We’ve reached an exciting time in the vendor management industry. Several forces — including workforce dynamics, economic changes and shifting cultures — have made efficient contingent workforce management a key initiative for procurement, HR and IT managers. Many of the world’s largest companies across a variety of industries realize the benefits of automating their flexible workforce management through a VMS.
After choosing a provider, companies begin a standard implementation schedule that typically lasts 8 to 12 weeks. During that time, the customer works closely with its VMS project team (and that of its MSP, if the program is not self-managed), following a structured methodology based on the provider’s unique customer experiences and best practices. VMS and MSP providers analyze a company’s needs and, with significant customer input, create a solution tailor-made for their objectives and goals. But what should you do if you find your business needs truly require a VMS solution in place in less time? Embracing a rapid deployment methodology might be your answer. A rapid deployment methodology can enable a VMS program in less than half the time of a traditional implementation if the highest priority of the program is to stand up the VMS quickly and a few key principles are held sacred.
The first key principle is that a rapid deployment methodology is not a full implementation done rapidly. There simply will not be enough time in a condensed timeline to go through a traditional implementation with multiple analysis sessions and design iterations. Further, in such an implementation, there will not be enough time to build system integrations either. Violating this principle by attempting a full implementation rapidly by simply shaving duration from a traditional implementation project plan will result in missed milestones and launch delays. In the end, you will not have saved time and will have had a painful experience along the way.
The other key principle is that you’ll need to trust the experience of the VMS SMEs to design the program on your behalf. After a few initial requirements gathering meetings, the VMS subject matter experts will design the program and provide an opportunity for some minor adjustments. Anything else will simply take too long and impact the accelerated timeline. Your VMS provider will be happy to work with you to enhance the program after launch to help you extract more value and achieve the next layer of program goals.
Embrace these principles and trust your VMS partner’s expertise and you’ll find yourself on a short list of companies that have successfully deployed a VMS program in just a handful of weeks.
