THE WAR FOR TALENT IS REAL OptTek Launches Workforce Planning
Software; Completes Successful CH2M HILL Pilot
DENVER, July 12,
2010- Workforce planning is becoming increasingly important as baby
boomers head into retirement and the much smaller Generation Y enters
the workforce. Even in a slow economy, workforce planning is essential
to mitigating risk and making sure that long-term business plans provide
the appropriate context to make the right short-term business
decisions.
"Many companies are realizing the impact of
demographic shifts, an aging workforce, and more competition for limited
talent,” said Dr. James Kelly, OptTek CEO. "They are concerned about
having the right people, with the right skills, at the right place and
at the right time to achieve their business goals. Additionally, these
same companies are keenly interested in attaining diversity in their
workforce. OptTek’s new software addresses these needs.” The
Boulder-based optimization technology firm recently completed its first
pilot of OptForce™ with CH2M HILL. OptForce is revolutionizing the way
the engineering firm strategically plans and manages its workforce. This
software, developed with the support of a Small Business Innovative
Research grant from the National Science Foundation, allows companies,
like CH2M HILL, to ask "what if?” and see the impacts that different
business decisions and courses of action will have on their business
performance.
"CH2M HILL just completed a two-year pilot with
OptTek, yielding a workforce projection that was 95 percent accurate,
far exceeding my expectations,” said David Sutherland, CH2M HILL’s
Director of Strategic Workforce Planning & Reporting. "The
innovative simulation and optimization software allows us to more
effectively and efficiently predict workforce outcomes for multiple
scenarios.”
Benefits of OptForce
The benefits of the
software include integration of strategic business planning with
workforce planning, cost-effective achievement of diversity goals and
additional confidence in forecasting business performance.
"This
technology allows us to see the right long-term context for our
business in order to make the right short-term workforce decisions,”
Sutherland continued. "OptForce will also enable CH2M HILL to better
invest talent management dollars by evaluating the ROI of proposed
talent management programs and potential changes to existing programs.”
OptForce
is ushering in the "next generation” of sophisticated workforce
planning and offering a competitive advantage for companies that use it.
The technology examines the impact of recruitment, orientation,
development and retention practices on individual employees, allowing
for more accurate prediction of future workforce scenarios and company
performance metrics. The software also allows organizations to select
the optimal set of policies and programs required to meet their
diversity objectives while minimizing total program costs.
About OptTek Systems, Inc.
OptTek
Systems, Inc. is a Boulder, Colo. based optimization software and
services firm. From its inception in 1992, OptTek has become the leading
provider of optimization software to simulation companies and employs
state-of-the-art techniques based on many years of research in the area
of optimization, in which OptTek’s founders are internationally
recognized leaders. OptTek specializes in developing and customizing its
software to enable solutions for business problems characterized by
significant uncertainty and complexity. OptTek’s software is used by
hundreds of firms including FORTUNE 500 companies for a variety of
applications including portfolio optimization, business process
management, data security, financial and strategic planning, logistics
and transportation, and government. OptTek’s website is www.OptTek.com.
About
CH2M HILL
Headquartered in Denver, Colo., employee-owned CH2M
HILL is a global leader in consulting, design, design-build, operations
and program management for government, civil, industrial and energy
clients. With $6.3 billion in revenue and 23,500 employees, CH2M HILL is
an industry-leading program management, construction management and
design firm, as ranked by Engineering News-Record (2010). The firm’s
work is concentrated in the areas of water, transportation,
environmental, energy and power, and facilities and infrastructure. The
firm has long been recognized as a most-admired company and leading
employer. Visit www.ch2mhill.com.
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