Contractors and freelancers are an invaluable part of any business. They can help you get things done faster, cheaper, and better than most in-house employees could. However, managing contractors can be a challenge if your organization doesn’t have the right software tools in place. This guide explores how to manage your contractors from start to finish with contract lifecycle management software.
Onboarding
Onboarding is the process of training and orienting new contractors. It should be done during the hiring process, but it can also be used to bring existing contractors up to speed on a new project or client. The benefits of a robust onboarding process include better employee retention rate, less time spent on training, and improved quality and consistency of work
Training and development
Training and development are essential parts of managing contractors. It can be used to ensure that contractors are aware of the company’s core values, as well as its policies and procedures. Training should be developed based on the needs of your project, but there are some best practices for training programs:
- Training should start at the beginning of a contractor’s engagement with your team.
- If a program isn’t working, don’t be afraid to change it. Don’t assume that because something worked in one environment it will work in another; make sure you’re constantly measuring the effectiveness of your training efforts before deciding they’re not worth doing anymore.
- Training is also an ideal opportunity to remind yourself and others about compliance issues that may arise during contract management—training is a great opportunity to review these policies together and refresh everyone’s memory.
Management and oversight
Managing contractors and freelancers can be a challenge. You have to ensure that your team is working on the right projects, at the right time and with proper supervision. This means using software to manage your contractors and freelancers effectively.
To find the right contract management software for you, here are some things you should look for:
Manage multiple contracts in one place: Look for a tool that allows you to manage multiple contracts from one central location. This will save time by allowing you to see all your current contracts at once instead of having multiple dashboards or tabs open on different websites.
Track contractor performance: A good contract management system should allow you to track what’s being accomplished by each contractor in real-time through updates and milestones so they feel appreciated while maintaining accountability throughout the project process.
Discuss legal issues with contractors when necessary: If there are any legal issues during a project (such as copyright infringement), then it’s important that both parties understand their rights and responsibilities under the law so they can avoid litigation down the road. This requires an easy method of communication between those involved so both parties feel comfortable raising concerns before things escalate into larger problems later down line.
Evaluation and compliance
Once you’ve secured a contractor, it’s important to make sure all of the terms and conditions of your contract are being met. To do this, you’ll need a tool that can help you evaluate their performance on an ongoing basis.
Contract lifecycle management software will teach you how to streamline your evaluation process by giving contractors access to tools that allow them to monitor themselves and give you feedback on their progress. In addition, this software will allow them to self-report any issues or concerns they may have with a project or task so that any issues can be addressed immediately before they become major problems.
It will also teach you how compliance can work in your favor when dealing with contractors. For example, if certain regulations within an industry require companies or individuals working therein to submit reports on time or meet certain benchmarks such as hours worked per week or month, then having this information available at all times will let you know if someone isn’t doing what they’re supposed to do before those deadlines come around again.
Offboarding
The offboarding process is an important part of managing contractors, but it can also be very time-consuming. It’s important to separate the tasks that are necessary for your project and those that are part of the offboarding process. For example, if a contractor leaves before their contract has ended, you may need to do some additional work—like finding a replacement or terminating their access—but this isn’t what you would consider “offboarding” them.
The best way to manage this process is by having clear expectations about what needs to happen before someone leaves and making sure there is communication between all parties involved throughout any changes in status or responsibilities within the contract lifecycle management process. It will cover more details on how exactly you can do these things later on in this article.
Conclusion
This guide has given you a better sense of what to expect when managing your contractors. As with any software, there are pros and cons to consider when choosing which contract lifecycle management software is right for you. But regardless of the software, you must have access to all the information you need to make smart decisions about who makes up your team and how they work together.