Your company has to approach hiring for any new project after careful analysis of existing resources. There are two main considerations— choosing the best third party staffing agencies and ensuring only quality staff are selected. The first may not be an issue if you have ongoing positive relationships with outside agencies. Lacking such relationships and experiences will only add to the challenge with your project. The critical components with any project are the people tasked with project ownership, execution, and management. There are other variables to know, so let’s discuss three suggestions to make your next project a success.
Organization Culture
It is likely you have experienced people who did not mesh well with the culture in your business. This situation is subjective, but most people have a good idea about it. The reasons are not important. What matters is the ideal fit is not there and it causes problems. So naturally you want every candidate for your project to blend-in and work well with your culture. This presumes that you or others have a good grasp on the defining characteristics of your organization’s culture.
All workplaces have their personalities and this is part of culture. The ability for project members to succeed with minimal friction is even more important. Consider that any project forces team members to work closely with each other. Your team is new, they do not know each other, and they have to hit the ground running.
Industry Experience
While you may consider this obvious, think about your internal customers and the project. A new project may involve entirely new areas in which your company has little to no experience. If that is the case, then you must bring on staff that has the right experience. Then you must ensure your staffing agency will find qualified candidates. Extending the interview process to include screening performed in-house can prevent hiring mistakes.
Have an open mind about qualifications and experience levels. One of the classic mistakes with hiring staff is looking for too wide a range of skill sets. This approach prolongs the search and may result in ineffective candidates. The key is identifying the most critical knowledge and skills. Ultimately, it may be optimal to hire extra staff if it results in the expert knowledge you need.
Leadership and Project Management
Two critical components fall in the category of leadership. First, any large project should have an outsourced project manager. Second, you need a primary stakeholder from your company to provide oversight and management. Industry experience has shown that a project manager can make or break the outcome. These two team members will work closely together with the project manager reporting directly to the primary management oversight.
Successful projects require careful planning based on the best situation analysis. Plan well in advance of your ideal start date and allow time for finding the most qualified team members. An emphasis on constant communication will give your project the oil it needs to run smoothly.