Improving the Resourcing Process in an ICT Service Business

Abstract

This thesis focuses on human resource allocation and responsibilities in the case company resourcing process. It is important that scarce human resources are used and allocated efficiently in a multi-project environment. There is also need to monitor, at any given time, the use of allocated resources and their utilization. Over time, these accurate allocation snapshots become a learning tool allowing rational and efficient allotment of human resources responding to new resource requests. Optimized human resource management is the key to the success in any business and failure in that field has the potential to ripple through many, if not most, of other business processes of a company.

Case study was used as a research approach in this study. Initially, the business challenge was identified together with the case company and based on that, the current state analysis was done using interviews, online survey and company data sources. Then existing literature on business process management and multi-project management was used to create the conceptual framework of this thesis. Based on the literature and current state analysis, the initial proposal was drafted. Validation of the proposal was done by evaluation and feedback from the key stakeholders to create the final version and ensure the relevance of the proposal.

This thesis revealed the need to realign responsibilities regarding allocation handling in the resourcing process. Current practices and responsibilities warped the whole resourcing process denying the management of the case company and people at different levels of the process accurate information and therefore full and competent control of it. The proposal aims to fix this and realign the responsibilities according to best practice from the literature. The case company has decided to pilot this proposal and, based on the piloting feedback, implement it.