WORKFORCE PLANNING

FRAMEWORK

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People and Culture Directorate

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
DIAGRAM OF WORKFORCE PLANNING AT CQUNIVERSITY ..........................................................................................3
1. WHAT IS WORKFORCE PLANNING ...........................................................................................................................4
2. BENEFITS OF WORKFORCE PLANNING ....................................................................................................................4
3. PLANNING PRINCIPLES AT CQUNIVERSITY .............................................................................................................4
4. RESPONSIBILITIES...................................................................................................................................................5
5. WORKFORCE PROFILE DATA ...................................................................................................................................5
6. WORKFORCE PLANNING PROCESS..........................................................................................................................6
STEP 1 ACCESS PLANNING DATA AND PLANS ...................................................................................................... 6
STEP 2 ANALYSE CURRENT OPERATIONS ............................................................................................................. 6
STEP 3 SCENARIO PLANNING AND FORECASTING................................................................................................. 6
STEP 4 IDENTIFY PLANNING INITIATIVES AND STRATEGIES ................................................................................. 6
STEP 5 SUBMIT WORKFORCE PLAN FOR APPROVAL ............................................................................................. 7
STEP 6 IMPLEMENT WORKFORCE PLAN................................................................................................................. 7
STEP 7 REVIEW AND EVALUATION ......................................................................................................................... 7
APPENDIX 1 PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS IN ALL ORGANISATIONAL AREAS ............................................................8
APPENDIX 2 PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS IN SCHOOLS/ACADEMIC WORK UNITS ....................................................9

workforce planning framework v3 - sept 2011 kp.docx

People and Culture Directorate, CQUniversity Australia

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DIAGRAM OF WORKFORCE PLANNING AT CQUNIVERSITY

Organisational goals

CURRENT
SITUATION

Strategic Plans
Operational Plans
Management Plans

Budget

Environment

Approved budget allocation

StudentName
loads
Revenue/Expenditure
Title

Staffing

Technology
Policies and processes
Organisational culture
Legislation and regulations
Student demand
Research capabilitiy

Demographics/staff profiles
Qualifications/Skills

Environmental scanning

ANALYSIS

Changes to technology
Changes to legislation
Re-profiling of academic
programs
Working practices
Student demand
Organisational culture

Budget forecasts
Student load predictions
Name
Potential income
Title
Expenditure

Future direction

Staff trend data

Benchmarking

Demand
Skills required in the future
Jobs required in the future
Number of staff required in the future

Supply

Nameworkforce and anticipate staff turnover,

Review current
Title
anticipated retirements,
internal transfers & promotions using
trend analysis
Research labour market trends and availability of skilled workers

FORECASTING

Gap analysis
Surpluses and shortages
What are the drivers?
Skill shortages

HR Strategies

PLANNING &
STRATEGY
DEVELOPMENT

Recruitment and retention

Staff development
Promotion/redeployment
Succession planning
Career planning
Staff engagement
Polices and processes

STRATEGY
IMPLEMENTATION

Technology
Name Advancements and
improvements
Title

Budget
Ongoing planning
Remuneration and Incentives

Changes to technology and infrastructure

NameProcess re-engineering
Title Operational changes
Staff training and development

REVIEW & EVALUATION OF STRATEGIES

workforce planning framework v3 - sept 2011 kp.docx

People and Culture Directorate, CQUniversity Australia

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1. WHAT IS WORKFORCE PLANNING

Workforce planning is a continuous process of planning for staffing needs and a workforce that is capable of delivering
organisational objectives now and in the future.
Workforce planning needs to be integrated with the strategic and operational planning processes to ensure the alignment of
strategies to continuously deliver the right people in the right place at the right time. An integral part of workforce planning is
the development and implementation of policies and practices to enhance the effectiveness of the workforce. It is a dynamic
process, involving frequent modifications of direction in response to changing economic and University directions.
It can be difficult to predict what will be needed in the future in terms of staffing levels required. Preparation is the key to
maximising future options, minimising the long term cost of labour, and minimising risks. Workforce planning is one way of
dealing effectively with future human resource issues.
There is no single model for workforce planning, nor is it a mechanistic or static process. It is about analysing the current
workforce, and then extending that analysis to identify the future skills and competencies needed to deliver new and
improved services. The comparison between the current workforce and the desired future workforce will highlight shortages,
surpluses and competency gaps, whether these are due to external pressures or internal factors. These gaps then become the
focus for a detailed workforce plan, identifying and implementing strategies that will build the relevant skills and capacity
needed for success.

2. BENEFITS OF WORKFORCE PLANNING

Overall, workforce planning provides a strategic basis for making critical human resource decisions and allows managers to:

anticipate and resolve problems such as staff and skills shortages and increases in staffing costs

deliver quality and timely services

save money by cutting costs associated with high vacancies and turnover

meet the increasing need for flexibility in the workforce and

develop alternative strategies to meet a changing market environment.

3. PLANNING PRINCIPLES AT CQUNIVERSITY

Planning should be carried out in line with the Universitys budgetary cycle so that funding for strategies associated with
workforce planning is considered as part of the departmental funding submission. Workforce planning should also be
considered as part of the departmental strategic planning process and support the strategic goals outlined in the various
strategic, organisational and management plans.
Examples of University planning documents include:

CQUniversity Strategic Plan

CQUniversity Corporate Plan

CQUniversity Operational Plan

Management Plan for Learning and Teaching

Research and Innovation Management Plan

workforce planning framework v3 - sept 2011 kp.docx

People and Culture Directorate, CQUniversity Australia

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4. RESPONSIBILITIES
Vice-Chancellors Advisory Committee (VCAC):

Lead, develop and promote an organisational culture that attracts, retains and develops staff.

Ensure that workforce planning is effectively integrated with corporate planning and budget planning for the
University to support the performance of the University against the Strategic Plan.

Provide direction and support for the implementation and acquisition of resources associated with workforce planning.

People and Culture Directorate:

Develop the Universitys leadership capability for workforce planning.

Support the development of human resource policies and strategies to help improve recruitment, retention,
development and performance of staff.

Support the delivery of Faculty/Divisional workforce plans and undertake environmental scanning and identify
potential risk areas for the University in the workforce.

Provide advice on the potential impact of risks on service delivery and identify the systems, processes and programs
required to manage identified risks.

Directors and Deans:

Prepare a three year workforce plan which will be reviewed and updated annually.

Provide projections of the workforce numbers required to deliver future services over the next three years including
any new roles/functions that may be required.

Actively manage their workforce and take action on vacancies, for example through redesign of positions and/or
services, recruitment, succession planning, development or redeployment of existing staff.

Identify actions to address any gap between their workforce projections and the available supply of staff and plan for
and secure resources to close the gaps.

Review their workforce practice, strategies and plans to ensure they contribute to the attraction, retention and
development of a capable workforce to achieve University goals.

5. WORKFORCE PROFILE DATA

Workforce planning must be based on reliable and accurate data contained within the Human Resources Information System
(HRIS) as well as information collated through environmental scanning and benchmarking activities. Workforce Profile data
can include:

workforce demographic/turnover/recruitment data

workload measurements
position establishment information
financial data
labour market data, for example unemployment rates, local skills base
University strategic and operational goals
budget information
legislative/regulatory parameters.

workforce planning framework v3 - sept 2011 kp.docx

People and Culture Directorate, CQUniversity Australia

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6. WORKFORCE PLANNING PROCESS

Workforce planning is a medium to long term strategy and Faculties and Divisions are expected to align planning, risk,
workforce planning and budgets to integrate these into both annual and longer term planning cycles.
To assist with preparation for the annual planning and budget meetings, faculties and divisions can develop a workforce plan
to outline the projected human resource issues that will be encountered over the next three years and to describe the
strategies selected to respond to these issues.

STEP 1
Access planning data and plans

STEP 2
Analyse current operations

STEP 3
Scenario planning and forecasting

STEP 4
Identify planning initiatives and
strategies

workforce planning framework v3 - sept 2011 kp.docx

workforce profile data

strategic plans
operational and management plans
environmental scanning
legislation/regulations/governance
review budget/current financial situation
identify current technology infrastructure/systems
review current student numbers
review academic programs on offer
identify legislative and regulatory parameters
review current policies and processes
workforce profile data (as listed above)
review environmental factors
identify probable scenarios based on future projects and trends
review planning considerations relevant to the department as outlined
in Appendix 1 and 2
identify likely impacts on the workforce
identify future workforce supply and demands
identify workforce gaps
determine staff demand based on analysis of future projections and
trends
identify skills no longer required in the future due to changing
organisational needs
identify new skills required in the future to meet organisational goals
review labour market trends and identify any issues associated with
availability of workers
Identify critical jobs (i.e. those positions that are difficult to recruit
and/or difficult to retain staff)
recruitment and retention strategies
career development and mentoring programs
staff engagement surveys
succession planning
job redesign
review of policies and processes
identify and review new systems and technology
budget planning

People and Culture Directorate, CQUniversity Australia

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STEP 5
Submit workforce plan for approval

STEP 6
Implement workforce plan

academic staff promotion initiatives

pre-retirement contracts
post retirement employment for academic staff to manage knowledge
transfer. This may include adjunct, honorary and casual appointments.
Following the planning phase, submit the Workforce Plan with the
budget in line with the annual budget cycle.
Feedback on the workforce plan will be provided via the delegated
authority as part of the budget planning process.
Once approval of the workforce plan has been granted, strategies and
planning initiatives can then be implemented. Strategies and planning
initiatives may include introduction of changes to technology and
infrastructures; process re-engineering and introduction of revised or
new efficient processes and systems; introduction of changes to
existing policies or development of new policies; staff training and
development; career development and mentoring programs, job
analysis and design; attraction, retention and recruitment strategies,
pre-retirement contracts, succession planning, introduction of flexible
staffing arrangements and staff surveys.
Reclassification of positions to be administered as per University
Position Management and Job Evaluation Policy, Principles and
Procedures.
Strategies and planning initiatives should include an implementation
and communication plan. A template is provided in the Workforce
Plan.
Where required, seek advice and/or assistance from People and
Culture. In some cases, particular strategies and planning initiatives
have broader reaching impacts beyond the individual work area.
12 months from implementation:

STEP 7
Review and evaluation

workforce planning framework v3 - sept 2011 kp.docx

review strategies and evaluate impact of changes (positive/negative)

identify if further consultation is required with People and Culture
identify if any policies/processes need further refinement
review staff training and development requirements
identify changes against business planning considerations and update
workforce plan accordingly.

People and Culture Directorate, CQUniversity Australia

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APPENDIX 1 PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS IN ALL ORGANISATIONAL AREAS

Scenarios

Structure

Workforce composition

Skill analysis

What are the likely future scenarios to

impact the organisational area

Will the current structure meet future

operational requirements?

Does the current workforce composition

meet future requirements?
What new skills are required into the
future?
How will critical capabilities be developed?

Turnover and staff

movements

Are there any foreseeable losses of staff

within the next 3 years?
What are the reasons staff leave?

Workforce diversity

Do all groups of staff have the same

opportunities?
What equity and diversity issues have been
identified?

Assumptions based on trend analysis; proposed

changes and likely impacts on organisational area

Number of positions
Classification of positions
Position descriptions
Management/supervisor skills
Flexibility and responsiveness
Reporting lines

Continuing, fixed term and casual staff

Appropriate use of agency staff

Technological changes requiring new skills

Projects requiring specialised skills
Process re-engineering requirements
Training and development opportunities
Internal/external sources
Mentoring and secondment opportunities

Planned retirements
Rate of employee initiated turnover
Succession planning opportunities
Retention strategies to reduce risk of losing highly
skilled staff
Involuntary turnover performance management

Male/female/part-time/casual/professional/academic
Academic qualifications
Recruitment rates
Career opportunities
Indigenous Employment strategies

Compliance/legislative
requirements

Are there any legislative changes or

compliance requirements that will impact on
the organisational unit?

New positions required

Skill requirements
Organisational obligations/reporting requirements
Changes to organisational activities

Operational changes

What new products or services will be

introduced?
What activities/projects will be
discontinued?
What new technologies will be introduced?
What changes to processes/operations/
information or control systems are planned?

Process re-engineering activities

Impact of technological change to operations
Decentralisation or centralisation of work activities
Changes to delegated authorities
New projects/conclusion of existing projects

Are there any critical roles that are difficult

to fill, retain or develop?

Market variables
Recruitment strategies
Retention strategies
Career development programs
Mentoring programs
Staff turnover reasons

Critical jobs

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People and Culture Directorate, CQUniversity Australia

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APPENDIX 2 PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS IN SCHOOLS/ACADEMIC WORK UNITS

What are the anticipated changing demands for domestic and international programs?
How are student needs and expectations changing?
What new programs are planned?
What current programs will be discontinued?
Teaching and learning

Do staff have appropriate teaching qualifications?

How do staff and student ratios compare with other regional universities?
What efficiencies can improve the quality of teaching and learning through different delivery modes?
What additional support do staff require to improve teaching capabilities and improve program
management and delivery?

What new research activity is planned?

What proportion of staff are currently research active? Are there any barriers that can be removed to
support research activity?
Research & Innovation

What proportion of staff either have a PhD or are currently completing a PhD? How are staff
supported while completing PhDs?
What proportion of staff supervise research higher degree students? Is this adequate?
What proportion of staff engaged in research are funded through grants or external funding?

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