Growing Pains

Problem:

• Adding 15 new trials next year
• ~30 new FTEs are needed to conduct NEW trials
• Recruiting is very competitive against larger, better funded companies

Actions:

• Used external recruiters to recruit candidates in shorter amount of time
• Aggressively outsourced and hired contractors for short term
• Offered more competitive salaries to attract talent

Results:

• Forced to hire less experienced staff because of company goals
• Needed to hire more experienced contractor at higher rate under time pressure
• Many new hires and contractors sat idle because of trial delays
• Trial costs were significantly higher than budget

Lessons:

• Shortage of experienced clinical managers in Bay Area
• Inexperienced clinical managers learned by trial and error- on the job
• Results from new hires lag 6 months after starting; don't expect quick impact!

Application:

• Outsource the trial to an experienced team 
• Pay for results; minimize payments during down time