What’s the ROI on that designer?

“What’s the ROI on that designer? What return are we getting on the development team? Are these art workers creating enough revenue?”

All questions that I‘ve heard a lot over the years in my capacity as various Directors, and fair ones if you’re a business owner. The problem I have found is that those questions often feel like they are being asked just a little too soon and perhaps there are more important things to nail down before that.

Before we deep focus on ROI or revenue or income, have we given that designer the right tools for the job? Is that dev team working to their strong points, or are they be given things to keep them busy? Does that art worker have the brief they need to allow them to work as efficiently as they can? After all, with the right tools, performing the right jobs, the immediate ROI is surely a happy team. I can hear the scoffs as I write, and that’s fine… but surely the upside to a happy team is that it leads to lower attrition. Which logically leads to better productivity. Which creates less wastage in both time and therefore money — just think of the recruitment and training savings alone!

So really perhaps the question before “what’s the ROI on person X?” should be “does person X have what they need and are they working to their strengths?”

After all, what’s the ROI on a tennis racket?

Nothing if you give it to me! Unless of course you want to see me on my backside!

However, what’s the ROI on that racket if you give it to Andy Murray?

Well now, there’s a thought!