The strength of the delivery team is a vital factor in determining how successful a project will be, so making sure you have the right people for the job is crucial. The key challenge is to find the optimum combination of experience, skills and pay grade to ensure the most cost-efficient resources are allocated to the project.
To get the most out of their staff, firms must provide opportunities for personal development and growth, especially since many are now operating with reduced workforces. Being able to use new projects to expand the capabilities of employees enables them to grow as individuals and not only means they can be charged out for more in the future, but that staff remain motivated because they have the opportunity to diversify.
By using staff planning and resource management software, firms can empower staff with greater visibility of the new business pipeline. Given that most firms set utilisation targets for their consultants, with a performance bonus triggered once the target is met, pipeline visibility ensures consultants are more proactive in putting themselves forward for new undertakings. It also allows staff to better prepare for future projects by seeing who else has put themselves forward and ‘buddying up’ with those that have already undertaken similar roles.
Optimum staff utilisation can maximise ROI in terms of allocating resources against a client’s budget and ensure that a project is not being over-serviced. Client expectations can be managed efficiently and delivered upon to agreed service levels, without being exceeded and thus impacting on profitability.
