January marks several things with an organization, most important the release of the new fiscal budget. Project schedules and timelines are distributed, new initiatives for the calendar year are handed out, and goals are set for individual producers and the company as a whole. All these things boil down to the strength of the team and if everything can be accomplished in the current year, which leads to one question; “Do I need to add more people to my team?”
When analyzing the goals set forth and what needs to be accomplished, ask yourself these three simple questions to help guide your decision as to what is next:
- Does the existing team have the skills and abilities to meet or exceed the objectives laid out before us?
- Does the current team have the capacity to handle additional projects/workloads and still be effective within their day-to-day roles?
- What external forces might hinder the team from hitting the goals?
These questions alone can help organizations drive the decision-making process and what steps are needed to accomplish the task at hand. Additionally, these questions can help in the understanding of not only the skillsets needed to be brought in but also the type of employee needed to complete the job.
Does the existing team have the skills and abilities to meet or exceed the objectives laid out before us?
If your answer is no, then you have several options.
· Is the skillset something you will need for a long period of time? Hire a full-time employee for the role.
· Is the skillset a hard-to-find type of skill that is only needed to accomplish a short-term project? Hire a specialized contractor with the skills needed.
Does the current team have the capacity to handle additional projects/workloads and still be effective within their day-to-day roles?
If the answer is no, you must make several decisions on how to move forward which all lead to the same outcome; hire additional employees.
· Is the project something you would want the current team working on? If no, hire additional support for the project while keeping the current team on their day-to-day job functions. If yes, backfill the day-to-day activities with contractor(s) who can handle the current workload.
What external forces might hinder the team from hitting the goals?
This, of course, is the ultimate wildcard. So much has been seen over the past year, no one can ever be too sure. The best option: prior planning based on current and potential conditions.
With January now upon us, the time is now to make these decisions, ask the important questions, and put a plan in place to execute to hit the goals and objectives in front of you. If you need assistance in evaluating your current staff against the projects on your plate; give ESPO a call. We specialize in finding alternative solutions to hit your year-end goals; from staff augmentation, full time hiring, to outsourced development and design; ESPO has all the necessary tools to help you and your team achieve your goals!