Failure to Anticipate IT Staffing Needs – Just Don’t Do It

While strategic workforce planning has gradually been gaining importance in the business world, IT departments—so often on the cutting edge of things—seem to be lagging behind. A November 2011 survey of IT executives by TEKSytems found that most—nearly 62%—only planned ahead for the next four to six months. Fewer than 20% had plans for staffing needs beyond two years, and a meager 6% said they have a five-year strategy in place.

Even those who are planning ahead lack, well, a real plan. Only 8% of those surveyed reported having a well-defined process for developing future workforce planning strategies. Worse yet, just 9% have a specific process in place to tackle even their current planning needs.

Why all the foot-dragging? There are many reasons: the complexities of anticipating personnel demands in the face of constantly evolving technologies, departmental turf battles between HR and IT, difficulty convincing management of the value of workforce planning, and even just the effort required to get such initiatives off the ground. The bottom line, though, is that if an IT department wants to operate at its full potential, management must overcome obstacles and start planning proactively.

“IT departments are constantly assembling teams to tackle emerging trends and stay ahead in a changing marketplace,” TEKsystems Director Rachel Russell said in a prepared release. “Proactive workforce planning is an essential and competitive capability for high-performance IT organizations, as it ensures they have the skills required to meet project milestones and handle the ebbs and flows of workloads as projects evolve.”

And don’t overlook succession planning. Only 15% of IT leaders reported their companies are “very good” or “excellent” at succession planning – a task that the other 85% ignore at their own peril. “People make IT happen, so losing talented professionals can stop project momentum in its tracks,” warns Russell. “Companies that strategically manage succession planning  . . . enable employees to seamlessly take on roles as other team members move on to different projects or new roles.”

Barbara Jaworski, founder and CEO of the Workplace Institute, neatly sums up just how much is at stake. “Without a plan,” she cautions, “organizations might just find themselves losing large numbers of senior and/or key employees, unprepared for market changes and ill-equipped to hire the best and brightest new talent in a competitive and evolving global market.” In other words, when it comes to workforce planning, failure to plan means planning to fail.

The IT employment experts at Triumph Services can help analyze both your current and future personnel needs, create a strategic staffing plan, and help you execute it by finding top-notch IT talent. Contact us today!