Workforce planning practice

This practical guide produced by IES in collaboration with, and on behalf of, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), offers guidance on workforce planning practice. With many organisations beginning to look longer-term at business needs, following the erosion of confidence in business planning after the recession and its associated volatile economic conditions, there is a re-emphasis of the need to address workforce planning. This need, coupled with globalisation and the effect of rapidly developing technologies, means that this guide comes at an ideal time for organisations to consider how they align people strategy with an organisation's changing needs.

The guide offers an in-depth look at the workforce planning process, including the skills and wider knowledge required to undertake workforce planning, such as a detailed understanding of the organisations, its processes, its strategy and its people. It also considers how organisations can analyse their current workforce before determining future workforce needs and, importantly, the gaps that need to be addressed, with a consideration of how to avoid skills mismatch. As with previous IES guidance on workforce planning approaches, the guide emphasises the need to monitor your progress and review your process at regular intervals.

The guide is available exclusively to CIPD members.