Finding Talent with the Right Skills
When you read all the latest research about what project success factors lead to successful outcomes, the one variable that everyone agrees on is the skill of the project team. When you have an IT Project Manager with effective team management skills, the project is delivered on-time and within budget. When you have a Business Analyst with effective skills to gather requirements, the project is delivered in scope. Whatever the role, when you have the right team with the right talent, projects achieve success. At Darby Consulting, we’re known for our skills in custom building networks of IT professionals to support complex IT projects. After over 10 years in business, here’s our take on how to do it the right way.
Step 1: Identify Your Sources of Talent
In-House employees are the lowest cost but may not have the experience. Software vendor teams have a lot of knowledge but typically parachute into quickly set-up and leave. The middle ground is staff augmentation with consultants who’ve been on similar projects and can work with your stakeholders to see the project through.
Step 2: Define What Resources You Need
Start with a workshop with your project sponsors, customers and key stakeholders to define goals and objectives as well as a high-level implementation road map. Next identify the work teams, decision review board, roles, responsibilities and time commitments.
Step 3: Define Skill Requirements
Defining the skill requirements before you start to interview candidates helps to establish the decision criteria the hiring manager will use to avoid bias and focus on quickly identifying the right team with the right skills. A requisition form is a great tool for identifying the skills you need.
Step 4: Interview & Assess Technical Skills
Utilize a combination of technical and functional assessments to gain a complete picture of the candidate’s ability to perform the role.
Step 5: Assess Culture Fit & Behavioral Skills
The number one reason why project team members fail is lack of culture fit and behavior skills. Be sure to have a method for evaluating candidates for soft skills before making a hiring decision.
Independent Pros: An Agile Workforce
For years, Corporate HR departments have been slow to adapt as their workflows, policies and personnel have been deeply rooted in attracting and retaining employee, W2-based IT talent. With the rise of independent IT professionals and staff augmentation firms that specialize in recruiting them, that’s all about to change.
Independent IT professionals receiving a 1099 from the IRS are one of the most abundant, most capable but often most underutilized sources of Agile IT talent in the marketplace today. Since 1994, the number of independent professionals has consistently outpaced full-time employees by 2:1. Independent consultants don’t carry a lot of the same baggage (e.g. benefits, performance reviews, training, etc.) as traditional employees, require little to no red tape to remove or replace and are located in every major city. They’re the ultimate Agile workforce – if you have the right partner to find them.
Leveraging AI & RPA to Find IT Pros
At Darby Consulting, we’re focused on finding, selecting, developing and managing networks of independent IT professionals so our clients can gain faster access to the best, most qualified talent at a lower cost. We use consultant matching tools backed by artificial intelligence and robotic process automation so our clients spend less time interviewing IT professionals and more time responding to the needs of their customers.
