Challenges delivering projects with your existing resources?
13 June 2016
Project managers within the businesses that we work with are responsibile for successfully delivering technical projects. In order to achieve this the right people with the right skill sets need to be involved.
There are several consequences to not having the right people, the first of which is the significant delay in delivery. This has multiple knock on effects, for example, increased cost and can impact on the delivery of subsequent projects. There is also the risk of not delivering the expected output, which can also affect cost, confidence in the output and in the project team for future work.
When assembling a project team, in the first instance the internal resources will be assessed to determine any shortcomings. If there are limitations, typically they fall in to the following two categories;
- No internal resource with the expertise for a particular aspect of the project
- Internal resources exist, but they are not available due to workload
Regarding the first of the two points above; it is a relatively easy decision to turn to an external supplier for a particular aspect of the project. If the value that will be added from completing the project outweighs the cost and management requirements of outsourcing, then outsourcing is the way to go.
The second point, requires a bit more thought. Will the internal resources be available within a timeframe that would suit the deliverables of the project? Is it worth expanding the team to handle the requirements of this project? Is it possible to stretch the existing resource for a short period of time to deliver this project?
There is associated risk with all of these questions. If the internal resources don’t become available when expected, the project would be delayed, having the effects as already discussed. Recruitment is a challenging task, expanding a team puts additional pressure on managers as well as ensuring the business has the workload to warrant the expansion. Stretching additional resources is always risky, there is risk of a disengaged work force and project deliverables being missed.
How can outsourcing help in this situation?
Outsourcing will ensure you have the right people on the job as you will be using a company who have built their business on delivering solutions related to the technical problems you are facing. This means they have many years’ experience providing solutions to your challenges.
An external resource brings a fresh outlook to the challenge. Inevitably, when you are working on similar challenges on a regular basis, you get used to approaching them in a particular manner. In Argenta’s experience, because we have experience in many different industries, we have learnt how to integrate lessons learnt from one industry into another.
Specifically when you are working alone, but also when working in a team, there is potential for quality to be affected due to a lack of a review process. If there is no process in place to ensure work is checked prior to release then there is a risk that on delivery the solution does not perform as expected. Within Argenta, we ensure our solutions are tested not only by the developers, but also by a peer for quality assurance.
Finally, one of the major benefits of outsourcing is getting tasks completed in challenging timescales. An external resource has dedicated personnel for delivering the requirements of their projects. This means that there are no distractions from the task such as responding to breakdowns, attending meetings and completing other project work, which typically exist within a company.
If this article hits home and your business is coming across the hurdles identified, please feel free to give us a call on 0121 318 6363 and we will be happy to discuss your requirements.
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