Keys to building a scouting process

Developing a methodology that covers the entire scouting process requires a preliminary diagnosis. This will establish parameters for creating an appropriate method tailored to the structure for which it is designed, taking into account various decisive factors.

It is crucial from the start to understand that scouting is not just about detecting talent but about constructing a process that reduces the margin of error and enhances the chances of success in hiring the most suitable profiles for the working structure it supports.

In this sense, it is clear that each organization will have an exclusive process that will adapt to its resources and possibilities in pursuit of its set goals. This exclusivity simply means a working method that considers a series of elements inherent to the club, company, or federation applying it, including, logically, the desired outcome at the end of the process.

The diagnostic exercise lays the foundation for the scouting methodology by evaluating three fundamental aspects: establishing final objectives, assessing available resources, and conducting a thorough analysis of the organization's internal situation and the context it will face in achieving the proposed goal. Let's delve a bit into each item:

Objectives

The goals pursued by the organization refer not only to sporting results but also to specifying the profiles we want to obtain at each stage of the scouting process. To this end, focusing on some basic points is valuable:

Budgetary Objectives: These are the budget limits set by the organization, which can be complemented with market information to detail further when searching for a player for each team position.

Sporting Objectives: Each organization should have a sporting goal that aligns with its real possibilities. Setting an unattainable objective in reality will make all efforts to achieve it fruitless. If the scouting method is developed in a club with a very low budget for the competition level, aiming for a title might be an unrealistic horizon. However, if there are precedents that support the idea of an ambitious but achievable goal, the same methodology will address the challenges posed by the lack of resources.

Player Typology: Another important objective concerns the characteristics of the players we will prioritize in defining the scouting process. This will help us, in conjunction with budgetary information, to make the most of our resources by identifying where we can find players suited to the organization's needs. To achieve this, we need to identify the ideal technical, tactical, physical, and attitudinal characteristics for our game model, with the coaching staff best placed to define them. These characteristics will serve as a template to evaluate athletes during the analysis stage, aiming to achieve an optimal degree of compliance with the necessary qualities.

Resources

Evaluating the availability and need for resources is fundamental when setting a goal. Establishing a goal requires the availability of various resources to achieve it. The presence of human, financial, technological, and logistical resources that ensure the fulfillment of an efficient and effective process is crucial for success.

Of course, the process must enhance and optimize the available resources. The lack of a resource alone does not limit the final result. What needs to be explored in the diagnosis is the potential of these resources and their possible impact on the process. Ultimately, we need to understand the likelihood of achieving the expected result with the available resources used to maximize performance. If this preliminary evaluation does not bring us closer to the expected final goal, there are only two options: accept a reduction in objectives or reasonably increase the number of available tools.

Analysis

In the diagnostic exercise, a global analysis must be established. Not only will the internal characteristics of the organization be evaluated, identifying its strengths and weaknesses, but the influence of the context must also be considered by reviewing the opportunities and threats it entails in the path towards the set goals.

While there are various types of analyses applicable, a proven method for these cases is the SWOT Analysis. This format is based on identifying Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats within the organization and the external, uncontrollable context to establish the steps to follow in the process. This should aim to leverage strengths, capitalize on opportunities, mitigate weaknesses, and avoid or correctly address threats.

Each of these decisive aspects in executing the diagnostic exercise has significant depth, which will be the subject of other articles. However, in general terms, setting feasible objectives, reviewing available resources and their potential, and conducting internal and external analyses are the pillars on which the scouting process will be built. It is a method we need to design to measure and, through the optimization of economic, human, technological, and logistical tools, must lead us to achieve institutional goals.

Di Pasqua Nicolas