Today, I’m going to share the significance and the intricacies of the staffing component of resource management with you. While staffing is just one small component of the resource management process, it's vital. 

Determining who is responsible for staffing within an organization is essential. It could be managers adjusting existing roles to address immediate needs while maintaining continuity from a client perspective, partners getting directly involved, or a finely tuned dedicated resource management process. Once you’ve narrowed down who is responsible for staffing, it’s important to understand the components necessary for a successful staffing process.   

Business understanding 

Firstly, regardless of who's involved in the process, they must thoroughly understand what is going on in the business. Beyond what's happening in the organization, they need to grasp what's happening in the industry and the challenges your firm is up against. Do they understand leadership's future goals for the firm, e.g., expansion plans? 

This is important because often, in the resource management process, resource managers (or whoever is doing the staffing) are not only influencing your team's day-to-day experience but also plotting out and aligning people to your business operations. 

While that has implications from a client standpoint, it can also trigger a chain of events within your organization. A good example is expanding business operations into a new geography; resource managers (or anyone involved in the staffing process) have their ear to the ground about people and what they're doing, what they want to be doing, new opportunities, etc. Arming them with that perspective of where the firm intends to grow strategically allows them to make more informed and educated proposals, suggestions, or even decisions depending on where you are with your resource management process' maturity model. 

The people 

The next component necessary for a successful staffing process is people and, more importantly, understanding people. The ideal situation is one in which the people working on your staffing are actively engaging with the people they're staffing. 

Revenue is earned and generated through effective, key, and often complex client service solutions; it's thus important that the teams executing that work are excited and engaged by the work, as that directly affects the quality of the work. Their experience affects reputational branding regarding talent and attraction and your ability to retain them within the organization. Ensuring your staffing strategy is aligned with your people's career aspirations, professional opportunities, etc., is vital. This is why it's so important that your resource managers are making a deliberate and concerted effort to get to know the people they are staffing. 

Data, data, data 

Last but certainly not least is data. What I mean by data is having access to information on every component of the staffing process, from forecasting where everyone is to where they're planning to be. Having that visibility throughout the overarching organization will position a firm for success in being more agile and nimble in staffing solutions. Rapid redeployment will be key to success, especially when those last-minute things crop up, and they always do; we all know the busy season has a way of throwing curveballs at us, so having that information upfront will be beneficial. 

The other important aspect of data is matching up what's in the pipeline with what we're expecting in terms of demand. Essentially, this means knowing where the peak seasons are going to be, particularly on the audit side of the house, and having a deep understanding of the business, the firm's growth strategy, and where people want to be. 

Another important component related to data is not only having the information but applying the information successfully to meet and hopefully exceed operational metrics. E.g., are we looking for a specific utilization rate? Are we trying to achieve a set revenue goal this year? Is there something we're hoping to enhance from a quality perspective? Have we introduced milestones into the audit process, and what does that look like? Are there quality or risk factors we'll want to ensure the quality of the engagement and the work being put forward? 

It will be critical to match the metrics we hope to achieve with what's forecasted and have someone able to call out those differences and flag any inconsistencies successfully. 

By actively applying these principles to your own staffing strategies and continuously refining them, you will be well-equipped to meet the needs of your business in real-time, ensuring your organization remains agile in a competitive marketplace. 

ABOUT CHRISTINE ROBINSON 

Christine Robinson is a Makosi Advisory Board Member. She’s a resource management expert, strategic advisor, award-winning speaker, author, and the mother/stepmother of six.