By: Stacey Ruth
The scenario is a familiar one: Another last-minute, all-important, pet project of the CEO’s just landed on your desk at 5:00 on a Friday. Your team is already operating above capacity. Obviously, you need additional resources – but which kind? Freelance, agency and additional permanent staff all have their appeal and their drawbacks, but there isn’t time to ponder and plan. Immediate action is required.
Moving from anxiety into action can be made easy by using a very simple decision algorithm. This Creative Solution Algorithm addresses the primary aspects of each choice (freelance, permanent, agency), eliminating any emotional response from the decision process. It provides a clear justification, not only for the choice we make, but also for any case that needs to be made in regards to additional funding or resources.
1. The Case for Freelance: If you answer “yes” to 2 or more of the following, freelance is the right solution for you.
The parameters are:
One-time only project
Project scope is clearly defined
Project is an anomaly, requiring a specialized skill set
Costs must be carefully managed
Project management is available internally
Staff are already in overtime or burned out
A staff person is out on temporary leave
Project would be a good trial to move someone into a permanent position
2. Case for Full-time Employees: If you answer “yes” to 2 or more of the following, a full-time employee is the right solution for you.
The parameters are:
Project is part of a steady stream of consistently similar work
Workload is consistently more than current staff can handle without substantial overtime
Project work is enough to keep an employee fully occupied for 80% of a regular work week
Additional head count for the year is approved
Project management is available internally
Staff are already in overtime or burned out
3. The Case for Agencies: If you answer “yes” to 2 or more of the following, an agency is the right solution for you.
The parameters are:
Project has many integrated aspects
External project management is needed
The budget can absorb management costs
An outside perspective is needed
Expert, strategic consultation is needed to ensure success
A seamless, turnkey solution is required
Of course, there are always situations that don’t fit the model – for instance, a project that has many integrated aspects and needs external project management, but the budget won’t absorb the management component inherent in most agencies’ structure. When this happens, the Creative Solution Algorithm becomes a platform for discussions within the company to ensure expectations are in alignment with the project’s parameters.
Kimberly-Clark Health Care Leverages Internal and External Resources Effectively
“We have internal communications managers who know the brand standards and business messaging that is so important and hard to quickly relay to outside resources. These managers have oversight over outside resources – working with designers, writers and agencies – both large and small – to execute a variety of projects.
Because our workload has predictably heavier and lighter periods, we are able to plan the times we will need to ramp up our outside freelance pool, and we are always looking for fresh resources.”
– Pam Strickland Associate Director, Global Marketing & Communications
A great way to explore all the options simultaneously – freelance, internal and agency – is to work with a creative resource provider like Hire Profile, who is vested in finding the right solution for your company, not tied to a particular solution category. Even when the right solution isn’t entirely clear – the right solution is out there – as long as you are armed when necessary.
As a life-long entrepreneur herself, Stacey Ruth has been involved in building and marketing successful organizations for two decades. In 2000, she was named one of Atlanta’s top 50 Entrepreneurs by Catalyst Magazine, and most recently, her former agency, The WOW Factory, was twice named one of the Top 100 Event Marketing IT Agencies by Event Marketer Magazine. You can read more about Stacey by visiting her site http://www.marketwritesite.com/
