Blog title V2

BLOG

 
 

Asset Publisher

null How to ensure your scope is fit for purpose

HOW TO ENSURE YOUR SCOPE IS FIT FOR PURPOSE

The earlier articles in this series focused on the benefits of creating strong internal stakeholder engagement from the outset and working on the business case for change. Once you’ve got these crucial foundations in place the next area of focus is to establish the scope of the services finalised. This is often an area where your prospective partners, like Hays Talent Solutions, can add real value. 

Cause and effect – how SLA’s drive your suppliers behaviours

RPO or MSP services are frequently contracted to drive improvements in high-level outcomes, like time to hire or cost per hire. While achieving improvements in these key metrics is important, a singular focus here, without considering how the proposed service improves the efficiency of the organisation, can lead to an organisation adopting a service and a technology that isn’t fit for purpose for their organisation or ways of working. Keep this in mind when scoping out your service.

Making certain that you select the right tools for the job

Any potential partner will support you and consult with you around the technology, tools and business processes required to deliver the services. They'll design them in a way that streamlines processes and avoids annoying work arounds, so you benefit from improved efficiency as well. Unless you are an expert in recruitment platforms and have a detailed knowledge of the wide variety of systems that can be deployed for these solutions you should ask your potential partners to workshop with you around your key business processes at this scoping stage, so you can see how they will introduce efficiency as another key outcome of the services being implemented and realise the best tool for you.

All geographies are not identical – global versus local considerations

One key trend that has increased year on year since the mid-2000s is the deployment of outsourced recruitment programmes across broader and broader geographies. However, this can lead to organisations wrongly assuming all geographies are the same and what works in one country will work in others. Ignoring the various legislative and statutory differences between the different countries can lead to inaccurate assessments around the ease and risk of change and the potential benefits. Worse still is ignoring some of the cultural implications of not consulting with local stakeholders and then expecting them to adopt a change determined centrally. It may sound obvious, but ensure you consult all the relevant stakeholders to help you better understand this.

First-hand experience is far richer than second/third hand views

Most organisations we speak to use due diligence extensively in determining which suppliers to work with, with customer references key in the decision making process. However, site visits to supplier's premises were used less frequently, even though they provided the opportunity to meet the day-to-day delivery teams, not just the sales and management teams and the chance to experience the culture of the supplier first hand. I actively encourage prospective clients to visit our Centres of Excellence around the world. We are truly proud of their achievements and the environment we have created for our teams to assist them to deliver exceptional service. I would encourage buyers to use supplier site visits more regularly.

Note: As an aside, I hosted a visit to our Centre of Excellence in Leicester earlier this week, and the difference between talking someone through a series of powerpoint slides and case studies to describe what we do versus them being able to walk around the centre and sit with members of our delivery team was incredibly powerful. Our guests were visibly, and rightly, impressed with what they saw and commented afterwards how useful the experience had been to visualise what this could look like for them.

Once you are clear on the teams, tools, deliverables and services levels you want your partner to deliver create a scope of service document, with measures of success clearly outlined. Then circulate this for approval by all key stakeholders prior to engaging with suppliers in the external market. This can then form the basis of the request for proposal within the procurement process.

This is an area that, if being approached for the first time or even after a few year's break, can seem daunting, which us why it's an area our solutions teams spend considerable time working with organisations to share our expertise and learnt experience. Please contact me directly if you need any support on this scoping process, or any other step in the procurement of outsourced resourcing solutions.

AUTHOR


Jon Mannall
EMEA Managing Director and Global Head of Sales, Solutions and Innovation, Hays Talent Solutions

Jonathan is the EMEA Managing Director and Global Head of Sales, Solution and Innovation for Hays Talent Solutions, having joined Hays in 2011. Previous roles held at Hays included Client Director, Service Delivery Director and Head of Sales for the UK. He is now responsible for leading the approach to engaging and securing new clients and to ensuring that the products and services offered by Hays Talent Solutions continue to meet the changing needs of our global, regional and local customers. For more information about Hays Talent Solutions, visit our website

Prior to joining Hays, and after completing his Masters in Philosophy and Management, Jon worked in the RPO and MSP sector for 10 years with a range of Financial Services, Public Sector, IT & Telecommunications, and Insurance clients in Sales and Operations Director roles.