Workforce planning is the process of identifying and finding precise solution for fixing the gaps between the workforce of today and the human resources of tomorrow. The issues driving the changes in an organization must be addressed to manage various areas of the organization smoothly.

Workforce planning helps address the staffing needs by linking human resources planning with strategic planning. It provides the assurance that human resources are aligned with the company's strategic goals and objectives in the long term. It also helps understand how the company's objectives will change with time and how these changes will affect the job requirements. Workforce planning can be used to deal with the changes that take place in terms of the workforce's demographics, skills, interests and performance.

The planning process can also be used to understand how well your workforce is prepared for the future demands of the job and also to identify potential gaps in capability. You can use it effectively to address staffing needs based on the gaps and for developing strategies, including recruitment, training, retention and others.

There and many benefits of workforce planning but the main advantages an organization can enjoy because of it is that it allows companies to bridge knowledge gaps caused by attrition and in maximizing effectiveness. You can get the human resource information needed to effectively manage programs and projects.

The steps in creating an effective workforce plan involves setting up a strategic direction, conducting workforce analysis, finding out gaps in the workforce capability, developing effective strategies to cover these potential gaps, implementing these strategies and monitoring, evaluating and revising them as and when required.

There is no single way of finding out the appropriate organizational level for developing a workforce plan. Strategic planning sets organizational direction and defines the goals of an establishment along with measurable objectives. They not only provide the basis for determining workforce needs but also help in shaping the necessary financial resources. A well written workforce plan can assist in translating strategy into action to identify accurately the workforce staffing and training needs.

Analysis of workforce data is the key element in the workforce planning process. It reviews the work that will be required for an agency to achieve its goals and objectives and the staffing levels needed to perform those duties effectively. The existing and future workforce supply profiles and grades are taken into consideration to determine the staff needed to accomplish various functions and manage your organization smoothly.

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