Most organizations need to respond effectively to changes in the environment, customer needs, the workforce, technology, as well as geo-political and social shifts to ensure its success now and into the future. Organisational agility is key sustainability. An important mechanism to ensure that organisations are prepared for the future is a robust strategic planning process. Closely linked to this process are the efforts from the organisation to ensure that the right workforce is in place to implement the strategy. Workforce Planning forms the link between strategy and ensuring that the right workforce is in place.
Workforce Planning will help to determine and shape the capacity and capability of the workforce that is needed to achieve the organisation’s current and future goals and direction. The Talent Hub uses the following framework to assist organisations in doing strategic Workforce Planning.
Phase | Description of activities | Deliverable (s) |
Ensuring readiness |
During this phase the following activities take place:
|
An approved business case and project plan. An informed project team and stakeholders |
Creating context | During this phase we analyse the organisation’s strategy and future plans so that we can identify the requirements for the future in terms of number of people, as well as the competencies required in now and in the future. This phase entails the analysis of all strategic documentation, interviews with key stakeholders, as well as some focus groups. |
A clear idea of the workforce requirements to achieve current and future strategy |
Understanding the current internal and external workforce |
During this phase we analyse in detail:
This phase entails the generation and interpretation of various reports from the HRIS system and other sources of internal data. It also entails research in terms of the external market. |
A document specifying the current status of the internal, as well as external workforce |
Futuring |
During this phase we do some forecasting regarding the demand and supply of:
|
A documented picture of the forecasted supply and demand regarding the internal and external workforce, |
Gap analysis | During this phase we analyse the real and forecasted gaps between supply and demand of the workforce to identify either a surplus or a shortage of staff. | A description of the anticipated shortfalls and/or surplus of staff in the selected talent segments/unit (numbers as well as competencies) |
Develop workforce strategies | During this phase strategies are designed to deal with the identified gaps and to formalize the workforce plan. This phase entails presentations to and planning sessions with relevant stakeholders | An approved, documented workforce plan |
Implement, monitor and evaluate workforce plan | During this phase the client implements the agreed on workforce plan, according to project management principles. | An implemented workforce pl |
The Talent Hub also presents a workshop on Strategic Workforce Planning.