Strategic Workforce Planning

Dr Lydia Cillie-Schmidt has developed a Workforce Planning Toolkit (published by Knowres) and uses this framework in the toolkit in assisting organisations with strategic workforce planning

Strategic Workforce Planning

“Workforce Planning is about determining and shaping the capacity and capability of the workforce that is needed to achieve an organisation’s goal and direction.” (State Government of Victoria, 2006). This definition encapsulates the idea that workforce planning is about:

  • Identifying and predicting the organisation’s workforce requirements to meet the organisation’s goals and strategic direction (present- and future focused, using past trends, current reality, and future scenarios).
  • Determining the number, as well as the quality and timing of the workforce needed to achieve organisational goals.
  • Taking action to  ensure  that  the  workforce  is  shaped  to  meet  the requirements for organisational success.

Comprehensive workforce planning entails two focus areas:

  • Short-term, tactical workforce planning
  • Long-term, strategic workforce planning

Most organisations do short-term Operational Workforce Planning when they do annual headcount planning and budgeting, but very few are engaged in Strategic Workforce Planning. Strategic Workforce Planning is a more qualitative process, where the human resource implications of organisational strategy are considered, and potential human resource gaps are then proactively addressed.

The Talent Hub’s approach to delivering workforce planning services is a comprehensive process that combines both strategic and tactical planning. It begins with assessing the current state of workforce planning within the organisation, identifying the rationale, and engaging relevant stakeholders to align workforce planning with strategic objectives. We then conduct an in-depth analysis of internal and external workforce characteristics, maps potential risks, and develop forecasting models to predict future workforce needs. The gap analysis phase identifies discrepancies between supply and demand, prioritising action areas based on strategic risk.

Finally, we support clients through the development of targeted strategies, implementation of actionable project plans, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation to ensure the workforce aligns with the organisation’s future goals​.