Workforce and organisational planning
How many people do we need, and where?
People plans are often written after the money has been spent. I like putting capacity, skills and the longer-term plan on the same page, early.
A note on this piece
This is part of my day-to-day work rather than a single project, so I’ve written about how I approach it. Specific examples are best talked through in person, so they aren’t published here.
01Where it starts
The situation
Plans can change quickly. Skills, structures and hiring take much longer. In a large, matrixed organisation, the gap between the two is where delivery risk tends to hide.
02What makes it hard
Why it’s tricky
Headcount is the number everyone reaches for, and often the least useful one. Skills, location, cost, timing and how quickly capability can be built or bought all matter, and each function tends to plan them slightly differently.
A people plan written after the investment decision can only describe the problem. One written alongside it can help shape it.
03My remit
My part
I lead the team that looks after workforce and organisational planning, so decision-makers have a consistent view of capacity and capability that sits next to their financial and portfolio plans.
04How it gets handled
How I go about it
I start from what the business needs to be able to do, then work back to the capability that requires. Shared definitions across functions mean the numbers can actually be added up and compared. And I like planning in scenarios, so people can see how sensitive the organisation is to a change of priority instead of relying on one forecast.
05The lesson
What I’ve taken from it
People planning gets more useful the closer it sits to the commercial plan. The conversation changes once capacity is discussed in the same meeting, and in the same units, as money and priorities.
Where this sits in the sketch
- People
- Strategy
Next
Routines and management information