More Like Painting a Bridge than Creating a Masterpiece
Strategic workforce planning is a process, not a one-time event. Like other business processes such as Total Quality Management (TQM) or Six Sigma, strategic workforce planning requires a continuous improvement mindset. By standardizing our approach to a very important and challenging business problem, we reduce errors and better understand the factors that drive success. This ultimately reduces costs and increases effectiveness.
Finally, remember these three key lessons that will help your strategic workforce planning efforts succeed:
Secure top-level executive sponsorship — don't attempt to swallow the entire elephant at once and establish and track leading metrics.
Inspect what you expect, starting with a few key metrics.
Start simple and stay the course. This discipline will help you make informed decisions that maximize benefit to the business.