The annual Staffing Industry Analyst’s Contingent Workforce Strategies (CWS) Summit provides an excellent opportunity for all attendees to discuss workforce strategies and best practices while interacting with peers, colleagues, clients, competitors, and partners.

As we prepare to attend the CWS in Chicago, it is important to remember that depending on which hat you wear in the industry, you may not be familiar with all the many acronyms used. To maximize networking time and opportunities, here are a few of the commonly used terms and acronyms you’re likely to hear next week:

Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
Approved Supplier List (ASL)
Asia Pacific (APAC)
Business Intelligence (BI)
Business As Usual (BAU)
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)
Business Technology Optimization (BTO)
Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA)
Change Order Request (COR)
Critical To Quality (CTQ)
Contingent Workforce Management (CWM)
Contingent Workforce Strategy (CWS)
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA)
Full Time Equivalent (FTE)
Human Resource Information System (HRIS)
Human Capital Supply Chain Management (HCSM)
Human Resource Outsourcing (HRO)
Independent Contractors (IC’s/1099)
Independent Contractor Management (ICM)
Independent Contractor Evaluation (ICE)
Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
Master Service Agreement (MSA)
Managed Service Provider (MSP)
Procure-to-Pay (P2P)
Professional Services Automation (PSA)
Project Management Office (PMO)
Quarterly Business Review (QBR)
Return On Investment (ROI)
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO)
Shared Service Center (SSC)
Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP)
Subject Matter Expert (SME)
Supply Chain Management (SCM)
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Statement Of Work (SOW)
Talent Management Suites (TMS)
Vendor Management System (VMS)

Enjoy networking, roundtable discussions, and informational sessions at this year’s CWS. I look forward to discussing CWS for CWM.

This post was written by Jim Hein. Jim has 19-years of sales knowledge in leading sales and operations in the staffing industry. Comprehensive experience in sales, sales leadership, relationship management and field management. Executing sales objectives and strategy to meet and exceed organizational sales and revenue growth objectives. Proficiency in design, development, and delivery of a wide range of customized solutions to meet the specific client requirements.