The Hoffer diagram
Nicolas Hoffer is the Business Unit Manager of Cegelec Pays de Savoie in Chambéry.
The business unit carries out projects in ski resorts during the summer months. Worksite personnel are therefore in the field during the week, far from supplies and the business unit office. Project schedules are tight and projects must under all circumstances be handed over by the deadline, since clients cannot put them off until the next year.
Site supervisor autonomy and worksite productivity are key to the success of such projects. This includes the start of the project, when supervisors are on their own and must make progress while waiting for team reinforcement, or when projects are small. Two main qualities are therefore called for: technical autonomy and management capacity.
Nicolas Hoffer proposes to assess each worksite supervisor in a diagram made up of these two criteria. Technical skills – i.e. the ability to do the job properly and take the right decisions – are shown on the horizontal axis (covering projects ranging from single-family homes, considered as the simplest project, to hotel residences). Ability to supervise a team – from the single-person team acting as worksite manager to the supervisor of a team of 10 people including temp workers – is shown on the vertical axis. The assessment also takes into account the ability to ensure worksite safety, which is colour-coded.
Nicolas Hoffer performs this assessment for each project manager with a focus on transparency and solidarity. The assessments are shared by supervisors and shown to the person concerned. This tool is used to coordinate the entire approach to supervisor remuneration, bonuses and promotion. Within a few short years, the tool has established consistency between assessments and remuneration policy, while improving team cohesion. The tool is simple, but the results are substantial.
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