managers must decide how to manage and mitigate these risks.

Exactly how you define and measure these QECR categories depends on your organization business, organizational objectives and strategic leverage of a contingent workforce. But this basic framework is useful for assessing your “As-Is” performance and formulating a desired state of consequential measurement, performance management target commitments and continuous improvement for the betterment of the company’s operations.

Program managers can learn more about Staffing Industry Analysts’ QECR Performance Framework and the Certified Contingent Workforce Professional program by visiting here