HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With the demand for architectural services increasing and the labor supply shrinking, small to mid-sized architectural firms can now win their slice of the pie by accessing experienced remote talent. Remote staffing solutions enable all firms to staff up and compete for larger projects without the burden of adding office space, building additional infrastructure, and worrying about turnover. “If today’s understaffed architecture and engineering firms are going to grow their businesses, they must train their staff to move from doers to managers,” says Al Danto, CEO of Danto, Inc., a firm which provides distinctive human capital solutions to architects, engineers, and other technical professionals. “Successful engineers and architects are learning to leverage modern technology and remote staffing resources to manage multiple projects instead of completing one or two by themselves.” In order to take complete advantage of remote staffing solutions, Danto advocates the following seven critical steps: 1. Carefully Select the Tasks and Projects to be Remotely Staffed: Not every type of project and task can be remotely staffed. Projects and tasks that can be well-organized and managed with clear objectives are the best candidates. 2. Understand That You are Not Outsourcing Projects but Contracting Skilled, Experienced Labor on an as needed basis: Remote staffing does not mean outsourcing projects. It is contracting for and building a team of skilled, experienced staff. Remote staff must be treated the same as any other employee within the organization. Do not expect to send a project out and have it come back 100% complete without your guidance and direction. 3. Budget Time for Training: To ensure success -- take the time to train your remote staff and get them up to speed on your processes, systems, specifications, standards, and other details. 4. Assign a Dedicated Manager to the Team: A dedicated person should be assigned to manage, train, and direct the remote team on a daily basis. 5. Establish a Regular Feedback / Review Process: Good performance should be recognized and rewarded and consequences established for those that do not. 6. Establish Clear Benchmarks and Realistic Expectations: Look at the parts of a project that can be handled remotely, break them down into manageable pieces and make sure each one is done 100% correctly before moving on to other areas. This will build confidence in your team and ensure overall success. 7. Take Advantage of Borderless Team Members: Your team members might be working from anywhere in the world. Take advantage of time difference to create a 2nd shift. Establish a morning meeting to review work done during the night and then use internal resources to advance those projects and schedule a time in the evening to review expectations for the next day.
