Link - Workforce Planning - Handout 5

report for Hr Professionals

Fasten Your Seatbelts:
Workforce Planning for a
Turbulent Economy

4 Executive summary Q2 2009

8 Portfolio planning provides workforce management options during
economic change

16 Assess your workforce’s ability to face economic uncertainty

28 Create a workforce planning portfolio that maximizes opportunity and
minimizes risk

38 Appendix: Case studies

48 Further reading

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rEPorT For hr ProFESSionalS

Fasten Your Seatbelts: Workforce Planning for a
Turbulent Economy
Q2 2009

Fasten Your Seatbelts: Workforce Planning for a Turbulent Economy 1

ForEWord

Creating workforce plans that are evergreen, or sustainable
through economic ups and downs, requires a new approach.
instead of locking into projections that could be knocked off
course by economic turbulence, the savvy planner prepares
for a range of possible futures to be ready to take advantage
of the opportunities that each has to offer.

2 Gartner Q2 2009

This report addresses the question, How can IT leaders create plans that sustain a high-performance
workforce across economic cycles?

“Fasten Your Seatbelts: Workforce Planning for a Turbulent Economy” was written by members of the
Gartner Cio research team, led by andrew Walker (research director), assisted by diane Berry (man-
aging vice president).

We would like to thank the many organizations and individuals that generously contributed their insights
and experiences to the research, including:

• The contributors to our interviews and case studies.

• Other Gartner colleagues: Jim Lewandowski, Bill Link, Alessandro Misiti and David Pack.

• Other members of the CIO research team.


exeCuTIve suMMAry

This report proposes an approach to steering the workforce
through economic turbulence. it takes a proactive stance
by recommending that workforce planners assess business
context and plan workforce capabilities that can adapt to
multiple scenarios.

Portfolio planning provides workforce management options
during economic change
a workforce portfolio planning approach compares and contrasts workforce strategies and how to
implement them in economic and other contexts. it is a way for iT leaders to mitigate radical shifts by
pre-identifying competing priorities and determining what resources need to be sourced and devel-
oped. a workforce portfolio planning approach makes such shift in direction less painful and builds
strength in response to economic change.

iT workforce planners need to recognize changing directions in iT by providing a range or portfolio of
options for bringing out the best in talented people who know the organization and how to get things
done. This portfolio is the core, differentiated skills mix essential to the business in all economic circum-
stances.

Becoming a market leader involves not only continuous recognition of the assets the workforce pro-
vides to the business but also the ability to adapt and to create new solutions. This means recruiting
and retaining people with aptitude and versatility (known as “versatilists”), and continuously enabling
them to adapt. The multiple benefits of this approach range from value propositions that support corpo-
rate performance and stability to the flexibility that results from employee retention.

To address the challenges of workforce composition and talent procurement, workforce planning ap-
proaches are becoming more rigorous. intuitive approaches that are unrecorded and lack consensus
among decision makers fail the iT organization in times of uncertainty. Traditional approaches, though
more formal, are rarely scrutinized, giving rise to belated questions that jeopardize plan implementation
and breed cynicism about the process.

a portfolio approach to workforce planning requires that interested parties review possible scenarios
and create a portfolio of workforce strategies that can be adapted to different circumstances. The best
approaches are practical and inspire commitment.

4 Gartner Q2 2009

a workforce portfolio plan encompasses three main components:

• uture resource requirements, including skills and proficiencies
F

• ommitment to an investment in people, so that future requirements will be met
C

• Sourcing possibilities, since not all the workforce requirements need to be met through
internal staffing

When framing workforce plans, the most frequently asked questions concern financial resources and
timing: how much money do we have? how far ahead are we looking?

in down times, process improvement and consolidation strategies create increased efficiency. Process
improvement drives cross-functional restructuring and usually greater matrix-type reporting. Consolida-
tion often drives centralization.

in preparing for an upturn, the focus shifts to agility and distributive strategies that enable iT profession-
als to contribute to growth and innovation. agility stems from a flexible workforce with high skill breadth
but often only intermediate skill depth. a distributive strategy requires more cutting-edge, pioneering
abilities.

Assess your workforce’s ability to face economic uncertainty
To prepare for economic change, include a contextual analysis of the workforce as part of any strategic
planning exercise. Start with a review of STEEP (social, technological, economic, environmental and
political) factors to gain perspective on how circumstances could impact the workforce.

Based on the most compelling external factors, the next step is to identify workforce opportunities and
threats—the oT in SWoT analysis. Then conduct an internal strengths and weaknesses analysis to
determine the iT organization’s ability to respond to external factors and achieve goals. Ultimately, this
assessment component serves as the foundation for the scenarios in the workforce portfolio plan.

another critical component of workforce portfolio planning is to analyze a range of what-if scenarios.
This iterative process leads to better understanding of enterprise direction and vulnerability, and the
implications for the workforce. Consider intuitive what-ifs generated by the strategic planning process
first. later, apply more analytical what-if questions.

iT professionals and their leaders are accustomed to continuous change and flexibility, but how they
adapt to economic shifts will depend on their ability to foresee and develop agile responses to new and
uncertain scenarios. anticipate change by encouraging more innovation and continuous improvement.
Make adaptability a workforce goal that underpins the other strengths needed to create a workforce
effective in any economic climate.


exeCuTIve suMMAry

Use SWoT to forecast workforce resource requirements by skill, proficiency and duration. Strengths are
areas that are already well established. internal weaknesses are areas that have yet to receive proper
attention. Opportunities are external areas that in the future may favorably change the direction of the
business. External threats are areas that could damage the business, and mitigating them carries risks
as well.

after conducting SWoT analysis, allocate funds to create a workforce that can respond to multiple
scenarios. higher funding means accelerated building of agility. do not merely allocate funds effectively;
also follow through and spend appropriately.

While all of this analytical input is time-consuming, it leads to better decision making that avoids the
error of hiring people one day only to institute a riF (reduction in force) the next.

Create a workforce planning portfolio that maximizes
opportunity and minimizes risk
The planning stage of managing the workforce through economic change should inspire and coordinate
action. Talent—defined as breadth and depth of skills—is the essential ingredient for success during
both up and down times. Talent management hinges on being able to reward appropriately and create
career as well as learning opportunities.

To compete successfully for talent, iT organizations need to look for and develop new skills for new
tasks, skill breadth and skill depth. Talent may have to come from multiple sourcing channels, including
contractors if FTE hiring is frozen.

during downturns, invest in preparing people for career growth. Career development can help stretch
individuals to aspire to higher performance standards. Use incentives as performance and retention
tools, but design and understand them completely before implementation.

during upturns, invest in continuous learning and cross-training. Scenarios to address in the workforce
portfolio plan include protecting core skills—not so much from competitors but from the seemingly
inevitable cuts that a downturn entails.

6 Gartner Q2 2009

agility and interchangeability (the result of initiatives such as job rotation, task forces, cross-training,
and multiple and varied project assignments), along with breadth of responsibility, allow an employer to
deploy people as needed against changing priorities. Specialists are less likely to thrive in tough times,
so they should be made aware of the need for them to grow their skill base. Performance recognition
lessens with flattened merit increases and incentives. learning opportunities are more easily funded in
an upturn, so that is when to address them. Waiting for a recession is unwise because resources are
likely to be exhausted by then.
Take action early to protect skills. Create learning assignments that deliver outputs as well as learning
opportunities, and invest in agility so that the deployment of people matches organizational need. in ad-
dition, procure hot skills as they become more readily available.

Taking advantage of the opportunities that economic cycles bring requires more than reacting to ser-
endipity. it involves creating opportunity readiness, especially in iT, which is not always perceived as a
direct generator of business growth.

To ensure access to the best talent in times of scarcity and adversity, deploy evergreen talent manage-
ment techniques that keep an eye on both current and future needs. having talent with the right poten-
tial may not be enough. Create ways for talented people to work collaboratively, and help them contrib-
ute to a high-performance workplace using social networking technologies that emphasize outputs, not
attendance. Virtual teamwork is a proven means to raise standards and build employee loyalty.


1 OrTfOLIO PLAnnInG PrOvIDes wOrkfOrCe MAnAGeMenT OPTIOns
P
DurInG eCOnOMIC ChAnGe

Economic cycles, both up and down, stimulate new demand
for information and automation. An approach to workforce
management that ensures availability of the right talent will
sustain success through economic turbulence.

Creating workforce management options during economic
change
Traditional workforce management often assumes forecasting an extrapolation of the prevailing eco-
nomic cycle for workforce planning. a workforce portfolio planning approach compares and contrasts
workforce strategies and how to implement them in different contexts—the economic environment
being one of the most important. Workforce planning can be like trying to set a budget that impacts
people’s lives even when the world is experiencing significant change. as new information about the
environment and about performance arrives, the budget inevitably adjusts up and down to support
shifting priorities.

With a workforce planning portfolio approach, iT leaders can mitigate radical shifts by pre-identifying
competing priorities and determining the resources to source and develop. doing so makes a shift in
enterprise direction less painful and builds a stronger response to economic change.

8 Gartner Q2 2009

“our general approach is in the plan. it is a balance of long term and short term. if you have a robust,
thorough and broad plan—with some of it short term and some long term—i think that’s okay. i think
the issue is when you don’t have a plan, and you get caught without having a strategy.”
senIOr vICe PresIDenT, BusIness sysTeMs
Media Company

Changes in formal workforce planning
Traditional workforce planning Portfolio approach to workforce planning

• Extrapolation approach to replacement planning • Scenario planning creates options for changing
• Assumes scarce skills will remain hard to fill economic conditions
tomorrow • Flexibility is fulfilled short-term by external suppliers
• Assumes today’s jobs will be similar to tomorrow’s • Labor supply changes create long-term
• Changes in workforce are filled as vacancies are opportunities
approved • Changes in workforce mix require early planning

although changes in global economic activity impact demand for some types of iT workers, scarce
talent remains so despite economic ups and downs. The contextual landscape for enterprises is in
perpetual flux, and the service-based economy continuously stimulates reprioritization because of
globalization, business/technology integration and technological change. in the quest for the efficien-
cies that result from cost reductions and new practices, electronically enabled processes will take over.
Moreover, business expansion through new and enhanced services will increasingly rely on systems
that transform ideas into practical everyday solutions.
iT workforce planners need to address changing directions in iT by providing a range or portfolio of
options that bring out the best in talented people who know the organization and how to get things
done. This portfolio is the core, differentiated skills mix essential to the business in all economic circum-
stances.

Becoming a market leader involves not only continuous recognition of the assets the workforce pro-
vides to the business but also the ability to adapt and to create new solutions. This means recruiting
and retaining people with aptitude and versatility (known as “versatilists”), and continuously enabling
them to adapt. The multiple benefits of this approach range from value propositions that support corpo-
rate performance and stability to the flexibility that results from employee retention.


P

Global economic impacts
Global prosperity Global recession
• Positive GDP growth • Negative GDP growth
• Consumer optimism • Consumer pessimism

Leads to… Leads to…
• Price/pay inflation • Price/pay stability/deflation
• Increasing labor demand • Decreasing labor demand
• Changes in skill availability • Changes in skill availability

Difficult-to-hire positions remain a challenge across
economic cycles
across all economic cycles, a critical outcome of workforce planning will be to ensure that scarce tal-
ent can be found when needed. Cios report that finding the right combination and proficiency of skills
among iT professionals is a challenge regardless of economic trends. although the number of available
candidates may grow during a downturn, the desired skill level can remain elusive. For the hardest-
to-find skills, this means planning more time for recruitment and using sourcing alternatives, including
contracting out and growing people internally.

decisions will also have to be made about inevitable pay anomalies, whether they arise from paying sal-
ary premiums, offering premium skill bonuses or even retention bonuses. in addition, the benefits pack-
age may need to be adapted to age groups with a greater desire for career development—for example,
by introducing well-supported educational reimbursements and time off for education. With skills that
grow in availability, the challenge is to find the candidate with the right fit in a vast, hard-to-manage
population. a more specific definition of “the right fit” will make such decision making manageable.

10 Gartner Q2 2009

Trends in difficult-to-hire positions
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
responses responses responses responses responses
Position (N = 105) (N = 121) (N = 151) (N = 202) (N = 191)

Database administrator 44.8% 42.1% 49.7% 45.0% 48.7%

Enterprise architect * 39.7% 37.1% 41.1% 42.4%

Project manager 55.2% 50.4% 45.0% 46.0% 39.3%

Network engineer 43.8% 39.7% 37.7% 40.1% 38.2%

ERP programmer/analyst 30.5% 30.6% 31.8% 31.7% 34.6%

Business analyst * 32.2% 35.1% 40.1% 34.0%

Web application programmer 46.7% 34.7% 40.4% 34.7% 31.4%

Security analyst 45.7% 31.4% 30.5% 32.7% 30.9%

Internet/Web systems administrator 33.3% 31.4% 31.1% 25.2% 28.8%

Network architect 33.3% 34.7% 31.1% 33.7% 28.8%

*Position not surveyed in a particular year
Note: Five-point scale used, ranging from 1 (not at all difficult) to 5 (extremely difficult).
Responses above reflect the percentage of respondents reporting a range of 3 (moderately difficult)
to 5 (extremely difficult).

Source: Gartner IT Market Compensation Study. Based on U.S. data only.


P

Workforce plans vary with context, but a portfolio approach
is best
addressing the challenges of workforce composition and talent procurement demands a rigorous work-
force planning approach. at many enterprises, workforce planning approaches, if they exist at all, are
of the back-of-the-envelope variety. The workgroup manager jots down ideas about how the group will
adapt to unfilled vacancies, new skill requirements and changes in the sourcing of work. Unfortunately,
in a consensus-based environment, this approach can backfire when it comes to making decisions.

The traditional approach is more formal, with the theoretical advantage that it is documented and thus
can be used to build consensus among decision makers, perhaps even gaining their written approval.
in practice, however, workforce plans are rarely reviewed with the scrutiny given to budgets and capital
expenditure proposals. as a result, when such plans need implementation, belated questions arise about
candidates’ feasibility, and delays occur while the proposals are revisited. This breeds cynicism among
those who have diligently completed their workforce plans as part of the annual planning process.

in contrast, a portfolio approach to workforce planning requires that interested parties review possible
scenarios—in other words, a portfolio of workforce strategies adapted to different circumstances. The
parties share opinions on how each set of circumstances would affect the workforce. Scenario design
takes a more collaborative, blank-sheet approach than the form-filling, structured extrapolation used in
traditional planning. Each scenario and the plans that align with it help the enterprise adapt as circum-
stances dictate.

The new approach to workforce planning

Intuitive Intuitive Portfolio
• IT leaders know their people Informal; used • Workforce scenarios/alternative
• Ideas on sources and who mostly by small plans with differing assumptions on:
might move/replace others, IT shops; lacks – Mixes of work/skills
but no formal records exist consensus to – Comparative head count and
• No comparison of ideas or endorse talent budget projections
analysis performed moves
– Sourcing opportunities

Traditional Traditional Portfolio
• IT leaders build consensus on Formal; used by larger Formal; used by world-class,
people plans IT shops with stability; medium-to-large IT shops with
• Formal proposals on sources few organizations high vulnerability in times of
and people for moves/replacements can be sure to continue to uncertainty; becoming more
• Implementation is often reactive enjoy such conditions compelling to all in trying and
to vacancies changing times

12 Gartner Q2 2009

a workforce portfolio plan encompasses three main components:

• Future resource requirements, including skills and proficiencies

• Commitment to an investment in people, so that future requirements will be met

• Sourcing possibilities, since not all workforce requirements need to be met through internal staffing

When alternative sources are considered, a pipeline approach to talent development works best. Con-
tractors, for example, are used to cover vacancies when talent is scarce. They remain a good source in
downturns, when positions are easier to fill but the capacity to offer long-term employment is unclear.
a contracting arrangement works because both parties expect no more than a temporary relationship.
Most layoffs could be avoided through sourcing decisions like this, which can be adapted on short
notice to fit multiple scenarios.

Workforce portfolio planning improves economic resilience
Workforce portfolio planning is a combination of scenario-based assessments and plans

Resource projections:
Matching business/IT outputs and workforce requirements/availability Workforce portfolio
planning helps lessen the
Investments in people: possibility that IT leaders
may miss the opportunities
Prepares people for structural, skill and role scenarios that economic cycles bring
and that can be catalysts
for desirable change.
Sourcing possibilities:
Situational-based options for sourcing


P

Workforce portfolio strategies incorporate flexible best
practices
When framing workforce plans, the most frequently asked questions concern financial resources and
timing: how much money do we have? how far ahead are we looking?”

When finances are tight and action must be taken quickly to protect a vulnerable business, a consolida-
tion strategy is often considered vital. Common in economic recession, this strategy helps people work
more broadly so that they can apply a wider range of skills on a highly prioritized, efficient basis. Cen-
tralized organizational structures with resource pools and centers of excellence are the norm in such a
context, and agility is worth investing in for future needs.

organizational agility results from expansion and enhancement of skills, making individuals more pro-
ductive across both iT functions and business areas. This stimulates demand for people and requires
investment in order to get through the inevitable learning curves of skills acquisition. Job rotation and
cross-training are common ways to develop agility. When financial resources are greater in the short
term, significant investment in process improvement can lead to a more streamlined organizational
design, usually accompanied by upgraded iT systems. Cross-training opportunities may be part of the
solution.

in the long term, a distributive strategy that supports innovation and entrepreneurialism—involving
potentially greater returns but higher risk—can be better for stimulating business growth. Financial re-
sources will be needed to develop more depth of skill.

Portfolio strategies according to time frame and financial resources

High Process improvement Distributive strategy to create growth

Look for and invest in Develop, source and reward increased
opportunities to get existing work capability/skill depth to take on new
done more efficiently value-creating work
Financial
resources Survival through consolidation Agility through breadth of skills

Review work structure so that Do more with less by building a
essential work can be done with flexible workforce with emphasis on
fewer people breadth over depth of skill
Low

Short term Time-frame focus Long term

14 Gartner Q2 2009

Enterprises that can adapt their workforce strategies to the times and deploy evergreen best practices
that build resilience for both upturns and downturns remain strong through changing economic cycles.
Such practices may require changes in structure and culture as priorities shift. Process improvement,
consolidation, agility and distributive strategies are commonly used by the case study interviewees to
determine which best practices to deploy and when to do so.

in preparing for down times, process improvement and consolidation strategies are essential for in-
creasing efficiency. Process improvement drives cross-functional restructuring and usually greater
matrix-type reporting. Consolidation often drives centralization.

in preparing for an upturn, the focus shifts to agility and distributive strategies that enable iT profession-
als to contribute to growth and innovation. These strategies often fuel a less-formal culture and lead to
decentralized and virtual structures. agility stems from a flexible workforce with high skill breadth but
often only intermediate skill depth and can be obtained through resource pooling and well-designed
processes. a distributive strategy requires cutting-edge, pioneering abilities for penetrating new markets
and for creating products and technologies that challenge the status quo.

Adapting to economic change brings structural and behavioral change
Downturn strategies Upturn strategies

Consolidation Distributive strategy
• Centralized restructuring • Innovation
• Regional centers • Entrepreneurialism
• Core skill building • Virtual teams
• Direct report leadership • R&D focus
• Centralized accountability • Matrix structures

Process improvement Agillity
• Re-engineering • Flexible behaviors
• Cross-functional training • Skill interchangeability
• Work elimination • Knowledge transfer
• Clarified accountabilities • Shared ownership
• Reduced duplication • Multiple sourcing
• Process focus


2 Assess yOur wOrkfOrCe’s ABILITy TO fACe eCOnOMIC unCerTAInTy

Economic cycles, both up and down, stimulate demand for
information and automation. In downturns, the quest for effi-
ciency increases the need for automation, while upturns gen-
erate new uses for information. The workforce that acquires
and retains the core differentiated skills and competencies
that the business relies on will be relevant across radically
shifting economic cycles.

Assess the workforce’s requirements and capabilities
To prepare for the inevitable slowdowns, corrections, blips and bubbles of economic change, it helps to
make a contextual analysis of the workforce part of any strategic planning exercise. Start with an analy-
sis that can be used to assess the opportunities and threats of the outside world. a good approach to
such an external analysis is to base it on what is known about or expected from the selected factors.
Then focus on selections from the initial scan, which involves a review of the STEEP (social, technologi-
cal, economic, environmental and political) factors that impact workforce plans.

although analysis of these factors should be part of the corporate strategic planning process, many
enterprises do not perform one and those that do may not share it with the Cio. in either case, this
analysis must be conducted by the iT leadership team, and if done properly it will result in a thoughtful
perspective on how circumstances might change and how this could impact the workforce.

Based on the most compelling external factors, the next step is to identify workforce opportunities and
threats—the oT in SWoT analysis. Then conduct an internal strengths and weaknesses analysis to
determine the iT organization’s ability to respond to external factors and achieve goals.

a SWoT analysis reveals capability gaps and drives tactical decisions about career moves and cover-
ing of vacancies. it will also show where unique core skills that support enterprise differentiation lie and
how vulnerable they are to changing circumstances. Such an analysis should include an assessment of
fluctuations in financial resources. Ultimately, this assessment component serves as the foundation of
the scenarios for the workforce portfolio plan.

16 Gartner Q2 2009

“You prioritize your systems and your functions, and assess your environment. if people get
displaced, you’ve got to create a path to get them where you need them in the organization.”
Cio
State Government

Portfolio planning analysis
Economic upturns

1. Analyze the STEEP factors that impact workforce plans
2. Assess the opportunities/threats of economic change
3. Conduct workforce strengths and weaknesses analysis
4. Incorporate four-lever analysis into the people review

Economic downturns

Using STEEP factors, build scenarios that represent changing business contexts. Brainstorm the fac-
tors that fit each box in the tool below. Then weight them for probability and impact on both the busi-
ness and workforce. next, write what-if stories based on the factors. review the scenarios as a leader-
ship team and agree on priorities for creating workforce

Tool: STEEP analysis

Social factors
Consider trends against each STEEP factor. For
each trend, consider possible outcomes and
Technological factors financial, regulatory and workforce implications
for the business and its competitors.
Economic factors
While the focus of this report is on economic
factors and how they impact workforce
Environmental factors planning, for workforce planning all five factors
will require analysis.
Political factors

Create three to five mutually exclusive what-if scenarios that reflect probable vs.
possible and best- vs. worst-case scenarios that range from extrapolation from the
present to significantly different scenarios. Consider the implications of each for
workforce planning.



Assess your readiness for a changing economy
in response to changes in STEEP factors, consider the internal strengths and weaknesses with which
iT addresses external change and business issues. This analysis will have implications for workforce
requirements.

a list of common economic readiness questions is provided below. add questions specific to your
enterprise and keep the answers up to date so that you can adjust direction more readily. Get input
from different levels, age groups and other populations of the workforce in order to share perceptions of
trends and generate internal response capability.

Assess readiness for the next economic cycle
Are you ready for the ups and downs of economic change? Upturns
Do you have …

A culture of innovation and high performance?

Performance recognition systems?

Efficient processes?

Core skills and talent?

Open communication?

Clear accountability?
Downturns

iT professionals and their leaders are accustomed to continuous change and flexibility, but how they
adapt to economic shifts will depend on their ability to foresee and develop agile responses to new and
uncertain scenarios. anticipate change by encouraging more innovation and continuous improvement.

an hr director and an executive director of financial planning and hr for a U.S. educational institution
were among those interviewed for this report. The institution, which has 600 employees and annual rev-
enue of $5 billion, faced an uncertain future as the recession hit, with the impact on student numbers
remaining to be seen. This necessitated a more frugal approach to cost management while building on
existing strengths. a recognized employer of choice, the institution already had much in place to ensure
a high-performance workforce positioned to drive further efficiency. doing so would involve sustaining
an open culture that recognizes desired behaviors and outstanding results (see the case study on page

18 Gartner Q2 2009

38 in the appendix). Workforce portfolio planning can be used to jump-start the task of building a work-
force with this kind of economic sustainability—a workforce valuable to the enterprise despite external
pressures. To identify the strengths needed, assess the major impact areas of communications, devel-
opment opportunities, performance management, and rewards and recognition.

Assessing strengths in preparation for uncertainty
Workforce management strategies Strengths assessment

Communications The means to create trust in leadership: open communication, right up to the
CIO; town and team meetings; emphasis on social events to break down
barriers and create camaraderie across all levels

Development opportunities Continuous learning opportunities, from informal lunch-and-learn sessions to
educational qualifications;, increased emphasis on softer and business skills

Performance management Performance planning, followed through with regular informal feedback so
that no surprises occur at formal reviews; coaching is the norm; 360-degree
feedback has been piloted in other work areas and may come to IT

Reward and recognition As budgetary restrictions result in fewer rewards, recognition (already
important) is recognized as essential, too, with the goal is of retaining people
even if skills are more readily available

SWOT analysis and workforce implications
Commonly used in marketing plans, SWoT analysis tools are equally useful for preparing best- and
worst-case workforce scenarios that address different economic conditions. They can also be used to
create workforce portfolio plans and assess life-cycle management of the workforce. in iT, many factors
influence life cycles, but technology is obviously a factor of primary importance.

answers to the SWoT questions below can be used to forecast workforce resource requirements
by skill, proficiency and duration. Check that these predictions dovetail with business and technol-
ogy plans, and with the STEEP analysis. Strengths are areas that are already well established. internal
weaknesses are areas that have yet to receive proper attention. Opportunities are external areas that in
the future may favorably change the business direction and the balance of resources. External threats
are areas that could damage the business, and mitigating them carries risks as well.



Tool: SWOT analysis

Strengths Weaknesses
What resource requirements are What resource requirements are poorly
well covered internally? covered internally?
What investments can be made What investments in IT professionals are
now in IT professionals? too resource-intensive?
What current work is best sourced What current work is best sourced
internally? externally?

Opportunities Threats
What new resource requirements What new resources are underfilled or
exist? unavailable?
What investments can be made to What investments are not worthwhile?
meet future IT needs? What future work is best sourced
What future work is best sourced externally?
internally?

When building a workforce planning portfolio, assess
financial resource implications
irrespective of economic cycles, yet commonly because of them, the business must determine how
much funding is available for workforce management. after conducting SWoT analysis, allocate funds
to create a workforce that can respond to multiple scenarios. of course, with higher funding, more can
be done, and the odds of fulfilling the long-term vision of the business improve.

higher funding means accelerated building of the agility needed to protect and grow the business.
do not merely allocate funds effectively; also follow through and spend appropriately. all too often, for
example, Cios allocate funds for training that never occurs. That money becomes expropriated in good
times, while in lean times the finance department may simply cut it from the budget, arguing that it
would support nonessential activities.

20 Gartner Q2 2009

Assess financial impacts on the workforce
Tight funding • Minimize contractor usage and encourage flexibility, shared knowledge and responsibility
$ • Use natural attrition to reduce staffing
• Replace training with lower-cost options but do not stop learning
• Substitute recognition for rewards

Adequate funding • Expand capability through selectively hiring depth of skills to drive new initiatives
$$ • Expand learning opportunities using education
• Use a balance of rewards and recognition
• Use time as a reward where dollars won’t stretch

Superior funding • Expand through contractors but remain conservative with head count
$$$ • Expand geographical and cultural capability through increased travel and broader
cultural exposure
• Increase incentive opportunities while rewarding for retention
• Provide work/family benefits that allow employees to improve work/life quality

While all of this analytical input is time consuming, it leads to better decision making that avoids the
error of hiring people one day only to institute a riF (reduction in force) the next. heavy investment in
preparing for economic uncertainty—sustaining an entrepreneurial culture while facing economic slow-
down, for example—helps ensure success.

This has been the case for the SVP business operations at the European division of a fast-growth
global media company. The 25-year-old firm has $3 billion in revenue, a strong entrepreneurial culture
and 5,000 employees, 300 of which are in iT. it has used few contractors and outsourcers in the past,
but an outcome of workforce assessment has been to increase external sourcing in order to gain scale
and agility.

To protect breadth of skills in the face of attrition, the iT group has taken a strategic view on retention
and redeployment of staff. Continuous assessment and scenario-type planning has enabled rapid reac-
tion to economic change. as a result, resources needed to preserve an entrepreneurial culture persist
despite cost pressures (see the case study on page 39 in the appendix).



Using portfolio assessment to sustain workforce capability through
economic change
Business stage (can be overlapping) Workforce impacts

Business as usual (survival) • Focus on process efficiency, consolidation and agility
• Continuous improvement while delivering services, with
recognition and positive feedback substituting for
rewards

Preparing for growth and new opportunities • Focus on technology design, development and
enhancement of new business solutions
• Skills growth and career opportunities; performance
rewards

In expansion mode • Emphasize retaining, growing and finding scarce skills
through incentives, development and work/life benefits

A four-lever, balanced approach to IT scenario planning
The media company profiled in the appendix uses a four-lever approach to iT scenario planning, plac-
ing people and processes alongside technology and services to give a full perspective of iT capability. as
you plan for workforce management through changing economic cycles, use the tool below to answer
questions that arise when considering scenarios. The four levers should be taken in order. Bear in mind
that they are integrated. Start by involving the business in an iT services analysis—what comes, stays
and goes based on the desired cost profile.

review the technology profile and the pace at which it will change. decide what processes need to be
changed or re-assessed and determine budgetary implications. all of these decisions will affect the mix
of people required for the scenarios that emanate from the four-lever approach. how to get the right
mix will be the focus of people planning.

22 Gartner Q2 2009

Tool: Four levers of scenario planning
Lever for cost management Strengths assessment

1. IT services • What services does IT offer?
• What must be sustained and what can be cut?

2. State of technology • How can technology be simplified?
• What applications are no longer needed?

3. IT process • How can processes be simplified?
• What processes should be reviewed?

4. People • What are the risks of reductions in force?
• Where is investment most needed?
• What is the minimum staffing level?

Analyze what-if scenarios to create a portfolio of possible
responses
analysis of what-if scenarios is a critical component of workforce portfolio planning that leads to an
assessment of the appropriate direction and the vulnerability of the enterprise to changing factors.
The scenarios can then be reviewed for workforce implications.

Planning becomes an iterative process as multiple possibilities are consolidated. initially, consider intui-
tive what-ifs generated from the business’s strategic plans; then apply a more analytical set of what-if
questions. if too many issues seem to arise, the management team may find it helpful to weight each
issue based on probability and degree of risk, merging those of a similar nature.

as a general example, consider a 1% probability of flooding, which may be seen as such a remote risk
that it is not worth including. however, if the potential impact of that 1% probability of risk would dev-
astate the business, a contingency plan should be created. remember that economic change can be
regional as well as global, with heavy impact on the labor supply, so include local economic changes in
what-if scenarios and plans. With experience, this process becomes easier, exposing vulnerabilities for
which contingencies are hard to find. The plans drive risk mitigation that strengthens the organization’s
ability to deal with both adversity and opportunity. They also lead to questioning of long-held assump-
tions that may not be valid.



What-if questions and analysis
The law changes
Terrorist/pirate attack?

What if ... Adverse weather hits?
Banks freeze credit?
Competitors infiltrate our markets?

High Create Review
contingency scenario
plans plans
Then ... Impact
Monitor Be prepared
risk to mitigate
risk
Low
Low Probability High

once the answers to a range of what-if questions have been compared, they can be contrasted in
scenario format. The toughest challenges of economic downturns are those the enterprise has not pre-
pared for. They occur because the significance of the downturn’s impact goes beyond both expecta-
tions and the enterprise’s response capability. informal scenario planning can show others what options
exist, depending, for example, on the funding provided by a federal government stimulus.

in this vein, the Cio for a U.S. state government describes a highly decentralized structure that had
worked well in times of high revenue, but the downturn was pressuring the $800 million iT budget.
as funding for iT was decentralized, each state agency decided for itself what to spend on iT, yet one
agency had already cut iT costs by nearly 50%.

in this situation, the challenges stemmed from state revenues facing unprecedented reductions in
business and employment taxes as demand for programs such as unemployment compensation were
rising. The Cio reviewed cost-reduction options after accepting the need to act within constraints
imposed by a unionized state government. To build consensus and plan for uncertainty, the scenarios
allowed objective justification and enabled each state decision maker to choose the right course for a
particular set of circumstances (see the case study on page 41 in the appendix).

24 Gartner Q2 2009

Using what-if scenarios for planning
Degree of radical response

Scenarios

Scenario 1 Scenario 2 Scenario 3
Federal stimulus creates greater Redistribution of funding ensures Revenue fails to keep up with
opportunities through that critical services/investments expenditure, resulting in drastic
infrastructure investment continue cuts

Workforce implications Workforce implications Workforce implications
• More jobs • Process redesign (gradual job • Consolidation of work
• Learning opportunities reductions) • Learning by doing
• Superior rewards • Learning to stay current • Pay frozen/potential cuts
• Career growth • Competitive rewards • Careers stilted
• High security • Career preparation • Low security
• Comparative security

The outcome of such an analysis is that workforce planners will gain confidence in their ability to ad-
dress issues that an uncertain environment and economic change bring. The scenarios can be pre-
sented as stories or bullet point analyses.

Examples of scenarios
• o nothing or business as usual. What are the implications and how realistic or desirable is
D
such a strategy?

• mplosion. Make significant changes that protect only the core business. how practical and
I
feasible is such a strategy?

• hoenix. a rising-from-the-ashes scenario that assumes survival is at stake but that something
P
can be salvaged to create a new future.

• olish the apple. Prepare for new alliances, a takeover or becoming another enterprise’s
P
acquisition. What degree of control is desirable and how will it be retained?

including such scenarios in the iT plan covers the different implications of workforce portfolio planning.
The next task is to devise workforce planning strategies. These should address areas of vulnerability
and build organizational strength, while providing ways to adapt to changing circumstances.


3 reATe A wOrkfOrCe PLAnnInG POrTfOLIO ThAT MAxIMIzes
C
OPPOrTunITy AnD MInIMIzes rIsk

The planning stage of managing the workforce through
economic change should inspire and coordinate action.

Plan for economic uncertainty
in Chinese, the word for crisis consists of symbols that mean both danger and opportunity (see figure
below). This reminds us that possibilities both negative (risks and costs) and positive (opportunities and
benefits) arise in crisis. Good planning and follow-up can be used to balance control, increasing the
probability of coming out of the crisis stronger (opportunities and benefits) while mitigating negative ef-
fects (risks and costs).

The Chinese symbols for “danger” plus “opportunity” imply more, however, than a literal translation
of “crisis.” The underlying message is that an impetus for change has been reached and that change
drives both preventive and opportunistic actions. The combination of danger and opportunity can spur
thinking about risk tolerance: how much risk mitigation is required both to survive and to take advan-
tage of opportunities?

Chinese symbols for initiating change

Danger? Opportunity?

Crisis
The symbols for crisis in Chinese consist of two words, pronounced wei ji. Wei means danger and
ji means opportunity. So literally, wei plus ji equals crisis—an alert that change must be expected.
See a critical interpretation of this translation at: http://www.pinyin.info/chinese/crisis.html

26 Gartner Q2 2009

“What we’re seeing is an opportunity—and i keep telling people, ‘never let a perfectly good crisis
goes to waste. This is a wonderful opportunity for us.’ and opportunity manifests itself in a lot of
different ways.”
AssOCIATe InsPeCTOr GenerAL fOr MIssIOn suPPOrT
Federal agency

Create a workforce portfolio plan to take advantage of
shifting economic opportunities
Many IT leaders ask how they can recognize economic change in a timely enough manner to take
preventive action. Even expert analysts can be slow at recognizing trends before they do damage or at
exploiting trends that carry opportunity. in workforce planning, there are a number of opportunity indica-
tors. look for changes in customer behavior and skills demand, up and down movement in labor costs
and changing trends in labor turnover. Such economic shifts can create opportunities to rectify gaps in
workforce demand and supply.

For example, as new business stimulates contributions from iT, additional skills may be required. With
economic change, the cost of continuing to run outdated systems may no longer be justified, but those
displaced may need reskilling to remain productive. Moreover, new opportunities do not necessarily
require full commitment to hiring. an alternative, at least initially, is to bring in contractors.

Examples of opportunities in response to economic shifts

Opportunities include:
Economic shifts:
• Filling long-unfilled skill gaps
• Changing customer priorities
• New business that requires IT input
• New trends in skills availability
• Replacing costly outdated systems
• Shifts in labor costs
• Hiring contractors
• Changes in labor turnover trends
• Reducing voluntary turnover


C

Build opportunity-ready capabilities to respond to economic
ups and downs
Taking advantage of the opportunities that economic cycles bring requires more than reacting to ser-
endipity. it involves creating opportunity readiness, especially in iT, which is not always perceived as a
direct generator of business growth. opportunity readiness comprises six steps:

• larify the opportunities to look for and how they impact candidate requirements.
C

• rain IT managers to create a common understanding of how IT can contribute to the next wave
T
of business opportunity. also, train them to assess the potential of iT candidates, realizing that this
may require consensus beyond the direct manager.

• eview the mix of requirements that put the right multisourced workforce in place to respond to
r
opportunity. look for candidates with aptitude in new technologies and assess what they can do for
the business.

• ire to more rigorous standards. Look for potential—the ability to take on broader responsibilities—
h
rather than taking the traditional approach of filling current job requirements.

• se objective selection techniques to bring in the best talent, whether as contractors or fTes.
u
Explore candidate interests and aptitude. Focus on those with breadth and depth of skills, and with
aptitude to grow alongside future opportunities.

• ave recruitment partners (specific skill suppliers) who can help build opportunity-ready capability
h
by alerting hiring managers to talented candidates coming into the market.

28 Gartner Q2 2009

Create opportunity-readiness capability
Creating
opportunity readiness k
or Opportunity-ready capability
w
Being in the right place at the right nd
time in order to gain investment is ta
not serendipitous but the fruit of en Review selection/sourcing approaches
stm
building high opportunity-readiness
n ve
standards ri
fo
le Define higher standards
ib
ed
cr
d
an Build workforce/sourcing/planning capability
y
ad
re
be
to Determine the continuing contribution of IT
y
ilit
p ab
ca
i ng Plan requirements
ild
Bu


C

To develop opportunity readiness, the Cio and deputy Cio at a scientific and energy research institu-
tion in the U.S. government began by discussing the impact of the changes in the economy. nearly 100
of the institution’s 1,500 employees are in iT, and another 20 are iT contractors. The 2008 budget was
$300 million and will probably increase in 2009 with expected growth of 20%. Growth opportunities
stem from alignment between the institution’s scientific research and areas of investment in the Presi-
dent obama’s agenda.

These executives have found opportunities in all economic cycles by always being prepared to provide
ideas for new requirements and demonstrate the relevance of iT to future plans. aside from creating
the capability to work with new technologies, they paid attention to workforce and sourcing planning,
which led to more effective sourcing and improved resource allocation systems. as a result, standards
of selection rose, as did selection criteria (see the case study on page 43 in the appendix).

Aligning organizational needs with individual aspirations that transcend
economic change

Organizational needs Organizational needs

Succession capability Career development

Superior performance Reward, recognition, job security

Capability Skill development

Agility Work/life balance

30 Gartner Q2 2009

Evergreen talent management practices are those that can be deployed across economic cycles. To
ensure access to the best talent in times of scarcity and adversity, deploy evergreen talent management
techniques with an eye toward both current and future needs. Current needs require enough resources
to sustain business as usual while ensuring survival consistent with the core mission. Yet survival is only
worthwhile if another eye is on preparing for a different economic future. This means always being open
to finding and keeping the hardest-to-find talent regardless of the economy.

Keep both eyes on talent needs
Keep one eye on current talent needs Keep the other eye on future talent needs

• Focus sufficient resources on • Determine what new technologies will
business-as-usual and survival require resources
• Assess breadth and depth of skills • Stay in the market for scarce skills
• Determine career paths/structure • Build integration skills that enable agility
requirements

Through economic change, work closely with specialist recruiters to find scarce talent that can help
drive growth (upturn) or fill voids in skills (downturn). Be open to hiring or contracting affordable, rare
and superior talent regardless of economic cycle or head count vacancies.


C

Deploy talent management practices that bring evergreen
benefits
The case study on the grocery retailer, is based on an interview with the VP of iT innovation, who
reports to the Cio and is responsible for architecture, strategy, planning and program management.
recessionary ups and downs impact this role, but with many groceries being staples, the business is
among the more recession-proof in retailing. Plans for future investment therefore remain intact, though
some, such as new store openings, are rolling out at a slower pace through the downturn.

like most successful businesses, this retailer adapts quickly to economic change. it recognizes the
importance of sustaining talent management through economic cycles and adapts to new customer
needs as the business climate changes. in addition, a plan is in place to secure talent now in order to
meet future needs. The hope is to use the downturn to gain access to talent that would otherwise be in
short supply, which involves sustaining alliances with recruiters through the change. Business success,
a virtuous circle, generates continual opportunities for investment, and this business benefits from an
opportunistic approach (see the case study on page 44 in the appendix).

Being receptive to top talent regardless of economic climate
Opportunity identification through ... How IT people can contribute

Behavioral skills: Communicate more by asking about and listening well regarding business
• Communications and systems performance issues. Float ideas that will translate into
• Teamwork requirements-gathering, gap analysis and solutions. Create a one-team spirit
across IT and between IT and the business.

Business skills: Gain insight into business processes and involve the business in identifying
• Information management opportunities for improvement. Seek information on entrepreneurial and
• Process orientation new-business activities, and translate these into opportunities for IT to help.
Be realistic in prioritizing—create small steps that become giant leaps later.

Technical skills: Keep abreast of new technologies, especially those that customers and
• New-technology business peers can easily adopt (e.g., social networking). Execute existing
awareness technology well while looking for future enhancements

32 Gartner Q2 2009

Mitigate risks and maximize opportunities through virtual
working
having the right talent with potential may not be enough. Create ways for talented people to work
well collaboratively, and help them contribute to a high-performance workplace using social network-
ing technologies that emphasize outputs, not attendance. Virtual teamwork is a proven means to raise
standards and build employee loyalty. it promotes flexibility, agility, and transfer of knowledge and skills.
in down times, virtual teamwork also helps reduce office costs. in any economic environment, it serves
as a forum for innovation and significant change while enabling skill growth.

a major benefit of virtual teamwork is that individuals around the globe can work collaboratively without
time or geographic constraints. Social networking techniques are enabling this change in work style
and enhancing the productivity of remote talent. The workforce best equipped to resist the adverse
impacts of economic cycles is most likely a virtual one, able to incorporate new members from multiple
cultures as opportunities arise.

Benefits of working virtually through economic cycles

In down times when striving for: Virtual working can help by:
• Productivity
• Ways to do more with less • Enabling teams to work with
common tools and processes
• High performance without physical/status barriers
• Sustaining innovation
• Continuous improvement • Opening the office 24/7

• Reducing office costs
In up times when striving for:
• Skills growth • Providing work and learning tools
• Innovation
• Improving communication, especially
• Big-bang change through social networking techniques
• Well-managed investment
• Retention/attraction of talent • Providing work/life balance


C

at a U.S. federal agency (see the case study on page 46 in the appendix), the associate inspector
general for mission support is head of shared services. he explains the impact of recent economic and
political change on the 70-member iT group plus a small outsourced group (total workforce: 800). The
group was ready for opportunities to demonstrate the iT’s relevance and stretch capability.

Strengths such as the ability to work virtually made iT efficient and responsive. The group capitalized
on past process improvements to deliver outputs at a higher pace than normally seen at a government
agency. it also had well-established virtual teams able to work on tasks relating to the stimulus package
over the winter holiday. in addition, ad hoc teams could be set up quickly and productively. With all of
this capability, the iT group succeeded in providing timely information through document sharing.

Using a virtual team approach to sustain high performance
A “virtual war room” is an online site for the storage and sharing of communications/documents. It acts as a
knowledge source for projects. The concept arose when tools for effective teleworking were developed. Economic
and political changes generated an unprecedented workload for a federal agency as it took advantage of existing
telework arrangements to meet the challenge without incurring too much additional cost. Virtual teams use existing
people assets that are both knowledgeable and already heavily deployed.

Virtual Virtual teams create Internal
team work outputs clients
Work outputs
stored virtually

Virtual Internal
Social networking
team clients
Work outputs
accessed by
internal clients
Virtual Internal
Collaboration
team clients

34 Gartner Q2 2009

How to create a “virtual war room”
a “virtual war room” enables virtual team members to share ideas, conduct meetings, store documents
and gain support for turning proposals into decisions. Use the idea checklist below to establish your
own virtual war room, adding items to make it more effective. With sponsorship from iT leadership and
the finance department, set up a task force that can provide figures that demonstrate efficiency gains.
Start small, learn from initial activities and build from there. Eventually, you will have information capabil-
ity that enhances iT credibility—capability you can also share with business clients.

Tool: Checklist for establishing a “virtual war room”
To create a virtual war room, clarify expectations of responsiveness, determine the information
management systems to be used, and encourage others outside the team to use the repositories.
Integrate the virtual team through social networking—most useful are Web meeting techniques that
allow individuals to see work progress and to communicate with visual as well as audio connections.
In high-performing teams, leaders use social networks to keep the team focused and to reduce stress.

Flexible working hours/locations Information management Social networking techniques

Agree on expectations re Set up online work Maximize use of Web
time, work and commitments repositories meetings, including
online cameras
Focus on outputs over inputs Encourage peers and clients
to access documents online Use to sustain team spirit
through stress


C

Recommended workforce strategies for economic change
one of the first symptoms of an economic upturn is that labor becomes scarcer, creating concern
about how to prevent competitive poaching and beat the competition in recruiting the best talent. Talent
can be defined as breadth of skill (useful in downturns and upturns alike) combined with depth of skill
(often too expensive to keep on the payroll during downturns).

in upturns, the need to differentiate and reward performance through financial incentives grows. Tal-
ent management hinges on being able to create career as well as learning opportunities. To compete
successfully for talent, iT organizations need to look for and develop new skills for new tasks, as well as
breadth and depth of skills (while they are still available). Talent may have to come from multiple sourc-
ing channels, including contractors if FTE hiring is frozen.

in downturns, invest in preparing people for career growth. if managed in accordance with clear perfor-
mance criteria, this can significantly improve results. Use incentives as performance and retention tools,
but design and understand them completely before implementation.

Maximize economic upturn opportunities within a workforce portfolio plan

Upturn responses

• Seek/grow new skills for new tasks
Upturn issues
• Virtual teamwork for expansion
• Look for/grow breadth and depth of
• Competition and retention
skills
• Balancing breadth and depth of skills
• Invest in career growth
• Rewarding performance and benchmarking
• Provide performance/retention incentives
compensation
• Invest in continuous learning
• Meeting demands for career and learning
• Align incentives with performance/
opportunities
marketability
• Stretch assignments/task forces that
drive innovation

36 Gartner Q2 2009

To prepare for upturns, invest in continuous learning and cross-training. Preparing for downturns is
more of a challenge. nobody wants to be seen as bearish in a bullish environment. Still, examination of
scenarios that run counter to the prevailing trend is key to the discipline of portfolio planning. Preparing
for downturns is so important because the transition to a downturn occurs faster than the transition to
an upturn, and downturns can pose serious threats to survival. Scenarios to address in the workforce
portfolio plan include protecting core skills—not so much from competitors but from the seemingly
inevitable cuts that a downturn entails.
agility and interchangeability (the result of such initiatives as job rotation, task forces, cross-training,
and multiple and varied project assignments), along with breadth of responsibility, allow an employer to
deploy people as needed against changing priorities. Specialists are less likely to thrive in tough times,
so they should be made aware of the need for them to grow their skill base. learning opportunities are
more easily funded in an upturn, so that is when to address them. Waiting for a recession is unwise
because resources are likely to be exhausted by then.

Take action early to protect skills. look for consolidation opportunities that build high standards and
lower costs. Create learning assignments that deliver outputs as well as learning opportunities, and
invest in agility so that the deployment of people matches organizational need. in addition, procure hot
skills as they become more readily available. To summarize: Prepare now to overcome the limitations a
downturn imposes.

Minimize economic downturn risks in a workforce portfolio plan

Downturn responses

Downturn issues • Protection of core skills base
• Organizational consolidation: processes
• Protecting/growing core skills and structural redesign
• Retention of agile, interchangeable skills • Virtual teamwork
• Acknowledging success without • Career coaching
using dollars • Recognition
• Providing learning opportunities • Stretch assignments for learning
• Finding funds for scarce skills should • Agility and breadth of skills: flexibility/
they increase in availability cross-training/job rotation
• Recruitment partnerships to find hot
skills/scarce talent as availability increases


aPPEndix: CaSE STUdiES

Academic Institution—Dealing with the uncertainty of a
recession
This case study is based on interviews with the hr director and the executive director of financial plan-
ning and hr for one campus of a U.S. academic institution. annual revenue is $5 billion, and iT has a
staff of 600.

The most significant impact of the economic recession’s early stages has been increased uncertainty.
as at other educational institutions, endowment investments have suffered losses, which led to cuts
in staffing costs. There is great concern about the recession’s impact on student enrollments for the
coming academic year. Tuition aid has been expanded to help students and their families afford a col-
lege education. in addition, sponsorship has been extended to students with severe financial difficulties,
addressing the concern that the situation may only get worse and dangerously lower enrollments while
increasing dropouts.

Impacts on talent management
Some technologies were changing so fast that the institution had trouble keeping up with them. But
a more critical need was for good communicators who were team players. Consequently, talent man-
agement was given high priority, and leaders began assessing whether the talent was in place for
the future. Because turnover remained low, plans emphasized adapting to change rather than finding
replacements, with hiring limited to essential positions (though no jobs in technology were on hold).
Workforce plans called for staffing levels to expand over time in line with technical requirements, and to
address a growing need for managers and others who can coach, lead or run projects.

on the face of it, the recession made finding candidates and filling posts easier, but finding the right fit
between candidate and post remained a challenge. obviously, access to appropriate skills was vital,
so a process for searching against skill requirements was created. a BP contract recruiter now asks
specific questions of candidates. The answers are scored to reduce interview referrals.

investment in career and professional development continues. Training costs are controlled by offering
alternative internal delivery methods that reduce travel while increasing relevance and value. low-cost
lunch-and-learns are also used.

38 Gartner Q2 2009

Impacts on rewards and work commitment
When the institution was voted a top 10 employer in an iT magazine, the interviewees gave much of
the credit to communication and employee recognition programs. of course, such programs are vital
for any enterprise trying to do business as usual in uncertain times. Salaries at the institution have been
frozen this year, job reclassifications have been stopped until further notice and all spending is tightly
controlled. To sustain morale and commitment to the work of iT and other departments, periodic social
events, such as off-campus outings, continue.

These iT leaders know how important it is to show that they appreciate workforce members when pay
cannot increase. Yet, iT has yet to institute significant layoffs, which have occurred in other depart-
ments. “People are happy to be in jobs, but we don’t take them for granted,” says the executive direc-
tor of financial planning and hr.

Because uncertainty can never be completely removed, open communications remain crucial to work
commitment and a positive outlook. The leaders “walk the job” and thank people for their contribu-
tions, while the Cio holds skip-level meetings to let a dozen people from two levels down (or more) ask
questions and get direct answers. After two years, the CIO will have met with everyone. Meanwhile, the
leaders take notice when people work long hours or go beyond the call of duty, particularly in contributing
to process improvement. To create an atmosphere of appreciation, personal progress is also recog-
nized whenever possible.

Whatever the economic change, performance planning and review continue, with ongoing feedback
given equal importance to formal processes. Feedback provided at the end of projects has been es-
pecially helpful. a calibration process ensures fair evaluations throughout the institution and enhances
growing and learning opportunities.

Media Company—Positioning the enterprise to adapt
This case study is based on an interview with the SVP business operations at the European division of
a fast-growth global media company with locations in the U.S., denmark, the U.K., Poland, india and
Singapore. Founded 25 years ago, the $3-billion company has a strong entrepreneurial culture, with
300 iT employees out of a total workforce of 5,000. The use of contractors and outsourcers, while his-
torically low, is increasing to gain the benefits of scale and agility.

Downturn preparation preserves growth capability
Before the downturn, challenges already existed as the company’s audience switched from traditional
distribution to new forms on the internet. now advertisers are looking for 11th-hour bargains rather
than long-term commitments. Meanwhile, cash-flow uncertainties hamper planning. As with many other
service businesses, the media cannot easily translate revenue losses into reduced activity.


aPPEndix: CaSE STUdiES

Media Company—Positioning the enterprise to adapt
(continued)
overall, however, the company was well positioned to enter a downturn, having experienced a year of
transformation. a new Cio downsized the iT organization in relation to the services offered, and to re-
duce silos, he restructured by taking advantage of global efficiencies and by aligning functional groups.
Staffing cuts of over 30% brought the organization more in line with benchmark comparisons.

Realigning resources for growth while sustaining services
Steps were also taken to better align resources with where the business was investing. When the
downturn hit, headquarters activities changed locations internationally, resulting in difficult staffing deci-
sions to make the organization leaner.

“The business accepts that we in iT can cover the ground, but we won’t get the same depth,” says the
SVP. “So that’s one of the big shifts we’re seeing in terms of staffing. We have traded depth, which is
hard to fully employ, for breadth, which not only provides agility as needs change but also requires less
information input to be successful. We need coverage across all of our services; without it, we’d run
into significant business risk that we couldn’t address if one of our potential acquisitions goes through.”

Managing a downturn
The SVP and the enterprise as a whole have been managing the downtown as follows.

Reductions in force
despite the benefits that can be derived from initiatives taken in an upturn, a downturn puts pressure
on workforce management. “as soon as we entered this downturn, everybody got a dollar value on
their head and a value proposition to justify them,” says the SVP. “The highest-valued people are certain
key utility-type employees: bright and very flexible, with a breadth of experience.”

retaining such people at the expense of those with less experience increases per-head cost. one out-
come of this has been the loss of what the SVP calls the farm team: those who were building their skills
and growing their careers with the company. “They hadn’t been with us long compared with how it is at
more mature companies,” says the SVP.

40 Gartner Q2 2009

Squeezed training funds
Because the training budget also comes under pressure in a downturn, funds have been refocused on
developing skills for projects that align best with business needs. Soft skills training has been cut and
hr now serves as a cost-effective internal training resource, offering pre-existing products and services
not fully used when external training was available.

Consolidation
With cuts and consolidation in the travel budget, funds have been pooled and travel must be well justi-
fied. With consolidation of global workers, many people formerly managed from the U.S. office are now
managed locally, or they are pooled into regional centers of excellence and managed via matrix by other
“trusted managers,” or even by hr. results have been positive, with some skill development, cost sav-
ings and agility gained in the process.

“all these changes put us in a better position for when things turn around,” says the SVP. “Because
by keeping breadth now, we can later scale up and down, and bring specialists back into groups that
need more depth.”

State Government (U.S.)—Planning for cost reductions in a
unionized state government
in the interview for this case study, a recently appointed Cio for a state government described a highly
decentralized structure that had worked well in times of higher revenue. however, the $800 million iT
budget, like that of all state agencies, has come under pressure. With decentralization of iT funding,
each agency made its own decisions on what to spend, and one agency had already cut iT costs by
nearly 50%.

The challenges of decentralization stemmed from state revenues facing unprecedented reductions in
business and employment taxes, and from higher demand for state programs such as unemployment
compensation. The iT population of more than 2,000 was matched about one-to-one by contractors
and outsourcers (total employees number 65,000). annual revenue had fallen to $40 billion. at the time
of the interview, the Cio was reviewing cost-reduction options after accepting the need to follow con-
straints of a unionized state government.

Implications for the IT workforce
one cost-reduction option enhanced by an oversupply of iT skills on the labor market is to reduce con-
tractor costs. The state government found that as much as $13 million could be saved by bringing jobs
inside. Targeted skills included those in server virtualization, data center design, project management,
Til, Six Sigma and iT governance.


Link - Workforce Planning - Handout 5

Link - Workforce Planning - Handout 5

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Link - Workforce Planning - Handout 5