Workforce Development StrategiesL e s s o n s f r o m t h e B a t t l e F i e l d

03 July 2010 | Bangalore

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Who am I?

BITS, PilaniPenn State University, USA

Workforce DevelopmentSoftware TestingSoftware Engineering EconomicsSystem Engineering

47+ Brilliant Customers33+ countries17+ Years… and still loving it…

Educated at

Worked in

Learn ing f rom. .

Let us do an exercise…

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01 Name three animals as they come to your mind..

02 I f you fi nd a key in the forest, what would you do?

a. Pick it up and keep itb. Pick it up and throw awayc. Look for a door that fits it

03 Whom would you l ike to meet to fi nd directions when you are lost?

a. Scientistb. Magicianc. Saint

04What would you l ike to see, on the other side, when you cannot see?

a. Villageb. Oceanc. Palace

05 What drink do you prefer?

a. Coffeeb. Teac. Water

a. ________________

b. ________________

c. _________________

ORGANIZATIONAL SWOT

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People

PeoplePeople

People

StrengthsWeakness

Opportunity Threat

MUST DO Investment…

Career Paths

Organizational Structures

Competency Framework Competency Dictionary Role & Job Descriptions Knowledge Requirements

Performance Requirements

Infrastructure People Money & Investments Management Buy-in Process & Design

Knowledge Retention

Business Growth Productivity

Productivity

New Products Time to Market

Cost of Operations

Customer Satisfaction

Cost of New Hire

Cost of Training Employee Loyalty

Cost of Talent Acquisition

Attrition

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Strategic Focus – Workforce Development

Optimized Workforce

Integrated Performance

Competency Driven

Managed Learning

Adhoc No formal consistent process

Consistent, basic approach to learning management

Consistent, comprehensive approach

Institutionalized and integrated into business planning

Learning and performance-centered organization

Training & Development Process

Need Based Requisition for Competency Development

Competency Analysis, Competency Management

Competency Based Assets, Mentoring, Integrated Workforce

Continuous Capability Improvement

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Fat Smoker Problem…

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We already know this…

We need a magic pill….

Is there a better magic pill?

Can I get instant relief?

Can I take it more than once in a day?

Assuming there are no side effects….

Lesson 0: Leadership!

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Lesson 1 : Goals…

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Lesson learnt

Setting a realistic goal is the first step in building the team capabilities, and developing the team

members.

Lesson 2 : Mission…

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Lesson learnt

More is not always a good solution. Optimization is the focus in Workforce Development.

Focus on developing talent with a purpose of utilizing them.

Lesson 3 : Decision Making!

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Lesson learnt

People decisions are not easy ones to make. Cost or Investment is a perspective depending on the

organizational need for growth. But you cannot have weak assessment of the workforce, and

compensate it with scale.

Lesson 4: Empower People!

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Lesson learnt

Empowering people without a structure or a framework shall not help in solving your problem. You have

to define a structure (competency oriented); and use it for evaluation and allocation of work. In testing

which is a cost for many organizations, it becomes imperative

Lesson 5: Capability!

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Lesson learnt

Investing in right people does not mean that only the best get trained. There are more benefits of the

average rising than the best becoming better.

Lesson 6: Problem Solving

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Lesson learnt

Sustenance of Talent is not about putting an end to issues. It is about creating an environment for

individuals to learn, grow, and help the organization build its talent. Investments have to be made at all

levels for improving capability.

Lesson 7: Excuses!

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Technology

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Innovation!

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Lesson 8: More Excuses!

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Client Case Study 1

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Client ScenarioPlanned to Recruit 450 Engineers

Promotion in Newspapers

Working with Placement Agencies

Non Availability of Technical People for SelectionNo Design in the Screening Process

Poor Awareness about Employment OpportunitiesConversion Ratio was 1:15 for Engineers

Steps TakenOffered Employable Talent Model

Enrolled Customer into the CREST Program

Worked with Partner Colleges & Student NetworksCreated Interested Talent Pools

Designed & Administered Scientific Screening

Designed and delivered Client Custom CurriculumCertified the Trained Individuals

36% reduction in cost of Hire

77% Improvement in Profitability of Operations

33% increase in Revenue

3 Month Reduction in Bench Time

25% improvement in the FTE Utilization

72% of managers happy about hire quality

86% hit rate from trained candidates

96% of students interested in profession

Benefits Realized

Client Case Study 2

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Client ScenarioHad to train 5,000+ associates

No clear understanding of the improvement areasExpectation of Certification from their customersStandard Training Costs were prohibitive

Limited budgets for Training due to Recession

Standard courses not fitting into the requirementNo internal method for Competency Development

Steps TakenIndividual Skill Assessments

Curriculum & Content Design

Learning Delivery

Certifications

Advisory Services for Competency Development

45% reduction in training costs

77% Improvement in Profitability of Operations

22% increase in Revenue

2 Month Reduction in Planning & Scheduling

30% improvement in the FTE Utilization

85% of employees happy about development

23% improvement in productivity

Benefits Realized

If you need more…

p r a d e e p . c @ e d i s t a t e s t i n g . c o mp r a d e e p . c @ q a i g l o b a l . c o m

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03 July 2010 | Bangalore