People Optimization
Optimize your PeopleSoft Project's Human Resources
Posted on 1/28/2007 (originally published in print on 3/1/2004)
by Lorne Kaufman
This article on the optimization of people is the last in the series of Optimizing a PeopleSoft System. The first article discussed the importance of optimizing your hardware to achieve overall performance in your PeopleSoft Application. It also gave examples of ways to leverage your current investment in hardware to achieve the results you want without the need for a large budget. The second article in the series discussed the importance of automation and maximizing application functionality to achieve system optimization. Many organizations have invested a great deal of time and money into an ERP solution, only to find that they cannot meet a past level of productivity and customer satisfaction. I gave examples of leveraging automation to reduce the defects, as well as the amount of time and resources to complete a single task. In addition, I discussed simple ways to deploy the PeopleSoft Application to achieve system optimization. This is critical for all organizations in order to see the best return on an investment in PeopleSoft. In this article, I will discuss ways to utilize people (staff, contractors, management) to achieve overall system optimization. In other words, I will help you think through when it’s best to hire a consultant for a particular skill requirement or train an in-house resource. I’ll also help you think through how to position your internal staff to leverage their core skills in order to achieve the best levels of People Optimization.
Overview of People Optimization
What is People Optimization? Once, when I was presenting to a user group, I was asked what it meant to achieve total optimization. My response included three types of optimization: System, Application and People. The next question that was asked of me was what is People Optimization? “People Optimization” is my term for aligning the right people with the correct skills to meet specific requirements within the organization. A step further is deciding whether to fill any gaps with consultants or training of internal staff. Most organizations utilize consultants, but mostly for the wrong reasons. It has been my experience that organizations start utilizing consultants for a handful of reasons: the current team is under staffed, the company does not have the skill in-house, the company wants to mitigate risks, the team needs knowledge transfer, and even the company fears their internal staff might do more harm than good. Of the listed reasons, not having the skills in-house and gaining knowledge transfer are excellent reasons to use consultants. The remainder of the reasons on my list are only going to hurt an organization in the long run. For example, an organization that is under staffed is generally one that needs to better prioritize the requirements of the organization. Let’s refer to the old adage that nine women cannot have a baby in one month: adding additional staff does not always answer the need for completing work. In this article, I will attempt to articulate some sound reasoning around when to augment your internal staff for specific needs.
Examples of People Optimization
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