Personnel costs typically represent the largest single budget line item in the IT organization. Therefore, effective IT management requires effective personnel management. Our research in this section includes IT staffing ratios and metrics that are useful in evaluating IT headcount levels, justifying increases in IT staff, improving recruiting and retention processes, and managing IT employee relations.

The following is a list of recent sample articles within this section. (Note also that extensive analysis of IT staffing metrics is also provided in our annual IT Spending and Staffing study).

IT Staffing Ratios: Benchmarking Metrics and Analysis for 16 Key IT Job Functions
This special publication bundles the entire collection of our reports on IT staffing ratios. The IT functions covered include IT management, project management, help desk, desktop support, business analysts, server support, network support, application maintenance, application developers, ERP support, database administration, data management, IT quality assurance, IT security, web/e-commerce and communication systems. This special collection is a valuable source of information for IT executives interested in benchmarking their staffing levels with those of similar organizations. (318 pp., 136 figs.) 
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Application Developer Staffing Ratios
For a variety of reasons, the way that applications are being developed in the enterprise is changing. With these changes, the need for application developers is in flux, and IT organizations can benefit from periodic assessment of their staffing levels. This study uses three metrics to make that assessment: developers as a percentage of the IT staff, users per developer, and applications per developer. We provide benchmarks for the composite sample, by organization size, and by sector. We also provide a benchmark for the larger Application Group, which includes personnel engaged in application maintenance, web development and support, quality assurance, data management, and business systems analysis. (22 pp., 9 fig.)
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IT Management and Administration Staffing Ratios
When it comes to IT managers, it is important to find the sweet spot. Too many, and the IT group can become top-heavy and bureaucratic, while too few can leave IT staff members feeling unsupported and without direction. This study examines how many IT managers a well-run IT organization typically requires, along with staffing metrics for two related administrative functions: IT finance/vendor management and clerical support. To benchmark IT management, we use two metrics: IT managers as a percentage of the IT staff and users per IT manager. We provide metrics for small, midsize, and large organizations. To provide further perspective, we consider the five-year trend in IT managers as an average percentage of the IT staff. (21 pp., 10 fig.)
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Database Administration Staffing Ratios
As enterprises collect more data and connect more applications, they must ensure that data is secure, reliable, and accessible. But despite these increased demands, companies appear to be restraining the growth in their database administration staff. This report helps IT managers determine whether they are keeping pace with industry standards by providing four benchmarks: database administrators (DBAs) as a percentage of the IT staff, DBAs as a percentage of the Data Center Group, users per DBA, and business applications per DBA. We present benchmarks for small, midsize, and large organizations and examine the influence of sector on these benchmarks. We conclude with best practices for optimizing DBA staffing. (24 pp., 10 fig.)
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IT Security Staffing Ratios
IT security staffing has risen again this year in the wake of a continuing onslaught of high-profile ransomware attacks. For many IT organizations, this means it may be time to reassess the adequacy of their IT security staffing levels. In this report, we present the five-year trend in IT security staffing and provide benchmarks for understanding IT security staff headcount: as a percentage of the IT staff and as a percentage of the Network and Communications Group. We also analyze IT security staffing in terms of the number of applications, the number of users, and the number of network devices. Our analysis also includes the influence of organization size and sector on staffing requirements. We conclude with recommendations for optimizing IT security staffing. (22 pp., 9 fig.)
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Network Support Staffing Ratios
The importance of computer networks cannot be overstated in this digital age. Yet remarkably, network support staff levels dropped in recent years and show no signs of rebounding. This report will help IT managers determine whether their organization is keeping pace with improvements in network management by comparing their network support staffing ratios against industry benchmarks. We provide four benchmarks: network support staff as a percentage of the IT staff, network support staff as a percentage of the Network and Communications Group, network devices per network support staff member, and users per network support staff member. We provide benchmarks by organization size and sector. (20 pp., 15 fig)
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Help Desk Staffing Ratios
The help desk not only plays a key role in maintaining user productivity, it also serves as the day-to-day face of the IT organization. This report provides staffing benchmarks for this important function. We look at the trend in help desk staffing over a five-year period and provide four benchmarks by organization size and sector: help desk staff as a percentage of the IT staff, users per help desk staff member, applications per help desk staff member, and first-call resolution rate. We also provide benchmarks for a combined help desk and desktop support staff. We conclude with recommendations on optimizing help desk staffing levels. (23 pp., 11 fig.)
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IT Project Management Staffing Ratios
In today’s environment of fast-paced change, the role of the IT project manager is critical. Nevertheless, too few IT organizations adequately staff the project manager function. In this study, we examine the question of how many project managers a typical IT organization requires. We present five benchmarks: project managers as a percentage of the IT staff, project managers as a percentage of the Application Group, users per project manager, applications per project manager, and application programmers per project manager. All of these ratios are presented by organization size. In addition, we look at the influence of sector on the key ratios. We conclude with recommendations on assessing the performance of the project management function. (24 pp., 11 fig.)
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Web/E-Commerce Staffing Ratios
The percentage of the IT staff that is dedicated to web/e-commerce functions has dipped the past four years, with the median dropping to 3.1% of the total IT staff in 2017, down from 4.3% in 2013. In this report, we provide benchmarks for staffing functions related to web and e-commerce development and operations. We benchmark web staffing with two ratios: web/e-commerce staff as a percentage of the IT staff and users per web/e-commerce staff member. Benchmarks are provided by organization size. We also assess the influence of sector on web staffing. (20 pp., 8 fig.)
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IT Quality Assurance Staffing Ratios
Staffing levels for IT quality assurance personnel are changing as software testing is increasingly embedded within the application development and maintenance role. In this study, we first evaluate recent changes in IT QA staffing levels. We then provide three benchmarks by organization size and by sector: QA staff as a percentage of the IT staff, QA staff as a percentage of the Application Group, and applications per QA staff member. We conclude with recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the QA function within the IT organization. (20 pp., 7 figs)
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Business Analyst Staffing Ratios
Business analysts as a percentage of the IT staff has risen for the fourth year in a row, and we expect that trend to continue. The business analyst serves as a bridge between the IT organization and business users. It is a multifaceted function that is important for ensuring that IT application systems meet objectives. In this study, we assess staffing levels for the business analyst using four metrics: business analysts as a percentage of the IT staff, business analysts as a percentage of the Application Group, applications per business analyst, and users per analyst. (21 pp., 10 fig.)
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Desktop Support Staffing Ratios
Although desktop support personnel as a percentage of the total IT staff hit a five-year peak this year, we expect this staffing level to decline in the near future. In this study, we use four metrics for benchmarking: desktop support staff as a percentage of the IT staff, PCs per desktop support staff member, applications per support staff member, and users per support staff member. We also assess these ratios by organization size and sector. We conclude with strategies for improving the efficiency of the desktop support staff. (23 pp., 11 fig.)
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Data Management Staffing Ratios
Data management is a vital function that crosses departmental borders, involving business intelligence, data warehousing, data architecture, and other functions. However, over the past two years, this category of IT workers has plateaued as a percentage of the IT staff. As such, the data management headcount requires ongoing assessment. In this study, we use four benchmarks to assess data management staffing levels: data management staff as a percentage of the IT staff, data management staff as a percentage of the Application Group, users per data management staff member, and applications per data management staff member. (22 pp., 10 fig.)
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Application Maintenance Staffing Ratios
As an organization’s applications portfolio grows, the application maintenance role becomes a more critical function, and IT organizations can benefit from periodic assessment of their staffing levels. This study uses three metrics to make that assessment: application maintenance staff as a percentage of the IT staff, users per app maintenance staff member, and applications per app maintenance staff member. We provide benchmarks for the composite sample, by organization size, and by sector. We also provide a benchmark for the larger application group, which includes personnel engaged in application development, web/e-commerce support, quality assurance and testing, data management, and business systems analysis. (21 pp., 9 fig.)
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Communications System Support Staffing Ratios
Corporate communications systems—which include email, messaging, telephony, videoconferencing, unified communications, and other communications systems—are becoming more sophisticated and powerful. Yet communications system support headcount as a percentage of the IT staff has remained relatively steady and may even be shrinking. IT organizations, therefore, can benefit from a periodic assessment of their communications systems support staffing levels. This study uses three metrics to make that assessment: support staff as a percentage of the IT staff, percentage of support staff in relation to organization size, and support staff spending per user. We provide benchmarks for the composite sample, by organization size, and by sector. (18 pp., 7 fig.)
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ERP Support Staffing Ratios
For many IT organizations, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are at the center of the application portfolio. In this study, we analyze ERP support requirements by means of a simple ratio: the number of ERP users per ERP support staff member. The higher the ratio, the more productive the support personnel appear to be, all other things being equal. We assess this ratio by size of installation, sector, maturity of installation, and upgrade frequency. We then compare ratios specifically for SAP, Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle J.D. Edwards, Microsoft, and Infor. Finally, we provide recommendations on optimizing staffing levels. (16 pp., 6 fig.)
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Server Support Staffing Ratios
State-of-the-art data centers with virtualized architectures are changing the equation on optimal server support staffing levels. How many server support staff members does an organization need? To answer that question, we provide four key benchmarks: server support staff as a percentage of the IT staff, users per server support staff member, physical servers per server support staff member, and OS instances per server support staff member. We provide these metrics for small, midsize, and large organizations. (18 pp., 8 fig.)
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Benchmarks for IT Training Budgets
Many factors influence the training requirements for IT organizations today, including the evolving composition of the IT staff. This study provides IT organizations with benchmarks for setting competitive IT training budgets for their organizations in the wake of these changes. We provide benchmarks for spending on training per IT staff member and as a percentage of the IT budget. We also assess variation in training budgets by organization size and sector, and we look at the change in training expenditures over time. (12 pp., 5 fig.)
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Current Use of IT Contingency Workers
As a percentage of the IT staff, the use of contingency workers has fallen back to normal levels after a surge in their use during the recovery period. Nevertheless, the use of contractors among IT organizations remains an important and well-established strategy and one that many IT organizations employed aggressively during the recovery. This study helps IT decision-makers understand how organizations are balancing the use of contingency workers with full-time employees in the current environment. (13pp., 5 fig.)
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IT Security Staffing Ratios
IT security staffing is rising in the wake of a continuing drumbeat of security breaches. For many IT organizations, this means reassessing the adequacy of their IT security budgets and staffing levels. In this study, we present data about the five-year trend in IT security staffing. In light of current trends, we help IT executives assess their security staffing needs by providing four benchmarks: IT security specialists as a percentage of the IT staff, IT security specialists as a percentage of the Network and Communications Group, applications per IT security specialist, and network devices per IT security specialist. We also assess the influence of organization size and sector on staffing requirements. (20 pp., 11 fig.)
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Application Programmer Staffing Ratios
With the changing IT environment, IT organizations can benefit from a periodic assessment of their application programmer staffing levels. This study uses three metrics to benchmark this function: application programmers as a percentage of the IT staff, users per application programmer, and applications per application programmer. We provide benchmarks for the composite sample, by organization size, and by sector. We also provide a benchmark for the larger Application Group, which includes personnel engaged in developing and maintaining applications. (19 pp., 9 fig.)
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Measuring Help-Desk Efficiency
As a labor-intensive function, the IT help desk (or service desk) is generally high on management’s list of areas targeted for productivity gains. But, as it is often said, if you cannot measure something you cannot improve it. To meet the needs of managers seeking to better handle this critical function, this study examines the most common metrics used for tracking help-desk efficiency, costs, and productivity. It also assesses the role of technology, service-level agreements, outsourcing, and IT service management best practices in improving the return on investment for the service desk. (14 pp., 6 figs.)
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Pay for Performance: Popularity and Impact of Incentive Pay in the IT Workforce
The incentive pay debate is intense and has strong advocates on both sides. In this study, we analyze the current trend within the IT industry based on a Computer Economics survey conducted during the first half of 2008. We provide data on the percentage of employees receiving incentive pay by job level, the percentage of compensation comprising incentive pay, the percentage of incentive bonuses based on individual, group, and company performance, and the impact of incentive pay on employee turnover rates. Our study concludes with recommendations for implementing effective programs and mitigating some of the unintended consequences of paying for performance. (5 pp., 6 figs.)
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Factors Influencing IT Employee Turnover Rates
Because it is generally less expensive to retain good employees than find new ones, lowering turnover rates is a good strategy for reducing IT personnel expenses. In this study, we examine current trends in turnover rates and provide benchmarks for turnover by organization size. We then examine 11 factors commonly believed to influence employee retention, specifically: education and training opportunities, flexible schedules, work environment, social environment, incentive pay/bonuses, base salaries, insurance benefits, employee recognition programs, paid time off, retirement programs, and telecommuting opportunities. We assess how IT executives rank the importance of these factors, and we measure the impact of each factor on actual turnover rates. We conclude with recommendations on how organizations can most cost-effectively reduce turnover. (7 pp., 9 figs.)
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