Project-Based Talent: Using Outsiders to Move the Bottom Line

Ask any of your functional leads: What’s one important project that’s not getting done right now?

We’ve all done it—delayed an important project for weeks (or months), even though we knew it should be done sooner. 

No matter how organized you are—or how many hours your team is working—there’s always at least one important project that never makes it to the top of the list. This delayed project is often overlooked in favor of urgent tasks that fill up your day. This delayed project is also important—one that could have a real impact on your company’s bottom line. If you only had the expertise or manpower…

Is a project already coming to mind?

Great news: You can bring in outside talent on a project-basis to get that task done (and soon!).  

Why is project-based talent a smart strategy right now?

You can get projects done in a timely fashion without overburdening your existing team or pulling people away from their existing work.

What are the benefits?

The benefits of project-based talent are three-fold:

1. Project-based talent enables you to bring in a specialist with specific knowledge and experience.
2. It keeps your current team focused on their immediate priorities.
3. By defining the scope and timeline—and assigning a project lead—you’ve got assurance the project will get done.

What types of projects could they be?

The projects could be anything important that you’ve been putting off—creating a go-to-market strategy, documenting new systems and processes, or creating better monthly financial reporting, including KPIs and dashboards. These important projects cut across every discipline and often have a direct impact on the bottom line. Here are few examples:

• HR compliance – Creating an employee handbook helps mitigate risk.
• Financial management – Creating a cash-flow strategy helps address seasonal fluctuations and protects cash reserves.
• Operations – Conducting an operations audit or reviewing deficiencies in your supply chain can lower your costs.
• Sales and Marketing – Creating a sales strategy, conducting sales training, or evaluating close rates and how to improve them can lead to more sales revenue.

How can you identify your most important projects?

It always starts by looking for bottlenecks and gaps. A gap is an area where you are deficient in a specific skill set. A bottleneck is an area where the process is being slowed down because someone is either overwhelmed or not able to efficiently move the process along. If you need help identifying the important projects that can move your bottom line, a Cerius assessment can help.

Where can you find great project-based talent?

At Cerius Executives, our project-based talent can come in with laser expertise and proven experience to get your top projects done quickly, efficiently, and to your exacting standards. Contact us today to learn more.