When Hiring Contractors Makes Sense

You are faced with a project and a deadline that cannot be accomplished with the resources you have on staff. It doesn’t make sense to hire full-time team members to meet that need, only to lay them off after the crunch is over. In this type of scenario, as in some others, temporary contractors are the answer. How do you know when you should consider adding contractors to your team to achieve your goals?

• You are managing a project that requires skills you don’t have internally (and you don’t have time to learn them).
• You simply need more hands and heads than you have, due to time constraints.
• There isn’t anything to be gained by your team doing some tasks themselves (their expertise adds no specific value), and your people’s time is better spent on other things.

• It’s cheaper to hire help than to pay your people to do the work. Remember, you pay 20% + for benefits for your full time employees.

• Your project requires a spike in activity that doesn’t continue later into the schedule.

• When you want to “audition” a candidate for a permanent position.

But BEWARE:

• Don’t spend time and money educating contractors to do things that would enrich the skills and experience of your team – unless your team can partake in the education as well. Otherwise, your people will resent the heck out of the situation (and you).

• Avoid giving contractors work that your team considers “choice”, like working with new, cool technology, traveling to exotic work locations, or getting exposure to executive management.

• Don’t give contractors the same benefits/privileges as your employees, unless you want to risk a lawsuit.

• Don’t treat your contractors like slave labor. They are people too and deserve your respect. Besides, you may need them again someday.

• Be sure there is a transfer of knowledge/learning from your contractors to your employees before the end of the contract. Don’t let the knowledge walk out the door, or you may have to buy it back again later.

Learning from Failure

Failure is a harsh word, but a reality that must sometimes be faced. Failure can be the result of doing nothing, or trying and falling short of the mark. It can be painful and humiliating, but we can also learn valuable lessons through our efforts, even if they are unsuccessful.

In order to profit from failure, don't ignore it or wallow in it. Look it fully in the face and evaluate what happened, from beginning to end. Conduct your own post-mortem, even if an official one takes place as part of wrap-up of a project. Yours can be more self-centric (and less politically charged!).

Include these retrospective questions as part of your evaluation:

• Did I start out with unrealistic expectations in terms of goals and objectives?
• When did I first suspect that things weren't unfolding as planned?
• Did I ignore any signs of impending trouble I should have recognized?
• Did I make changes to try to get things back on track?
• Did I ask for help when I needed it?
• Did I properly consider advice or recommendations from others?
• Did I articulate my concerns to project management?
• Did I document and make plans to mitigate risk?
• Could I have avoided failure through more personal effort?
• Was I a contributor to failure in an identifiable way?
• Did my team fail to do their part?
• Could my team have worked together more effectively?
• Was there anything I could have done differently to achieve success for the project?
• What do I know in hindsight that would I do differently next time?
• What specific new learnings can I take away from this experience?

Failure is part of success. Accept it, take your share of the responsibility (if warranted), add a virtual battle ribbon to your business suit, catalogue your learnings, and update your resume with your new experience. Now take a deep breath and move on - a wiser person.

Plan B

When you are responsible for devising a plan with specific goals in mind, you are wise to consider multiple options before identifying your preferred approach, or your "Plan A".  And when you have a Plan A, you should always also have a fully-developed Plan B.

Plan B is an alternate approach to achieving your target goals.  Why is Plan B so important?  Because variables beyond your control may make your cherished Plan A suddenly impossible, undesirable, or impractical.  Plan B is a form of risk management.  Your ability to apply proactive analysis in a way that supports flexibility and responsiveness will promote confidence and respect among your stakeholders. When you run into a roadblock, Plan B allows you to take another route, without skipping a beat.

Plan B should evolve organically, as a result of having an open mind and accepting ideas and input from your team, colleagues, mentors, stakeholders, consultants, and your boss.  There is always more than one way to address a challenge - and there are usually several "best" ways.  Assess pros and cons, cost, risk, resources, scope, and projected results.  The best options will become clear.  You and your team together should determine Plan A.

Spend time on preparing a case to support your choice.  What was your thought process?  Why did you make the decisions you did?  Explain why you rejected unformed Plans C, D, and E.  You may want to reserve Plan B in your pocket, in case the decision-makers have an unexpected bad reaction to your Plan A.

This brings to mind an exchange I had with my boss some years ago.  I presented my Plan A for his review.  Upon receiving his approval, I picked up a piece of paper on which I had outlined Plan B and ripped it into small pieces.

BOSS:  What was that?
ME:  That was Plan B.
BOSS:  Why didn't I get to see that?
ME:  Because you approved Plan A.  Trust me; Plan A is a much better solution.

Have a well-conceived Plan A, backed up by a viable Plan B.  Hopefully, you will need to go no farther.