What is eSM?
i-Sage 7 eSM is...
• A secure, online solution that allows self assessment of skills with rigorous validation to ensure quality data
• A solution designed by some of the longest serving skills framework practitioners in the business, in consultation with major organisations
• A standalone or fully integrated solution to visualise all aspects of your human assets, from hiring to motivation, deployment, capability assessment to performance management
Which will give you...
• A full understanding of your organisation's ability to deliver, measured by tried and tested skills frameworks relevant to your industry sector
• Visibility of resource capability across the enterprise, from Task managers to Project managers to the Leadership team, with audibility to drive confidence
• Knowledge of your capability and availability so providing enhanced portfolio planning, reducing the number of projects on hold
Founded to solve real business problems
i-Sage 7 is a suite of products designed to enhance the management of an organisation’s most precious asset - it’s people. Over many years the founders of i-Sage have addressed challenges in the people space by applying best practice and innovative solutions.
Operating in many large scale organisations we have seen the same issues arising and had the opportunity to address these in a variety of ways. Studying what works, we were left with a good understanding of what to do, however often the tools to implement these processes did not exist.
i-Sage eSM has grown from the core i-Sage product, ePPM (formerly known as ItsGenie), the leading people performance management solution which is goal driven. eSM adds the power of skills frameworks to ePPM, and is architected to allow multiple frameworks to reside alongside each other. So, for example, you IT people can be assessed against SFIATM, whilst your SRM people can use a framework constructed especially for their industry. Some people may even have skills in both areas.
Our i-Sage 7 eSM product addresses the whole capability issue. It is founded on the principle that Job Titles are historical and in business terms almost without value. Consider the small business owner. Do they give themselves a title which reflects what they do? They are probably a “Director” or “Proprietor”, however on a daily basis they may be a Florist, Hygiene Operative, IT Business Analyst or Van Driver. Essentially what we find is that these people - and it is true for your organisation too - actually perform a variety of tasks. If they do so successfully, it is because they have a variety of skills and competencies. It is these skills & competencies which are the delivery factors (DF’s) behind successful task execution.
So if you currently recruit a Policy Analyst, much of
your time is spent building a relationship with external recruiters to explain what your organisation means by Policy Analyst. To the recruiter, they will have five other definitions from other clients and confusion will always result. The problem is often compounded in large organisations because the conversation with external parties is held through a Resourcing Team, and the originator of the request may have different views of their requirement again. So, by the time the external agent hears of the request
and potentially mis-understands it, it may have already been mis-translated. Using a skills framework provides a benchmark of capability, a common language for you, your recruitment partners and your people or candidates. It is this consistency which adds so much value.
Consider a world where for a given classification of work, let’s say IT, a skills framework exists (in this
case SFIATM)which defines in clear and consistent terms what is meant by someone possessing a specific skill at a specific level. Not a Job Title, but a skill. Internally, a Job Title may embody a fixed set of skills, say five, however when recruiting, reviewing, promoting, engaging contract or partner resources, you are able to say to your recruiting partners, I need this:
Along with some contextual detail for the candidate, this is all you need for your recruitment partners to understand your needs. i-Sage eSM interfaces to your required frameworks and makes the actual, consistent wording behind each of these definitions available for all at the click of a mouse.
Whilst SFIATM was one of the first widely adopted skills frameworks and is now in use by over 2,000 organisations in over 150 countries, many more are following, and eSM works with those that follow or can be adapted the SFIETM framework standard.
So how does eSM work? Read on for details and some screenshots of the system in action.
i-Sage 7 eSM in Action
eSM is flexible to your needs, however it does introduce a rigorous validation methodology which is designed to ensure that the data you collect is accurate and of value to your organisation.
The basic principles, are that an individual self-assesses against the given framework and then, once happy with their assessment, locks it at which time it progresses into an automated workflow. The next stage, which can be bypassed at organisation level, is a Peer Review, where the original assessor can work with a peer, chosen by themselves or by their management, to do a moderation exercise.
Often two people in the same role may be able to help each other come to a sensible view as to skill levels and so act together as a support group. After this stage, the assessment passes to a Subject Matter Expert team group. This group will typically meet to discuss a group of people, for example, the Junior Business Analysts. They will review the assessments to date and moderate across the group. At this stage, the workflow proceeds to the top level, where it is audited for completeness, quality and sign off.
Intelligent Workflow
eSM can be tailored to provide a workflow suitable for your organisation. Unlike some solutions, this is part of the implementation, not a separate development stage.
The principle of locking down an assessment between stages is key to ensuring that the data is consistent. Once it reaches the final stage, the manager or similar may have a final conversation with the individual to adjust any ratings by negotiation.
Where a lot of skills exist in a framework, such as SFIATM, it is possible to filter them into categories and advise staff to concentrate on those relevant to their current job role. Once they have completed this primary assessment, they may then go back to assess secondary or currently unused skills to provide a more complete picture of organisational capability. In this way, you get the data you need first and fastest, then the rest can follow as required.
Evidence
A common problem with any assessment is evidencing it.
eSM is unique in allowing the individual to attach emails and other electronic documents to their assessment in order to allow those performing the validation process to see this evidence in support of the assessment. Typical documents used are feedback from clients and peers, examples of work performed, training course certificates and performance review notes.
The ease with which this evidence can be viewed in instrumental in improving the accuracy of the validation process and so adds significantly to the quality of the data that is available for use post-assessment.
Ensuring Real Capability
One of the first to realise the potential of eSM technology was the Institute of Management Consultants who saw a way to ensure that those seeking accreditation met a common standard.
Key benefits of understanding your ability to deliver are:
• Targeted recruiting: Know the skills you need and ask pin-point questions at interview to select the right new staff
• Focused training: See the real skills gaps, see which people can benefit from which courses, don't over or under-train and spend your training budget accurately
• Smart deployment: Utilise the right person, in the right place at the right time, don't use a sledgehammer to crack a walnut, and stretch people to develop them
• Motivate people: By letting them see what they need to do to develop to the next level, and what value they offer your organisation, relative to their peers