Measuring managing and deploying IT skills Nick Caldwell
This document discusses measuring, managing, and deploying IT skills. It notes that capturing skills makes managerial and financial sense as it allows managers to know staff capabilities and helps with targeted development, and reduces reliance on buying external IT skills. Skills data can inform how best to deploy staff based on expertise or development needs. Identifying skills gaps through specific data allows for more informed decision making compared to anecdotal evidence. Business benefits include robust reporting on skills, identifying common training needs, and meaningful resourcing based on the full picture of skills. User benefits include identifying immediate learning needs, using a common IT language, having all skills recognized, and opportunities for flexible resourcing and personal development.
Measuring managing and deploying IT skills Nick Caldwell
- 1. Measuring, managing & deploying IT skills SFIA Foundation conference case study Nick Caldwell DWP IT
- 2. DWP IT Why capture skills? Makes managerial sense Basic responsibility of managers to know what your staff are capable of. Helps with targeted development. Staff feel invested in. Softer people issues often overlooked in IT environment focussed on delivery. Makes financial sense Less reliance on buying in IT skills Right people, Skills data informs how best to deploy staff, based on expertise right place or development need. Meaningful resourcing. Specific raw data to Reduces reliance on anecdotal evidence of e.g. skills shortage inform decision making Identifies the capability Reporting against the spread of skills. Illustrates how well- gaps equipped the business is for present & future.
- 3. DWP IT Business benefits Robust & relevant • Single tool to capture IT skills pulls it all together replacing a reporting cottage industry of spreadsheets. • Locate expertise & weakness. Target common training Capture the spread of expertise across a range of skills or an needs (individual, team or entire skills framework to determine knowledge gaps. Arrange organisation) group learning and realise potential savings by identifying common learning requirements across teams or larger business areas. Reduce £. Resourcing based on the Meaningful resourcing should be based on skills (right person, full picture right place), aptitude & availability. Know where your experts are, not just which staff are in post. Grow your own….informed Define key roles and the constituent skills. succession planning Identify the shortfalls in expertise at all levels in all skills. Retain expertise Identify and invest in employee development; promote from within; nurture your own skills base.
- 4. DWP IT User benefits – what’s in it for me? Identify immediate Assessing against core SFIA skills may identify skills gaps. These learning needs are rarely well documented. Inform immediate training needs and development planning. When skills gaps are identified users are offered potential solutions which may help to bridge those gaps. Common IT language SFIA – recognised industry standard skills definitions for IT environment. Record ALL your skills Have your expertise recognised and put to best use. Typically, staff do not relish being defined just by their current job. It is possible to build a skills inventory which includes current role (core) skills but extends to all useful/recent skills ‘in the locker’. ‘Be in it to win it’ Some DWP business areas use IT skills assessment to underpin flexible resourcing. This depends to a large degree on robust skills information so the right people are given the appropriate opportunities. Generate a skill summary Summary output to inform personal development & performance discussions. Plan your next move Compare current skill set with that required for any planned/preferred role.
- 5. DWP IT Questions ? Nick Caldwell 01925 845563 07920 813526 Nick.caldwell@dwp.gsi.gov.uk