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>Loss of a particular skillset (when a team member leaves or is transferred onto other work)
>Workload increase without adding new resources
>Miscalculation of the scope of work when the team resourcing was initially planned
>Gradual decline of resources over time, or the workload is variable: When resources decrease without sufficient focus on recruitment, teams are caught short when demand suddenly increases, and can find it difficult to find staff that are the right fit.
Regardless of the reason, for the staff involved in an under-resourced team, it can feel like trying to complete a long-distance race in an 8-seat boat with only 6 rowers.
As the boat is utilised month after month, maintenance tasks naturally arise. The boat’s hull will need patching, the oars will need repairing, the seats will need new cushions, etc. but there is no time or energy for these activities, as the rowers have already been exceeding their capacity every month!
If there is no budget for adding permanent resources to perform these maintenance tasks and increase efficiency, the business runs the risk of further exhausting staff, losing high performers and having the team fall further below expectations. Will the team make the finish line? When will it arrive and at what cost?
We advocate a concentrated period of staff augmentation, to drive significant step change to achieve new efficiencies, attend to the overdue maintenance tasks and restore the buffer to the capacity for change.
It’s like bringing a pit crew in. Not only to repair the boat, but also turn it into a boat that is more efficient for 6 staff members; like a 6-seater! Restoring the buffer is vital, as change is not a one-off event, but rather a constant organic state that reflects overall health. The combination of team augmentation and increasing efficiency works well to bring things back into balance. Rather than a slow drip approach to change under these circumstances, it is vital to keep the momentum of early success, so the team’s mindset doesn’t slip back into firefighting, but rather stays with continuous improvement.
This may not be the cheapest available option, but it is certainly the most effective and ultimately provides the best value. It ensures that no fires get out of control and that the team, and business, is soon back on course and back in the race.
It also provides your loyal team with the assistance they need so they don’t jump ship to your competitors. Staff are then freed to work on their priority tasks rather than ‘covering’ for other roles.