Competencies in Action: Data, Metrics and Market Analysis

Workforce development planning is the strategic process of identifying and addressing the current and future needs of an organization’s workforce. When implementing workforce planning, utilizing data-driven insights can help organizations make more informed decisions, identify talent gaps to enhance skills and knowledge, and develop policies.

Here are some ways that organizations can transform and implement workforce development planning:

Collaboration: Workforce development planning is an evolving and dynamic process that requires collaboration from human resource departments, managers and employees. Not only should we benchmark and implement a market analysis, but we should also involve the employee and manager in the process of implementing planning strategies for the employee’s long-term growth.

Data & Market Analysis: Connect with subject matter experts throughout the organization. Conducting a market analysis on professions, technology, education and certification will ensure successful strategies for workforce development planning. 

Questions to consider asking:

• Do we need executive coaching? 
• Is basic HR training provided for supervisors?
• Do we have a leadership development program?
• What are our mentorship options?
• Where are professional trends, and how do we set up our workforce for long-term success?

Employee Career Development Planning: With any workforce development strategy, employee and management support is crucial. Ensuring employees have ownership in the process allows for their buy-in. SHRM has a great Employee Career Development Plan template to ensure successful mapping of long- and short-term career goals. The career development plan should align with the career/succession management plan for the organization.

Need vs. Want: With any market analysis and workforce planning initiative, budgeting will play a significant role in decisions on continuing education funding, training, coaching and more. Embracing succession planning, career planning and career management will ensure we know what the employee needs and what the organization needs versus what both want. Do we need to send a chief operating officer to a collective bargaining workshop for one week? Maybe. Is there value in this training? Perhaps. Focus on the long-term growth of the employee and the viability of the organization to find the need and the “why” for the development planning. Ensure that individual and organizational development priorities align.

Return On Investment (ROI): HR professionals must fully embrace the ROI of every training or workforce-planning initiative. This involves posing challenging questions, assessing the success or failure of each program, deriving lessons from the outcomes, and actively seeking ways to enhance future endeavors.

As the workforce, organization and consumers change, so will the process of development planning. Using metrics and market analysis, while engaging the organization will ensure the long-term success of any development initiatives for all organizations. Analyze, review and evolve as needed.

Matthew W. Burr, SHRM-SCP, is owner of Burr Consulting LLC in Elmira, N.Y., and McKinney, Texas. He is also a co-owner of Labor Love LLC, an HR consultant, an adjunct professor, and an on-call mediator and fact finder for the New York State Public Employment Relations Board.

Francesca C. Callahan, SHRM-CP, is the director of talent acquisition and career advising resources/chief diversity officer at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y.