There is little argument among human resources practitioners today that information technology is making HR administration work easier, especially when it comes to time-consuming tasks such as paying employees, coordinating benefits, and recruiting new talent.

What is less clear, however, is the extent to which emerging technology tied to workforce optimization or analytics which HR systems consultant Lexy Martin describes as the next frontier, will actually help the profession align its goals with employers strategic business objectives.

While a cliche, you can't improve what you can't measure, explained Martin, director of research and analytics at technology consulting firm CedarCrestone in Alpharetta, GA. With workforce optimization technologies, organizations are finally able to truly measure the contribution of the workforce in meeting organizational objectives.

This issue of Workforce Strategies provides practical advice on workforce optimization and identifies the leading vendors of administrative and workforce management applications.