“Cost savings, an increased focus on core business, cost restructuring and quality improvement are all reasons more companies today are choosing outsourcing or making significant changes to the IT organization. ”
In an October IT Workforce forum at the U.S. Pharmacopeia facilities, Linda Hooker provided insight into how the SunTrust team has smoothed transition as employees face changes due to outsourcing while maintaining a focus on career growth.
Many companies are choosing outsourcing or are making significant changes to their IT organization due to three factors which include: cost savings, an increased focus on the core business, and cost restructuring and quality improvement. In 2005, SunTrust began an off-shoring program in the IT applications development area. As part of this transformation program, roles and competency levels were redefined. Employees were placed in these roles and were organized into resource pools of approximately 40 individuals. Professional Development Manager’s (PDMs) were responsible for talent development, performance management, and gathering feedback from project teams and utilization management.
Challenges that the organization encountered included: knowledge transfer, reforming teams with on or off shore support, and cultural and time differences. In addition, the organization did not have very much information on the staff itself and were not aware of their capabilities or skills. As a result employees served blended roles. In the transformation, the staff were put into newer roles with higher expectations.
In an effort to strive for continuous improvement, capabilities documentation is adjusted as more knowledge regarding role and industry expectations of teammates is gained. Scorecards are also use to measure capability life for business analyst’s to monitor improvement and skill proficiency audits measure BA proficiency levels. In addition, the effectiveness of tools and processes are closely partnered with global resource teams as teams work together towards a common goal.
The top items relating to SunTrust’s success include:
- Open communication
- Responsible management
- Training
- Flexibility
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When Laura Viehmyer joined US Pharmacopeia (USP) as the Vice President of Human Resources, she found that the human resources department (HR) was very understaffed. No functional organization or centralized processes and systems existed in HR, and though the organization had a considerable global presence, there was no one on staff with global expertise. In addition, there was no central training initiative as well as a lack of emphasis on employer relations. After receiving advice from a senior executive, Viehmyer began to talk to individuals and embarked on the most significant orientation she ever experienced in her career.
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