00:25 : How to successfully implement a Workforce Management / Operations Management project
06:13 : How to interweave these two methods?
09:05 : The role of staff planning tools in processes
12:27 : Conclusion
In this third and final episode of our series, Xavier Kelma (Expert GTA Manager at Althéa) and Geoffroy d’Argenlieu (President and co-founder of Timeskipper) address an essential question: how to operationally implement the combination of Workforce Management (WFM) and Operations Management?
Combine the tools, yes… but especially the processes
The starting point for reflection is clear: tools only reflect the quality of the processes we put in place. As Xavier Kelma reminds us:
“Tools do what we tell them. I want to solve a problem, I ask myself questions, and tools will help me. But it’s not the tool that solves the problem.”
The combined approach cannot rely solely on the technical integration of siloed solutions. It must be based on strategic thinking, driven by a deep understanding of operations, business lines, and data.
Management begins with workload
Geoffroy d’Argenlieu illustrates the challenge of sizing with a striking image:
“Before ordering bottles, a winemaker measures the volume of wine he can produce. For companies, it’s the same: we start by understanding the workload.”
In other words, operations management precedes and structures Workforce Management. It provides the essential data that feeds planning algorithms: the actual workload to be absorbed.
A virtuous cycle to initiate
Once the workload is well-defined, Workforce Management can use this data to build adjusted schedules, taking into account social rules, employee preferences, and performance objectives.
“The two approaches feed each other to create a continuous and completely virtuous improvement process”, summarizes the episode’s host.
Our convictions
- Start with the fundamentals: analysis of workload, flows, and operational experience.
- Make tools communicate: solutions must allow for fluid interoperability, but on solid process foundations.
- Support projects: a good tool is not enough. A global transformation project is needed, driven by business lines and supervised by experts.
“A bad process will feed a tool with bad data. The tool will do its best, but will never compensate for an absent or flawed strategy.” – Xavier Kelma
