ResourceBank worked with NET-A-PORTER to streamline their software delivery team structure. Key competencies and behaviours were identified and a robust assessment system was designed in order to highlight those individuals who would perform the best in a new streamlined organisation
NET-A-PORTER Background
Since launching in 2009, NET-A-PORTER has successfully established itself as a luxury brand, with impeccable packaging and unrivalled customer care and is now the world’s premier online fashion retailer.
The Challenge
As a Group NET-A-PORTER had evolved and grown substantially in the last few years and the addition of new territories, languages, distribution centres and brands has led to significant changes within the business. For NET-A-PORTER to meet their ambitious growth targets, the operations and processes within the business need to become considerably more productive without growing headcount at the pace they have seen in recent years.
The software delivery process required access to individuals with a variety of specialist skills including Developers, Testers, Web Operations, Architects, Line Managers, Project Managers, Business Analysts and Product Owners. NET-A-PORTER needed to streamline this processes in order to simplify decision-making and accountability, further align with the business strategy while increasing the autonomy of the different teams.
Implementation
Having had prior experience of working with ResourceBank, NET-A-PORTER knew that we had the experience to help them to execute the project in the tight deadlines that had been set.
A ResourceBank project team, led by an experienced Assessment Project Manager was appointed to work alongside the NET-A-PORTER team. The initial phase of the project was to undertake an analysis of the roles needed in the new business structure. There were six role types and nine core competencies, including leadership and analysis as well as adapting and responding to change. ResourceBank identified the key required behaviours and the associated competencies and the outcome was the creation of a full skills and competency matrix across all roles.
An objective, fair and robust assessment system was then designed and implemented in order to identify and highlight the key behaviours. This was achieved using a range of tools, which included online behavioural and situational judgement assessments through to business scenario role-plays, technical & competency interview and creative thinking assessment.
Outcome
ResourceBank delivered assessor training to all 16 NET-A-PORTER and ResourceBank assessors, as well as supporting NET-A-PORTER’S Technical Leads in the creation of a bespoke business scenario exercise. ResourceBank also sourced/created all exercises and supporting material for the Assessment days and managed the co-ordination, facilitation and logistics to ensure these ran smoothly and were clearly perceived as being delivered by an external resource. Six half-day assessments were run across three days assessing 27 individuals.
After a series of successful assessment days, ResourceBank provided detailed results together with all supporting material gathered from the assessment process. In terms of timescales, from collective consultation through the project set-up and preparation, as well as the assessment days and confirmation of roles redundancies, the timescale was just eight weeks.
