- Talent has become a competitive differentiator. To 46% of business leaders, workforce planning is a top priority – yet only 13% do it effectively.
- CIOs aren’t sure what they need to give the organization a competitive edge or how current staffing line-ups fall short.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- A well defined strategic workforce plan (SWP) isn’t just a nice-to-have, it’s a must-have.
- Integrate as much data as possible into your workforce plan to best prepare you for the future. Without knowledge of your future initiatives, you are filling hypothetical holes.
- To be successful, you need to understand your strategic initiatives, workforce landscape, and external and internal trends.
Impact and Result
The workforce planning process does not need to be onerous, especially with help from Info-Tech’s solid planning tools. With the right people involved and enough time invested, developing an SWP will be easier than first thought and time well spent. Leverage Info-Tech’s client-tested 5-step process to build a strategic workforce plan:
- Build a project charter
- Assess workforce competency needs
- Identify impact of internal and external trends
- Identify the impact of strategic initiatives on roles
- Build and monitor the workforce plan
Build a Strategic IT Workforce Plan Research & Tools
Start here – read the Executive Brief
Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should build a strategic workforce plan for IT, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.Besides the small introduction, subscribers and consulting clients within this management domain have access to:
- Build a Strategic IT Workforce Plan – Phases 1-3
1. Initiate the project
Assess the value of a strategic workforce plan and the IT department’s fit for developing one, and then structure the workforce planning project.
- Build a Strategic Workforce Plan – Phase 1: Initiate the Project
- IT Strategic Workforce Planning Project Charter Template
- IT Strategic Workforce Planning Project Plan Template
2. Analyze workforce needs
Gather and analyze workforce needs based on an understanding of the relevant internal and external trends, and then produce a prioritized plan of action.
- Build a Strategic Workforce Plan – Phase 2: Analyze Workforce Needs
- Workforce Planning Workbook
3. Build the workforce plan
Evaluate workforce priorities, plan specific projects to address them, and formalize and integrate strategic workforce planning into regular planning processes.
- Build a Strategic Workforce Plan – Phase 3: Build and Monitor the SWP
Workshop: Build a Strategic IT Workforce Plan
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
1 Identify Project Goals, Metrics, and Current State
The Purpose
Develop a shared understanding of the challenges your organization is facing with regards to talent and workforce planning.
Key Benefits Achieved
An informed understanding of whether or not you need to develop a strategic workforce plan for IT.
Activities
1.1 Identify goals, metrics, and opportunities
1.2 Segment current roles
1.3 Identify organizational culture
1.4 Assign job competencies
1.5 Assess current talent
Outputs
Identified goals, metrics, and opportunities
Documented organizational culture
Aligned competencies to roles
Identified current talent competency levels
2 Assess Workforce and Analyze Trends
The Purpose
Perform an in-depth analysis of how internal and external trends are impacting the workforce.
Key Benefits Achieved
An enhanced understanding of the current talent occupying the workforce.
Activities
2.1 Assess environmental trends
2.2 Identify impact on workforce requirements
2.3 Identify how trends are impacting critical roles
2.4 Explore viable options
Outputs
Complete internal trends analysis
Complete external trends analysis
Identified internal and external trends on specific IT roles
3 Perform Gap Analysis
The Purpose
Identify the changing competencies and workforce needs of the future IT organization, including shortages and surpluses.
Key Benefits Achieved
Determined impact of strategic initiatives on workforce needs.
Identification of roles required in the future organization, including surpluses and shortages.
Identified projects to fill workforce gaps.
Activities
3.1 Identify strategic initiatives
3.2 Identify impact of strategic initiatives on roles
3.3 Determine workforce estimates
3.4 Determine projects to address gaps
Outputs
Identified workforce estimates for the future
List of potential projects to address workforce gaps
4 Prioritize and Plan
The Purpose
Prepare an action plan to address the critical gaps identified.
Key Benefits Achieved
A prioritized plan of action that will fill gaps and secure better workforce outcomes for the organization.
Activities
4.1 Determine and prioritize action items
4.2 Determine a schedule for review of initiatives
4.3 Integrate workforce planning into regular planning processes
Outputs
Prioritized list of projects
Completed workforce plan
Identified opportunities for integration