Developing a talent management information strategy

1. Developing a Talent Management Information Strategy
By Dr. G C Mohanta, Professor, Al-Qurmoshi Institute of Business Management,
Hyderabad, India
Introduction
To develop a talent management information strategy, companies will need to practice a form of
ruthless reassessment, auditing and questioning. Talent management as a support tool must be
assessed on the value of the information to decision-makers at the executive level. The five part
process for developing an information system described below is based on two clear measures: a
lean, flexible systems and senior executive understanding and buy-in. This process is also based
on approaches developed for designing products for consumer products industry and consumer
Websites.
Talent Management Information Strategy
The following are the five part processes in developing Talent Management Information
Strategy:
Prepare Project Statement – The project statement is prepared based on the management needs
of the organisation. The statement includes project mission and list of project stakeholders.
Project Mission: To create a talent management system with a focus on training employees in
deficiency areas based on assessments conducted three times per year by each employee’s
supervisor and clients. The employee can also do self analysis as part of a 360 degree review.
Training programme recommendations will be updated daily, with a variety of programs offered
online and special programs announced daily. Inputting information is open to all employees and
outside clients with a universal identification. Individual reports and course announcements are
delivered through special employee code. Overall assessment data is presented in report form to
the company’s top executives.
List Components to be Incorporated into the System – List and describe the components that
will be incorporated into the system. Succession planning, performance and potential
distributions, career plans and training and development needs can be included.
Existing Software - The company has existing client relationship management software created
by Siebel Systems that has full Internet and telephone capabilities. The company also has a SAP
enterprise software system for the HR department.
Prepare Data Flow Chart – Describe the components that will be through the reports. The
Demographic information should be included and how it will be disseminated throughout the
report components. The two essential elements of demographic information are raw personnel
data (names, positions, titles, EEO classification and start dates) and evaluation or assessment

2. data. How this data interacts with the various reporting methodologies is mapped using
information flow charts.
Develop Management Plan –A management plan is developed at the early stages that includes
who will be responsible for inputting data into the system, who will be responsible for design.
Analyse Existing Systems and Request for Proposals – After the project statement is
completed, a thorough analysis can be conducted of the company’s existing internal human
resource information systems, with a particular focus on how data is queried and exported. This
information will be combined with project statement to produce a series of potential design
scenarios resulting in the creation of an internal request for proposal (RFP). The RFP is a
document the company will write to help decide which software strategy to pursue, based on the
scenario results and the range of software options on the market.
RFP Solution - Using CRM as base, create an internet based assessment system tied to a list of
training and organizational reports. The Employee is given a series of recommended courses &
books and alerted to company sponsored events on the company Websites. The employee can
complete a form indicating which reports he or she has taken. The overall information is
delivered in spreadsheet format and used by the HR department to create a series of reports
correlating the financial results of the organisation to the training programs taken by the
employees and improved ratings. The organisation also has an option to link the financial
database with the training database at a later time, depending on the efficiency of the preliminary
arrangements.