Phase 1 - Set Agency
Strategic Direction
Workforce planning naturally complements and is a follow-up to strategic planning. Just as strategic planning helps agencies map where they are, where they are going, and how they plan to get there, a workforce plan lays out the specific tasks and actions needed to ensure an agency has the resources to accomplish its mission.
One of the main purposes of workforce planning is to ensure that an agency has the necessary workers to support its mission and strategic plan. In Phase I, those responsible for workforce planning should identify the agency’s mission and the key goals and objectives of its strategic plan.
A strategic plan charts the future with broad mission-related targets and milestones. An agency’s vision, mission, and measurable goals and objectives drive the identification of what type of work needs to be accomplished. A workforce plan translates strategic thinking into concrete action in the area of workforce staffing and training needs. It attempts to answer the following questions:
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How many and what types of jobs are needed in order to meet the performance objectives of the organization?
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How will the agency develop worker skills?
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What strategies should the agency use to retain these skills?
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How have retirements, reductions in force, and/or hiring freezes affected your agency's ability to get the work done? What are the forces that drive the merger of strategic planning and human resources management?
