Outsourcing discrete IT projects or functions can provide a host of benefits for your Middle Tennessee business. Using contract employees can help you:
- access the talented technical specialists you need, without increasing direct headcount;
- control fixed labor osts;
- complete critical IT projects quickly; and
- maintain focus on your core business.
But while using IT contract employees is clearly a smart business strategy, the ways you work with them can be an equally important consideration. If you’re using contract employees provided by a staffing service, you need to do everything possible to ensure their success. Here are a few best practices to help you get great results:
Do your homework. Before outsourcing any IT project, think through its scope. Identify the skills and resources you need, as well as the results you want to achieve. For bigger projects, you should prepare a formal statement of work to be subcontracted; for smaller tasks, a clear outline of contractor expectations should suffice.
Consider timetables. If you’re not sure how long the project should take to complete, ask trusted colleagues in your industry to help you estimate. Then, set a realistic, mutually agreed-upon timetable for achieving those results.
Set clear performance expectations. For each tech contractor you work with, outline the tasks to be performed, required skills and expected standards of performance. Once those standards are set, do not tolerate poor performance. If any contract employees fail to meet your standards, ask your staffing service to replace them.
Onboard your contract employees. Have IT contract staff complete online forms before their projects start. Provide them with clear and detailed job descriptions, as well as performance expectations. If contract employees will be working on site, provide them with a facilities and resources tour. Most of all, give your IT contract workers the support they need. Make sure they know to whom they report and who can answer their questions.
Be open to suggestions. The IT professionals who work on contract with you may have performed similar work for other companies. Drawing on those experiences, they may identify potential pitfalls or time savers that could make your project even more successful. So keep an open mind if they suggest better ways to get work done.
Achieve More with Wood Personnel
As a leading provider of IT staffing in Nashville, Wood Personnel wants you to achieve even better results from our services. As you complete IT workforce planning for 2013, we invite you to contact us with your staffing questions and concerns. We’ll listen, and we’ll give you sound advice for building a more successful business.
