As if talent gaps and shortages, ever increasing demands, and ever mounting pressure (on return on investment, budgets and timescales) were not enough – IT Project resourcing managers are facing a new challenge!
OOO!!! The “out of office” season!!!
I say “new”, let’s be honest, it’s a seasonal, recurring, annual challenge and one that, despite this, we never seem prepared for! I swear time speeds up between holidays.
At Stoneseed, we LOVE OOO Season!
As a provider of IT Project Management as a Service (PMaaS) resources, OOO season introduces new opportunities to work with great new clients on exciting new projects. While most of Stoneseed’s clients utilise our PMaaS talent for longer engagements, a little holiday cover is the perfect way to test this innovative resourcing model.
The story is often similar, the organisation’s inhouse talent is heading to a Mediterranean beach, they’ve tried the go-to contractor only to find they’re already lounging on one (or covering someone else’s inhouse talent who has jetted off there)! Then, they remember reading about, or someone mentioning, PMaaS. They Google “PMaaS”, and with millions of results to comb through, they enter the PMaaS lottery. (PMaaS Top Tip: If one of the results says “Stoneseed”, click that one!!)
I write lottery because … it can be a lottery, and that’s not to disparage our competitors many of whom are good at what they do – not as good as Stoneseed, but half decent all the same! No, it can be a lottery because, like any relationship (and PMaaS should be a relationship) it takes both parties to create the magic.
Often the problem is that PMaaS is a new world – so how do you choose a PMaaS partner?
Thanks to years of delivering PMaaS and clients sharing their BS experiences (BS = Before-Stoneseed), we present:
HOW TO CHOOOSE AN IT PMaaS PARTNER: 3 KEY CONSIDERATIONS
1 – Cultural Fit
The cultural alignment between your organisation and a PMaaS provider is a critical aspect of successful collaboration, remember this should be a partnership, but it’s also often overlooked.
Ensure that a PMaaS provider and their team share your organisation’s culture and values. You can ask a PMaaS provider about their approach to collaboration, transparency, customer service, and indicators like these, to determine how seamlessly they will integrate into your working environment. Integration is key, PMaaS talent should feel part of your team, facing in the same direction as your talent and business goals. That said, they should contribute effectively to your project, not just blend in and keep the lights on, and cultural compatibility is a great driver of this!
You don’t have to conduct interviews or have meetings with key members of a potential PMaaS provider’s team to gauge communication styles and working philosophies, although that’s an option, of course! Just ask the provider about their approach to cultural alignment, if they are a bit vague, you have your answer. At Stoneseed, we are meticulous in getting to know you and how you do business, before we even think about the resources you’ll need. A provider that values open communication, transparency, and a client-centric approach is more likely to lean into more productive and harmonious working relationships.
2 – Scope, Specialisation, Skillset
Once your provider understands YOU, it is vital that they understand the nature of your projects! This is a two-way consideration! Your PMaaS provider should be honest about their capabilities and specialities but YOU should also be hyper-protective about your needs. As an extreme example, a client once shared stories of PMaaS providers specialising in the construction and finance sectors pitching their “as-a-Service” talent for IT Projects.
Selecting a provider that aligns with your industry and your needs, i.e., an IT PMaaS specialist for IT Projects, feels like a no-brainer. A PMaaS provider that specialises in IT project management can bring invaluable insights and methodologies tailored to the unique challenges of the tech industry, but even within your industry you should take care to ensure that your PMaaS partner possesses the necessary knowledge and experience to handle YOUR projects effectively. For instance, consider scale – how big (or small) are your needs and is the provider equipped to manage large-scale portfolios or just smaller projects?
The skillset and expertise of your PMaaS provider’s team are critical. Ensuring that the provider employs a team of skilled and certified professionals with expertise in project management methodologies, tools, and technologies and a team experienced in Agile, Scrum, Lean, etc, can bring valuable perspectives and fresh approaches to your IT projects. The right skillset also allows the provider to adapt to your organisation’s unique requirements and familiarity with cutting-edge project management tools and technologies that grants YOU access to the latest advancements, enhancing project efficiency and effectiveness.
At Stoneseed, we employ our people and have a resource pool of Programme and Project Management specialists, who are all experienced practitioners from across the complete portfolio of project and programmes – in fact, anything with an IT flavour – we don’t do construction!!
We do provide a comprehensive range of Programme Management, Project Management, Business Analysis, Technical Advisory and PMO/PSO resources, our memberships and accreditations include PRINCE2, Project Management Institute, P3M3, Agile Project Management Certification and MSP. Experience gained from multiple sectors and industries means our clients benefit from a practical, hands-on approach to programme and project delivery that works.
Stoneseed’s team are experienced across multiple technology solutions, sectors and industries, and we work on all types of projects and programmes such as Business Change, Transformation, Infrastructure, Digital and IT Project Delivery. Our PMaaS model offers a true end to end service, from IT Technical Advisory, Business Analysis Services and PMO Services through to Programme & Project Delivery, from a single Project Manager, Business Analyst, or PMO expert for a few days, right through to a large team of fully utilised project professionals.
Additionally, all Stoneseed’s PMaaS services are available onsite or remote, in fact we are experts in Remote Project Delivery.
When choosing a PMaaS partner, request specific examples of projects like yours that the PMaaS provider has successfully delivered, and case studies that showcase their ability to navigate challenges and deliver results, these can give valuable insight into a provider’s expertise. Beyond this, client testimonials and references can provide firsthand accounts of performance and client satisfaction.
3 – Contractual Terms and Conditions
Before you enter into an agreement with a PMaaS provider, thoroughly check through their contractual terms and conditions. You should seek to understand contract lengths, exit clauses, and any penalties for early termination. Additionally, pay close attention to service level agreements (SLAs), which define the provider’s commitments regarding project deliverables, timelines, and performance metrics – ensure that these align with your expectations and needs.
Stoneseed’s innovative on-demand resource model allows you to dial up and down IT project resources in sync with your delivery needs so, with some reasonable planning, you can access a wide range of project skills, made available against your demand schedule.
Lastly, Stoneseed’s PMaaS has a straightforward commercial model. We work with you to forecast the project resources required and then provide a straightforward rate card with resources defined by type and skill set. Resources are called off against your demand schedule, can flex up and down throughout the period, and you are simply billed for the resources you have consumed at the end of each month. PMaaS enables you to align resources as and when you need them, on a cost effective, full-time or part-time basis – as we say, “Turn it on, turn it off, turn it up or turn it down”.
Transparent and well-defined contractual terms are the bedrock of a successful PMaaS partnership.
ConclOOOsion
IT Project Management as a Service is an innovative solution to today’s ever-evolving challenges, both during this OOO season and for longer engagements too.
While PMaaS offers many benefits, you and your provider should work together to ensure that it aligns with your organisation’s specific needs and objectives.
PMaaS is not a one-size-fits-all approach! Analysing your requirements, existing processes, skills, capabilities, and potential challenges will help you choose a PMaaS provider … considering the scope and specialisation, experience, skillset and expertise, security and compliance, contractual terms and conditions, and cultural fit, can help you align a potential provider with your organisation’s unique needs and objectives.
Call Stoneseed today on 01623 723910 or click here to find out more.