Handling Staffing Challenges through Transitions

Next to your customers, your people are your organization’s most valuable asset. Good managers know that every employee, consultant, and contract worker is a key member of the workforce. This is most notable during times of change. While most organizations maintain a vigilant, outward focus in times of transition, managers need to stay aware of the resulting impact of these changes on the internal team. At any point in time, you’ll need the answers to these people-related questions:

• How do I handle an unexpected departure from my staff?
  
  
• What do I do if I have inadequate resources for a key project with a deadline that won’t move?
  
  
• What if my existing human resources lack the expertise needed to complete a high-priority project, or simply aren’t available due to other commitments?

Surviving Unexpected Departures

Every manager has a star employee, the one person she can count on to deliver high-quality work on schedule, time and time again, with little management supervision. We rely on people like this because they always come through and rarely, if ever, let us down. Unfortunately, because these shining beacons are standouts, they have the potential to be recruited away. Alternatively, personal changes may require an extended absence due to family leave, adoption, elder care, or bereavement. How can you prepare yourself to deal with the huge void left behind by these superstars?

To achieve your business goals, it is vital that you make knowledge transfer an ongoing element of everyone’s role. Instead of wondering if change will happen, anticipate it. Put procedures in place to ensure that information, contacts and knowledge are shared at critical points throughout each project. This will make it easier to pick up the pieces when you lose a critical member of your team.

When change does happen suddenly, consider these suggestions:

• Start knowledge transfer immediately. Once you learn a key employee is leaving, have her meet with appropriate personnel and explain her full range of duties. Activities such as job shadowing, documenting key procedures, providing access to data and systems, and identifying the network location of project files, should all take place right away.
  
  
• Speak with the employee. Schedule time for a one-on-one conversation, ideally within the first 24 hours. Listen to her perspective about what went right, what went wrong, and what could be improved for her successor. Ask lots of questions and listen attentively. The employee is likely to shed light on issues ranging beyond your relationship and your own department. You might be surprised with what you hear.
  
  
• Write a job description. If the employee has been with you for some time, chances are the job description no longer reflects her current set of duties. Prepare a new job description, and consider asking the departing employee to review it, along with your human resources representative. Be sure to capture essential tasks and responsibilities as well as intangible “soft requirements.”
  
  
• Circulate the job description. Your best bet is to let other employees know you are looking for a replacement. Share the job description and, as appropriate, be candid about the compensation package. Post the job at jobsites and distribute it to your professional network.
  
  
• Seek short-term help. For many companies, it can take time to replace a star employee. Call on your network to identify a seasoned consultant to fill the position while you continue your search. This practice reduces the risk to essential projects and minimizes interruption. Once the new hire is on board, you can either terminate the agreement with the consultant or keep him engaged to work on new projects.

Addressing Inadequate Staffing

As managers we do our best to scope a project upfront and determine the resources needed to complete the deliverables on schedule. Sometimes, we underestimate the level of effort required for a project, or, to borrow a phrase from the technology world, “feature creep” hits us and we cannot complete the stated work within the current budget or timeline. What options are available?

• Adding staff to a late project will only make it later. I was reminded of this adage, from The Mythical Man Month by Frederick Brooks, by my friend Steve Rakitin of Software Quality Consulting. Like Steve, I’m amazed at how many managers still do not understand this vital concept. Unless tasks are neatly defined into discreet units, it’s nearly impossible to integrate a new member into the existing team without dramatically hindering the productivity and efficiency of others already on the job.
  
  
• Admit mistakes and show humility. If you accept responsibility for not looking into your crystal ball with 100% accuracy, your colleagues—and, hopefully, executive management—will respect you and understand what went wrong. They will also gain a finer appreciation for your new plan.
  
  
• Develop a new plan. Sit down with members of your team and triage the new requirements into three categories: 1) must be done, 2) nice to have and, 3) if we have enough time. Be realistic about what can be done and what can be deferred. You can conduct this as a team-building exercise, or have team members do the triage individually and then discuss the results as a group. In this way, you can chart a course for success in which everyone has faith.
  
  
• Communicate with senior management. With your team in sync about their new goals, you need support from above to ensure success. Regularly-scheduled communications—such as status report emails, brief check-in conference calls or face-to-face meetings—can work wonders.

Dealing with the Lack of In-House Expertise

For any number of reasons, your in-house personnel may not have the expertise required to support all projects. They may not understand the technology, they may lack experience in a specific regulatory environment, or they may require access to state-of-the-art tools that are not in the current budget. In some cases, it may simply be a matter of bandwidth. What can you do?

• Get advice. Contact your personal network, or use the internet to find professional associations and local special interest groups. Many of these individuals and organizations are willing to give advice at no charge, or may help get you started in a new direction for a nominal fee.
  
  
• Hire an outsourced expert. Once you determine if you require general advice or detailed expertise, you can ascertain the level of commitment needed to get the job done. You might need a senior-level consultant or dedicated project team who can deliver real business value promptly. Depending on the expenditure, you might need to convince executive management for additional funding.
  
  
• Set and manage expectations. A recent article in The Washington Post described the tortuous history of the FBI’s Virtual Case File, a $170 million system that was declared unusable. This is a classic case of underestimating, over-promising, and under-delivering—perfect ingredients for a disaster. Do not let this happen to you by setting and managing clear expectations from the start.
  
  
• Make a long-term plan. Before the engagement begins, talk with your vendor about how you might work together when the project winds down, or once the new employee is hired. Some outsourced experts remain engaged in related areas of the business, such as providing advice and counsel on an “as needed” basis, enhancing existing deliverables, or working on brand new projects that have been put on the back burner for more pressing objectives.

Bottom Line

At Tim Rosa Associates, we have worked with hundreds of clients to address all the staffing transition issues I’ve discussed above. Many of our clients call us minutes after receiving a resignation or letting someone go. We know these transitions are difficult, professionally and personally, but we also understand what it takes to keep your business moving forward regardless of the issues at hand. Our associates are senior-level consultants who work in dedicated project teams to meet your business requirements and project schedules. I hope you will consider us a part of your professional network. Whether you need advice, an opinion, or help with these or other staffing challenges, we hope to hear from you.