What each one is
A full-time operations hire is an employee, such as an operations manager, director of operations or COO, who works only for you. Fractional operations support gives you experienced operations people for part of the week, on a monthly arrangement.
When fractional fits
- There is real operations work, but not forty hours of it every week.
- You need senior judgment and can't yet justify a senior salary.
- The need is uneven: a system rollout now, an audit next quarter.
- You want processes and systems built before you hire someone to run them.
- You need help now, not after a hiring process.
When to hire full time
- Operations is clearly a full-time job and will stay that way.
- You need someone in the room every day managing a team.
- The role is central to your strategy and you want it in-house for the long term.
What to compare
- Cost: a full-time hire carries salary, benefits and recruiting costs. Fractional support is a monthly fee for a defined scope.
- Speed: hiring takes time. A fractional team can start soon after a first call.
- Range: one hire brings one person's experience. A fractional team can cover operations, systems, compliance and project management.
- Commitment: an employee is a long-term commitment. A fractional scope can be raised, lowered or ended as needs change.
They are not mutually exclusive
Many companies start fractional, get the processes and systems in place, and hire full time once the role is clear. The fractional team can help define that role and hand over to the person who fills it.
Not sure which you need? An operations evaluation gives you a written report and a 90-day roadmap either way. See fractional operations management.