Business can seem a lot like baseball: it’s filled with spectacular successes, intense risks, and the occasional foul ball. As any coach knows, it’s not the game that makes the team—it’s the players. In business, your potential players make up your virtual bench. Whenever the need arises, a company can call up one (or more) of these auxiliary team members to perform the job and then return them to the bench. Can your enterprise benefit from the use of a virtual bench? The following questions can help:
- How consistently do you require a certain skill set? An industry survey by TIOBE showed that Java is still the most in-demand programming languages, so if your company’s core competency is creating Java-based applications, then you will be better off with full-time employees. However, if you just need to have one Java-based app built to support a small part of your business or need to supplement a project team with extra players, then the winning bet is to pull experts from your virtual bench to get the project done on time and under budget.
- Are you in a late-inning pressure situation? McKinsey found that 66% of software projects overrun their budgets and deliver a perceived 17% less value than desired, a significant challenge to companies. However, more damaging is the impact on teams. Stanford researchers highlighted the fact that longer hours don’t translate into better performance—and they can actually reduce the efficacy of your best developers through stress and fatigue (increasing the threat of turnover). If your project managers find that their team members are regularly charging the mound, you may want to consider bringing on the experts from a virtual bench.
- Are you seizing every opportunity? A virtual bench stacked with professionals not only supports your current team, but also allows you to capitalize on other prospects. Technology has had a tremendous impact on the way business is done, and providing an expanding array of products and services to your customers can ultimately affect your survivability and profitability. Having access to reliable, temporary assistance can allow you to test the waters on new projects and explore new opportunities with a limited commitment of time and resources.
Many of our clients use our services to build their virtual bench, as a way to be prepared for upcoming initiatives. A virtual bench does take some time to build, as scouting for talent requires a thorough search for the perfect auxiliary team member. However, the cost savings, the ability to access a reliable expert, and the capacity to flexibly address your company’s needs are worth the investment in a virtual bench. For questions concerning the construction of a virtual bench, or if you need help to fill out your current line-up, please contact us today!
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