Projects require many different skill sets, and the types of expertise your organization needs will likely evolve as your project portfolio expands and matures. The skills necessary might even change from one project to the next, such as when a near-term initiative calls for experience with international trade while the project after it requires familiarity with regulatory requirements.
But should you find an external expert to fill the knowledge gaps or is it better to bring on additional in-house staff? If you aren’t sure how to navigate your options, we’ve gathered tips below to help you assess the issues and weigh the value and benefits of hiring new employees against building a network of outside vendors and consultants.
Begin by understanding the nature of the skills your team needs.
Are they:
- Skills or competencies that are new in the marketplace
- Skills that are undergoing rapid change
- Skills that are well established in the market but new to your organization
If a skill set is still relatively new, or if it’s undergoing significant transformation, it can be very difficult to connect with job candidates who possess the necessary level of competency. When much of the workforce is still focused on developing a new or changing skill, you may be better served by partnering with an outside expert to fill your needs. Consultants and contractors typically dedicate resources to staying abreast of current trends and best practices and are often able to bring a more mature set of competencies. They also tend to have experience across a broad range of client organizations, which can be valuable in adjusting to a new-to-you skill set.
Facilitation, for example, isn’t a new skill. But if your organization has only recently added facilitation support to the project management function, then your team is still developing a familiarity with the process. An outside partner can bring implementation experience to the table and help you figure out how to fit facilitation into your company culture and the best ways to take advantage of working with a facilitator.
Know how frequently your organization will need a skill set.
Maintaining internal skills that see only infrequent use can often result in wasted talent and a need to hire more people than necessary. If a skill isn’t something your team will leverage on a regular basis, then you may have difficulty making the case for a dedicated, full-time position. An outside expert is likely your best bet in this scenario and gives you the flexibility to consume their services when you need them without paying for them to sit idle when you don’t. You might also consider encouraging one or more in-house team members to build the skill themselves, so you can transition to internal resources once the skill becomes needed on a more regular basis.
Consider the overall market demand for specialized skills.
Developing a niche skill within your internal group can be surprisingly difficult. Training opportunities are often hard to find. There may be very few educational tracks available to help someone build their skills, and some could require full-time schooling or an apprenticeship. Maintaining specialized skills can be even more challenging.
When niche skills are in high demand, it may be prudent to invest in your team by hiring someone with the necessary credentials. This avoids the need to compete against other businesses for expensive contractors and eliminates concerns about delays due to the unavailability of qualified resources. Alternatively, you may discover that the cost of training and credential maintenance is high enough that working with an experienced outside expert is more cost efficient in the long run.
PMAlliance, Inc uses a team of highly experienced and certified professionals to provide project management consulting, project management training and project portfolio management.