An HCM&P strategic review of your workforce analytics process
If your organization wishes to evaluate whether your current use of workforce analytics could be more effective, our strategic review can help. Our review process focuses not just on assessing static components, but on how well your analytics efforts support the business needs of executives and the activities of front line managers and employees. Our review provides answers to the questions below and results in clear recommendations for maximizing your return on investment.
What do you expect your analytics process to accomplish?
What do you expect your analytics process to accomplish? We begin by working with executives and business unit managers to understand (1) the critical connections between your workforce and your company’s goals and (2) how that understanding was translated into a business case for workforce analytics. These interviews assess allocation of resources, clarity of vision and purpose, and the level of consensus and support across functions.
What are the frontline stakeholders’ experiences in using analytics?
Using focus groups and surveys we solicit feedback from line managers and employees on the information and tools provided to them. Is the process well integrated into their work flow? Is the information accurate and useful? Is it timely? Are the decision tools appropriate to their needs? What business problems are they confronting that could be solved by access to different or better information?
What benefits of using analytics are evident in objective measures?
We examine metrics across functional areas that reflect productivity, quality, customer service, efficiency and profitability. Are there notable differences across business units or teams in their use of workforce analytics information?
What are the challenges in accessing quality data from multiple sources?
Based on our wide experience we evaluate the availability, quality, and challenges you face in capturing and integrating data needed by managers to guide effective actions. We assess data that is currently available in your analytics system, as well as identify sources for additional information. Effective workforce analytics depends on data from HR, Finance, Marketing and Sales, Operations and often data from external surveys. We assess contributions from all of these sources and identify ways to streamline access to data across functions.
Do you have a robust technical platform in place to support the analysis process?
We assess your current data warehouse and the tools you use to extract, validate, clean and transform that information into useable form We evaluate your system for distributing information to end users in a manner that is timely, appropriate to support their decisions, and embedded in their normal workflow. Is there an organization set up to maintain the analytic system and protect security? Does your analysis system have a staging area that allows for analysis separate from the operational decision support systems?
Does your analytics organization have access to sufficient skilled staff?
Building systems, keeping them operational, and responding to changing user needs requires different people with different skill sets. Do you have people adequately skilled to build and manage the analytic platform and data infrastructure? Do you have people who are effective at training end users, not only in accessing the tools, but in the utility of the information that is presented? Do you have analytic staff with mathematical or statistical skills who can construct custom analyses and interpret results to help internal audiences use the information most effectively? Do you have specific technology staff responsible for communication with various stakeholders, including user communities, owners of data source systems, and systems architecture staff?
What is your governance process?
Who oversees the design and delivery of the analytics effort? Who is responsible for communicating the vision, evaluating the needs of various constituencies, establishing priorities, allocating resources, and tracking ROI for the business?
Our deliverable for your strategic review:
At the end of our comprehensive review, we present a report summarizing the strengths and weaknesses we have identified in each of the seven areas of inquiry described above. We also provide a set of specific recommendations for immediate and long range steps to improve your return on investment in workforce analytics.