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Make the most of yourprojectworkforcemichael ruchman

Introduction /03Workforce analysts predict that this employee segment will be thesource of the largest job growth over the next decade.Regardless of whether you’re seeking senior project management experts with critical nichevertical experience, or higher-end professionals in support roles within technical projects, demandwill likely outstrip supply for the foreseeable future.In this highly competitive job segment, workforce solutions must not only be well-planned andresponsive, but they must also be cost-effective and deliver high-quality results.Here’s how to achieve that balance.

04What’s drivinghighdemandof STEM project talent?

STEM occupations account forover 8 million jobs/05

062023Between 2013 and 2023there will be a 14.9%increase in demand2013

Computer-related jobs make up48% of STEM employment/07

What’s driving high demand of STEM project talent? /08Many employers are experiencing a gap in STEM talent, withcurrent demand outpacing supply.The global economy of innovation is increasing demand for the knowledge, skills, and abilitiescommonly associated with STEM workers—across all industries—at a far greater rate than averagegrowth in employment.It just so happens that the verticals that are generating the highest level of economicdevelopment in the current environment (the STEM disciplines) are also the biggest generatorsof project-driven activities, and therefore, project services staff. This is largely because thefollowing pressures continue to bear down on most businesses, large and small, despiteeconomic constraints:/ the need to deploy rapidly evolving technologies/ environmental/sustainability requirements and challenges/ increasing focus on innovation and research/ the ongoing need for infrastructure improvements

What’s driving high demand of STEM project talent? /09Clearly, each of these issues demands talent with STEM qualifications to solve, and hence, thereis already a shortage of these qualified professionals in the workforce. If these trends continue asthey are, this shortage will of course, become more acute.Concerns about this gap are likely to continue as growing worker populations are vastlyunderrepresented in STEM careers. Similar shortages will also grow for the projectmanagement, niche technical, and higher-level vertical talent that directly supports or guidesproject-based work.Carefully cultivating an appropriate mix of these skills through both full-time and contractemployees is the way forward for two reasons:1. These are the skills and experience that are pivotal to running and growing many businesses.2. Access to these skills in the right way at the right time is key to managing HR costs andmaintaining profitability.We had more sports-exercise majors graduate than electricalengineering graduates last year. If you want to become themassage capital of the world, you’re well on your way.”Jeff Immelt, CEO, General Electric Co

10Consider constraints andplanahead

Overall, only one-third of workers with a STEMundergraduate degree work in a STEM job/11

Only about 40% of men with STEMcollege degrees work in STEM jobs/12

Only 26% of women with STEMcollege degrees work in STEM jobs/13

Consider constraints and plan ahead /14Developing an efficient, effective workforce in the marketwe’re all operating within today begins with a sound technicalstaffing strategy.Given that technical projects often involve a dynamic workload, with changing requirements fordifferent specialty skill-sets and experience, the optimal approach to staffing them often involveshiring a mix of full-time and contract employees. It may also include outsourcing certain tasks orentire projects.The recent economic challenges have proven that companies that are proactive in planning forworkforce flexibility are better able to adjust to unexpected changes in their business demands.In many cases, this has been the difference between surviving, and not.This mismatch in supply and demand has maddened the long-term unemployed, stymiedeven the most skilled recruiters, and frustrated strategic planners at companies aroundthe world. It has also galvanized debate about post-secondary education in the US – moreprecisely, how our failure to produce enough STEM graduates and skilled technicians isfeeding the mismatch and starving our economic progress.”Carl Camden, Kelly Services President and CEO

Consider constraints and plan ahead /15Building workforces purposefully, with a carefully chosen combination of full-time and contractprofessionals requires careful consideration of issues such as:/ Budgetary constraints: how many full-time or contract hires can you afford? At what level canyou afford to hire each staff member? Is there a way to bring in experienced and higher wagepersonnel for shorter timeframes in order to train up younger/less experienced permanentteam members?/ Project peaks and valleys: these can cause downtime and affect workflow. Leveragingcontract-based talent to deliver seasonal or time sensitive projects may be an option./ Learning curves: expert project managers or niche support personnel engaged as contractorsmay be preferable for projects requiring specific skill sets or experience, in order to shortenthe associated learning curve and thereby lower your costs./ The risks of contract employee time limits: when a vital technical role is to be filled with acontract employee, be sure to obtain the required internal exception approvals ahead of time,to prevent counter-productive turnover at a critical point on your project timeline.To ensure the development of a strong work team, technical hiring managers shouldcommunicate with key supervisors and project managers to get a complete picture of the skillsthey need in potential job candidates, and then create the right, flexible strategy for attractingand hiring the best talent available.

16outsideGo lean and thinkthe box

go lean and think outside the box /17An effective workforce model includes a mix of strategies to attract,hire and retain the best of the best.Each year, companies spend money, time, and energy on recovering from poor hiring decisionsthat drain budgets with hidden costs such as training, unproductive work hours, and lengthylearning curves.These losses can be avoided by developing a proactive, progressive strategy that helps youoptimize your project workforce to maximize profitability and achieve business objectives. Yet,to achieve this you need to apply an over-arching methodology to your workforce planning thatsupports this.‘Lean’ principles are one option that will deliver advantages such as ensuringyour organization:/ pays for staff only when you need them/ lowers the expenses associated with hiring and training full-time professionals,/ reduces the need for continual lay-offs and re-hires due to fluctuations in business cycles/ has additional personnel engaged at critical points in your project life cycle

go lean and think outside the box /18There are many resources available on the benefits of lean methodology, but the basicprinciples are:1. To improve quality: in the recruitment space this means to better understand the talent/laborneeds of the organization and how to attract and retain the best of the best2. To eliminate (or reduce) waste: waste is seen as those processes or tasks that consumeresources but do not add value (to the customer or the organization). In recruitment andworkforce planning, the waste is clearly in areas such as utilization of resources, hiring cycletimes and ramp to full productivity of each resource.Regardless of which supporting methodology your organization uses, an effective staffing solutionshould be geared towards not just attracting and retaining the best talent, but towards motivatingand enabling them to do their best (highest quality) work in the most efficient way (with the leastamount of ‘waste’).

Conclusion/19Throughout history, many companies have approached staffing decisions by reacting to changingbusiness needs as they arise, rather than adopting proactive strategies to plan for inevitablebusiness peaks and valleys. When business is booming in a robust economy, it may seemplausible to build your workforce steadily as you build your business. But, in the current economicand market cycles we are seeing ahead, it’s clear that is no longer a sustainable workforce strategyfor any business.If project workforces are set to grow, and the supply of these resources continues to decline, theonly way forward is more proactive planning of this precious resource.By using a methodology such as the Lean principles, and ensuring your workforce planningteam addresses those critical questions of budget, cyclical demand and talent productivity, anyorganization has a better chance of securing the skills and experience it needs.In this highly competitive job segment, workforce-planning solutionsmust be cost-effective and deliver high-quality results—and they canonly do this if they are well-planned and responsive.

For more thought leadership go to talentproject.comAbout the authorMichael Ruchman is the Project Services product lead for the Global Managed Solutionspractice of Kelly Outsourcing and Consulting Group (KellyOCG). He is a Professional Engineer(P.E.) with over ten years of direct experience in the oil, gas and energy sectors. He holdsdegrees in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental/Sustainability Engineering,an MBA, and Master’s Degrees in Information Systems Management and Project Management,as well as multiple certifications in Petroleum Engineering (including a BOP license to work on land and offshoredrilling operations). He is responsible for strategy, brand relationships, business development and support forGlobal Managed Solutions, adding value, technically and functionally, across the board for Engineering, Clinical,Healthcare, IT, Finance and Science.About KellyOCGKellyOCG ® is the Outsourcing and Consulting Group of workforce solutions provider Kelly Services, Inc. KellyOCG is aglobal leader in innovative talent management solutions in the areas of Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), BusinessProcess Outsourcing (BPO), Contingent Workforce Outsourcing (CWO), including Independent Contractor Solutions,Human Resources Consulting, Career Transition and Executive Coaching, and Executive Search.KellyOCG was named to the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals ® 2013 GlobalOutsourcing 100 ® list, an annual ranking of the world’s best outsourcing service providers and advisors.Further information about KellyOCG may be found at kellyocg.com.EXIT