Public sector organizations behind the times on technology: report
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
A research briefing by the Conference Board of Canada says some public sector organizations are working with 20-year-old systems
OTTAWA—Out-of-date processes and legacy technology are limiting some public sector organizations’ ability to make timely operational decisions about their workforce, according to the latest briefing from the Conference Board of Canada.
The report, commissioned by human-resources management software company Kronos Canadian Systems Inc., aims to develop a business case for investment in technology and analytic skills development, suggesting that some public sector organizations lack the proper information and analytic capabilities to make the best possible workforce management decisions.
“Growing organizational complexity and an increasing need for speed mean that timely workforce information and analytics are becoming essential operational tools for decision-making.” said Shannon Jackson, associate director of leadership and human resources research at the Conference Board of Canada. “In lieu of data and facts, many operational leaders are still relying on experience, gut, and manually produced spreadsheets to make decisions. Updated technologies are required to help close the gap between corporate planning and operational execution.”
Some report highlights include:
- Outdated decision supports (i.e., timely automated reports, processes, etc.) are restricting some business leaders when making workforce decisions required to transform operations.
- Workforce management and analytics technology is providing some leaders with key decision-support information essential for critical workforce decisions.
- The research outlines a roadmap of common challenges and investment benefits that may help leaders make the business case for skills, process, and IT investment.
The briefing, Leveraging Today’s Technology: Connecting Operations to Corporate Workforce Planning in the Public Sector, explores the current state of practice in the public sector in using analytics to support workforce decision-making, the role that technology plays, and the benefits realized by some organizations. It finds public sector organizations are at varying stages of upgrading aging technology infrastructure, and developing their knowledge about using workforce analytics.
The report says some public sector organizations are working with 20-year-old systems, but have well-developed analytic processes and skills. Others have successfully transitioned to new systems, but are just developing the analytic skills of decision makers.
