As November rapidly approaches, it's time to be turning one's thoughts to the projects that are teed up for 2012 and the staffing changes that may be needed to accommodate them. November is a good time for CIOs to assess how prepared they are for the year ahead and to review the processes that can help determine the skills needed for changing priorities, writes Don Desiderato, principal with Novarica.

Quite often the skills needed for next year's projects will differ from those needed this year, Desiderato writes in a post at CIOInsight. Eagerness on the part of the business for new IT initiatives changes from year to year as well. CIOs need to plan for both short-term and long-term staffing needs, and they have to be flexible enough to adapt to the changing demands of the business.

When it comes to short-term initiatives next year, you want to consider whether you have too few or too many resources as well as if you have the appropriate skill sets. Once you've answered these questions, you can get a handle on whether you should be training, hiring new staff or hiring consultants. "In the ideal state, where you have a mix of consultants and employees, consultants are used to bring in new skill sets or accommodate a ramp-up scenario," Desiderato advises. "When the specialty skills are no longer needed, or demand drops, consultants can be released."

Planning the staffing needed for long-term projects--those that take from 18 to 24 months--involves a different set of considerations. You need to think about incorporating regular adjustments to the staffing level so you can be sufficiently flexible when it comes to the business's changing needs.

For more, see:
- Don Desiderato's post at CIOInsight

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