Sound human resource planning should be based on the principles and actions highlighted in the article below. In the practical world, an external HR consultant or employment agency plays an important role in planning for basic HR requirements.
1. Human Resources Planning must finally be integrated into the other areas of organization strategy and planning.
2. Top management must take the initiative to emphasize its importance throughout the organization.
3. In larger organizations, a central HR planning unit responsible for top management should be established. The main objectives of this are to coordinate and reconcile the human resource demands of the different departments, standardize and monitor departmental assessments of requirements, and produce a comprehensive organizational plan. In practice, the Human Resources and Development department would normally play a leading role in the task. In smaller organizations, these responsibilities would likely be carried out by a senior manager or even the CEO.
4. It is necessary to define the period of time that the plan will cover. Because of the ongoing problem of forecasting involving imponderable factors, a compromise is often made in which a master human resource plan is drawn up to cover a period of several years. If the system is operated as a rolling rolling plan, the five-year general forecast period is maintained and each first year is used in turn for review and future revision purposes.
5. The scope and details of the plan must be determined. For large organizations, separate human resource plans and forecasts may be needed for various units and subsidiary functions. In smaller organizations, a comprehensive plan will probably suffice for all employees. Where certain skills or occupations may pose future recruitment or training problems, special provisions will be required in human resource planning.
6. Human resource planning should be based on the most complete and accurate information possible. Said personal information is essential in any case for the effective management of the organization. Details of format and content will naturally vary, but will typically need to include details of age, gender, qualifications and experience, and of trends likely to affect future forecasts, such as labor waste, job titles, wages, etc. etc Apart from routine data collection for personnel records, special analyzes may sometimes be necessary to provide particular information.