Case Study

    Need:  A healthcare client was
    experiencing turnover in their IT
    Department, negative employee
    morale, poor project
    management, and lost
    productivity.  The client’s
    strategic business plan was
    heavily dependent on their
    technology and technical staff
    and their productivity was
    imperative.

    Action:  Consultants with HR
    Logistics assessed the employee
    culture and morale, met with
    management and offered
    recommendations to enhance the
    client's environment and culture.  
    Training was developed to
    improve the IT skill sets present
    in the IT Department.  On-
    boarding for new hires was
    revised to improve new
    employees assimilation into the
    current culture.  And Myers
    Briggs assessments were
    conducted to improve the
    teamwork of the internal IT staff.  

    Results:  The IT Department’s
    morale began to improve with
    increased productivity and user
    collaboration.  The project
    management skills were
    enhanced through training and
    projects were more frequently
    achieved on time and within
    budget.

    The assessments improved the
    organization's culture and
    collaboration within its workforce.  
    Executive management issues
    were improved and - in some
    areas - eliminated.
Information Technology Workforce Development and Strategic Planning

Is your IT function working as efficiently as it can?
Is it prioritizing and managing projects well and succeeding in balancing the demands of the business owners?
Or do you feel you're constantly in crisis mode dealing with issues that are always immediate?

Through multiple client engagements working with IT projects and IT professionals, and founded on our expertise as HR
professionals working with teams, competencies, and project management, HR Logistics has developed a deep expertise
in organizational and workforce development specifically for IT and HR IT functions.  

Our proprietary methodology uses tools, templates and processes we have designed specifically for the IT related
functions to assess the effectiveness of the IT workforce, determine issues within the team, assess the quality of project
management, and plan for the specific competencies and needs the organization will need to achieve its strategic goals in
the next 3-5 years.  Organizational development for your IT and HRIT workforce can have an immediate impact on your
organization's IT strength and ability to leverage its technology.  

At HR Logistics, we have worked with technology partners on many projects and have developed a healthy respect and
admiration for their competencies.  Our experiences have kept us close to the development of technologies as they have
emerged over the last 20 years and we are acutely aware of the gaps in skills within information technology functions.  As
technology changes a light speed, your IT workforce is charged with staying current and working with a variety of different
skills sets and applications.  Some applications are 20 years old and written in languages no longer used but these
applications must be maintained.  New employees may be working with the latest tech language and the newest skills and
find difficulty appreciating and understanding the older technology.  

The "gap" between technology platforms, languages, and skills adds an increased layer of complexity in an area where
collaboration is critical to project success.  This creates a variety of additional challenges for IT professionals including
team collaboration, user collaboration, project planning, and project execution.  As partners of technology with strengths in
organizational development, HR Logistics offers specialized OD services to technical departments and professionals to
improve efficiency and collaboration within the IT department, prioritization of projects, and improved effectiveness of IT
teams including improved ability to collaborate with the business owners and succeed with each project.

Competencies and tools we use within IT OD include:
  • IT Current State Assessment
  • IT Strategic Plan
  • IT Organizational Health Assessment©
  • Technical Skills Gap Analysis
  • IT OD Strategic Plan
  • Change Management
  • Communications

Phase 1 consists of understanding the IT landscape:
  • what types of technologies are currently in place?
  • What languages are used?
  • What is the level of maintenance required?
  • How are projects prioritized?
  • How strong is the collaboration with business owners?
  • What is the IT strategic plan for 3-5 years?
  • What is the organization's 3-5 year strategic plan?
  • How much executive support does that plan have?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses from a functional and a departmental perspective?

Answers to these questions are gathered from each of the 4 pillars of influence and serve as the foundational
understanding of the current state.  With this information, we begin to delve deeper into how well the IT function supports
the organization and the strengths, weaknesses and challenges facing optimal performance.  

Phase II consists of analyzing the IT function's strengths and weaknesses, assessing skills and competencies, and
developing your IT OD Strategic Plan.  With a thorough understanding of your IT function's current state, a plan to leverage
strengths and mitigate risks and weaknesses can be designed to prepare and achieve optimal performance of the IT
function.  The plan is customized to your organization, your strengths and weaknesses, and your timetable and
challenges.    

Phase III is the final step in ensuring you have the tools you need for successful implementation.  Our experience with
multiple transformation projects has taught us the value of constant communication.  During Phase III, HR Logistics will
work with you to design the appropriate change and communication plan to support your strategic plan and ensure your
teams are supported throughout the transformation process.  If desired, we can also design a method to re-evaluate the
success of the transformation on a designated anniversary to support realignment and continued progress.  The
continuous measurement provides you the feedback you need to determine the effectiveness of the implementation and
areas which may require additional attention or follow up to ensure continued ROI throughout the 3-5 year plan.
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