Workforce Planning Guide
April 1999
B. DEFINITIONS
A variety of definitions for workforce planning can be
found by reading current literature on the topic. Most,
however cover essentially the same key issues
.
We have adopted the following working definition:
Workforce Planning
Workforce planning is looking at what an
organization needs to accomplish in a given period
of time; what knowledge, skills, and experience are
required to get the job done; and how large and
what type of workforce is required to provide that
mix of skills, knowledge, and experience.
Additional definitions of workforce planning terms are
shown below.
Staffing Assessment
The determination by the organization of model (ideal)
staff size and skill mix needed to carry out its strategic
objectives.
Demand Model
The organization's forecast of needed staff size and
skill mix for the designated planning period (e.g., 3-5
years). May or may not be equal to the ideal
organization from the staffing assessment.
Supply Model
The projection of current organizational population for
designated planning period, assuming normal attrition
and no other actions (i.e., hiring freeze or reductions in
force).
Gaps
The amount by which needs, as expressed by the
demand model, exceed resources, as expressed by the
supply model.
Critical Skill Gaps
Gaps in those skills essential to the organization in
order for it to carry out its mission and accomplish its
strategic objectives. Whether a skill is critical or not is
determined by its inherent significance to the
organization, not by its external availability. Not all
gaps from the comparison of demand and supply model
data will be critical skill gaps.
Surpluses
The amount by which resources, as expressed by the
supply model, exceed needs, as expressed by the
demand model.