Workforce Planning Has Changed: Why You Need to Be Planning for Critical Skills Right Now | SimplyGetResults

For many organizations, legacy workforce planning (WP) practices have focused heavily or exclusively on role-based WP. While this approach may have been effective in a business environment where roles were stable, it is less useful in climates of frequent change and disruption. To conduct agile workforce planning, this article posits that firms should embrace a skills-based approach. Such an approach can help link the business outcomes with the critical skills needed to create value. The article summarizes several trends that have accelerated the need for skills-based WP, why skills are the currency for WP in today’s environment, and tips for implementing such an approach. Page six includes eight questions (4 for Leadership Teams and 4 for HR Teams) that can be used to accelerate skills-based WP, e.g., Leadership Team: What are the unique, distinctive capabilities or skills you need to deliver the future business goals? HR: What are the alternatives to hiring for this skill on a permanent basis?