Workforce Analysis
(Gap Analysis)

An engineering firm faced a change management hurdle due to technological advances inside and outside the company. With rapid technological advancements in the works, employees needed to develop additional skills. Our client retained us for pre-employment and post-hire talent management and evaluation. 

Our client’s workforce of engineers represented a wide range of skill sets and tenure in both the organization and the engineering profession, as a whole. Several long-time engineers came from traditional engineering backgrounds and licensure, while others had newer software, production and industrial experience. The various changes under way had a large impact on company culture, and our client was committed to assisting the employees in making the transition.

We established both technical knowledge and performance criteria, defining the standard for needed technical competencies – and we then conducted job analyses. We also recommended non-technical competencies such as business acumen, relationship building, adaptability, customer focus and decision making. Early on, we established buy-in with the core management team and provided an overview of our assessment. We continued to provide regular communication and status updates with stakeholders, which helped ensure the success of the project.

We provided our client with objective talent evaluation tools that enabled them to target areas of focus in training and development and address the gaps caused by the changing landscape and increasing expectations of the organization. We also provided our client with actionable insights for recruiting and retaining top talent for future needs. 

In addition, we created and delivered tools our client now uses to explain and interpret “unexpected and uncomfortable” outcomes. The return on the investment was favorable – our client was able to retain most of the staff, take advantage of training opportunities and avoid excessive turnover costs.

THE CLIENT

An engineering firm faced a change management hurdle due to technological advances inside and outside the company. With rapid technological advancements in the works, employees needed to develop additional skills. Our client retained us for pre-employment and post-hire talent management and evaluation. 

THE CHALLENGE

Our client’s workforce of engineers represented a wide range of skill sets and tenure in both the organization and the engineering profession, as a whole. Several long-time engineers came from traditional engineering backgrounds and licensure, while others had newer software, production and industrial experience. The various changes under way had a large impact on company culture, and our client was committed to assisting the employees in making the transition.

THE SOLUTION

We established both technical knowledge and performance criteria, defining the standard for needed technical competencies – and we then conducted job analyses. We also recommended non-technical competencies such as business acumen, relationship building, adaptability, customer focus and decision making. Early on, we established buy-in with the core management team and provided an overview of our assessment. We continued to provide regular communication and status updates with stakeholders, which helped ensure the success of the project.

THE SUCCESS

We provided our client with objective talent evaluation tools that enabled them to target areas of focus in training and development and address the gaps caused by the changing landscape and increasing expectations of the organization. We also provided our client with actionable insights for recruiting and retaining top talent for future needs. 

In addition, we created and delivered tools our client now uses to explain and interpret “unexpected and uncomfortable” outcomes. The return on the investment was favorable – our client was able to retain most of the staff, take advantage of training opportunities and avoid excessive turnover costs.