WORKFORCE PLANNING AND FORECASTING
Imagine the world’s largest employer capable of designing and
implementing workforce planning and forecasting models far into the future, so
there is never a lack of skills or competencies to meet the Nation’s needs.
Hard to imagine? Not really. The President’s Human Capital Initiative
has launched a Government-wide effort to focus Federal agencies on designing
workforce planning and forecasting models to ensure that the Government has the
right people, at the right time, to meet mission accomplishment.
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QUESTION: Why is it so important to develop a functional workforce planning and forecasting model?
ANSWER: Agencies who invest resources in
developing a careful, in-depth workforce planning and forecasting model will be
able to continuously assess skills/competencies needs and easily identify gaps
where they exist.
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IDENTIFY THE SKILLS/COMPETENCIES
Competencies are the knowledge, skills, and personal attributes that
translate into effective on-the-job performance. They describe what an employee
knows, what they do and how they do it. Two-thirds of the PMC agencies have
completed workforce analyses to assess the competencies they need, the
competencies they have, and the gaps they need to fill. Click on an agency to see their preliminary
skill/competency/occupation assessments.
IMPLEMENTING A WORKFORCE PLANNING AND FORECASTING
MODEL
Some Federal agencies have begun to implement their workforce planning
and forecasting models. The Department of Army has developed a Workforce
Planning and Forecasting tool that really works. As an automated tool it
accurately details a historic view of the agency as well as forecasts into the
future. The system enables you to
construct simple queries, conduct statistical analyses, as well as manipulate
data bases by merging data, creating longitudinal data bases or data tables for
specific time periods and running your queries or analyses on the data bases
you created. It also shows a variety of forecasts of projected voluntary
separations, retirements, involuntary separations, accessions, reassignments etc
by a number of data elements users wish to view (for example, projected
retirements for civil engineers in federal government).
OPM is adopting this model as part of the Enterprise Human Resources
Integration (EHRI) E-Government Initiative and making it available to
government oversight agencies in December 2002 and available to all agencies in
2003.
There are other models being used. For example, the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) developed a strategic workforce planning model to identify and
monitor its human capital assets and needs. It is results-driven and focuses on
business outcomes and outputs for the next five years. The plan identifies
agency core competencies and provides a baseline of competencies relative to
those requirements. The web-enabled system allows managers to specify their
short term and long term skill needs. The system also provides a self
assessment component, allowing employees to indicate their level of expertise
in mission critical areas. The model was initially rolled out with a
skills-assessment survey for core occupations and is now available to the rest
of the NRC workforce. The information is presented to managers in the form of a
Tool Box that describes the Human Capital available tools and flexibilities to
recruit and retain star performers.
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QUESTION:
Is workforce planning and forecasting
enough to successfully manage human capital?
ANSWER:
No, but it is a critical step.
Workforce Planning and Deployment is one of six Standards for Success in Human
Capital Management. You will also need
to address:
- Strategic Alignment
- Leadership and Knowledge
Management
- Results-Oriented Performance
Culture
- Talent
- Accountability
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OPM, OMB and GAO collaborated in the development of the revised
Standards for Success. The six Standards embody areas of concentration
addressed by high-performing organizations and have been fully integrated into
the Human Capital Assessment and Accountability Framework. The Framework as
well as additional guidance on the strategic management of human capital can be
found on the new OPM’s Human Capital website at: www.opm.gov
OPM is committed to your success in the strategic management of human
capital and stands ready to support your efforts to identify the critical competency
gaps in your agency and to design strategies that address all the Standards for
Success.
Sincerely,
Kay Coles James
The Five Initatives:
