Strategic Workforce Planning Training Course

Duration 10 days 20 modules · 65 contact hours
Level Advanced Certificate on completion
Who attends HR Directors, Workforce Planning Managers and others
Fee from USD 2,200 KSh 190,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 9 Nov 2026 Course code SD-SP-038

Before you join: Participants should have experience in HR, workforce planning, finance, operations or business planning, and should understand their organisation's headcount approval, budgeting and talent processes.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Strategic workforce planning connects business direction, operating plans and financial constraints with the people, skills and capacity required to deliver them. Many organisations still rely on annual headcount budgets, vacancy controls and isolated succession plans. This can leave leaders unable to explain future capability gaps, assess workforce cost choices or act early when demand, technology, regulation or location needs change. Effective workforce planning provides a disciplined basis for decisions on hiring, development, redeployment, contingent labour, automation and organisational design.

This advanced course teaches participants to build a workforce plan from strategic priorities through to funded actions and measurable outcomes. Participants examine workforce demand and supply, develop role and skill segmentation, model headcount and cost scenarios, assess retirement and attrition risks, and identify build, buy, borrow, bind and bot responses. The course also addresses data quality, workforce analytics, labour-market intelligence, critical-role planning, governance and executive communication. Participants learn to challenge assumptions, distinguish capacity from capability, and present decision-ready options to senior leaders.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with sector-based cases, structured group analysis, planning simulations and guided work on participants' own planning challenges. Cases reflect common issues in banks, public agencies, multinationals, NGOs, infrastructure operators and service businesses, including branch rationalisation, digital service delivery, scarce technical skills and post-merger workforce integration. Participants leave with a practical strategic workforce planning pack: a planning charter, workforce baseline, demand and supply model, scenario analysis, action roadmap and executive decision paper.

The course suits experienced HR, people analytics, finance and operational leaders who contribute to medium- and long-range workforce decisions. It is particularly valuable where workforce cost, scarce skills, service continuity or major change programmes require a clearer evidence base.

What you will be able to do

  • Develop a strategic workforce planning charter linked to business priorities and planning horizons
  • Segment roles and skills using criticality, scarcity, value and workforce-risk criteria
  • Build workforce demand forecasts using workload, productivity, ratio and driver-based methods
  • Assess internal workforce supply through headcount, skills, mobility, attrition and retirement analysis
  • Model workforce scenarios and quantify headcount, capacity, capability and cost implications
  • Evaluate build, buy, borrow, bind and bot responses for priority workforce gaps
  • Design governance, metrics and review routines for an integrated workforce planning cycle
  • Present a funded strategic workforce plan and executive decision paper

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Produce defensible workforce recommendations for senior leadership discussions
  • Move from vacancy management to forward-looking capacity and capability planning
  • Challenge workforce assumptions using quantified demand, supply and cost evidence
  • Lead cross-functional planning conversations with HR, finance and operations
  • Build a reusable planning pack for immediate use in a business unit

For your organisation

  • Earlier identification of critical skill, capacity and succession risks
  • Better alignment between workforce cost plans and strategic priorities
  • Clearer choices between recruitment, development, redeployment and contingent labour
  • Stronger evidence for organisational design, automation and location decisions
  • Consistent governance and measures across workforce planning cycles

Course modules

20 modules over 10 days

Participants can define a strategic workforce planning mandate, scope and planning horizon.

  • Strategic workforce planning purpose, outputs and decision rights
  • Business strategy translated into workforce planning questions
  • Planning horizons: annual budget, medium-term plan and long-range outlook
  • Capacity, capability, headcount and cost distinguished precisely
  • Workforce planning maturity assessment using defined operating criteria
  • Planning charter covering scope, sponsors, data and milestones

Participants can identify workforce implications arising from strategic and operating-model choices.

  • Strategic priorities mapped to value chains and operating capabilities
  • PESTLE assumptions tested against workforce demand implications
  • Growth, consolidation and transformation strategies compared for people impacts
  • Operating-model changes translated into role, location and span requirements
  • Service demand patterns linked to workforce capacity drivers
  • Strategic initiatives ranked by workforce dependency and execution risk

Participants can create a reliable workforce baseline for planning analysis.

  • Workforce data dictionary covering employee, position, skill and cost fields
  • Headcount, full-time equivalent and contingent workforce reconciliations
  • Data quality tests for completeness, accuracy, timeliness and consistency
  • Workforce baseline segmented by function, location, grade and contract
  • ISO 30414 workforce reporting indicators selected for planning
  • Baseline dashboards showing workforce profile, movement and cost trends

Participants can segment workforce populations and identify roles requiring differentiated action.

  • Role segmentation using strategic value, scarcity and replacement difficulty
  • Critical-role criteria calibrated with business and risk leaders
  • Workforce segments classified by capability, capacity and cost exposure
  • Nine-box role portfolio distinguishes pivotal and support roles
  • Job families mapped to career paths and skill clusters
  • Critical-role register records incumbents, risks and successor readiness

Participants can define priority capabilities and assess current skill evidence.

  • Skills taxonomy design using job families, proficiency levels and aliases
  • Capability requirements derived from strategic initiatives and operating processes
  • Skills inventory sources assessed for validity and update frequency
  • Proficiency scales anchored with observable performance descriptors
  • Skill adjacencies identified for redeployment and accelerated development
  • Heat maps reveal priority capability gaps by workforce segment

Participants can forecast workforce demand using suitable operational and strategic drivers.

  • Demand forecast methods matched to planning purpose and data availability
  • Workload-based models convert transaction volumes into labour requirements
  • Productivity assumptions adjusted for process redesign and technology adoption
  • Ratio analysis estimates staffing from operational demand drivers
  • Driver-based models combine revenue, service levels and productivity
  • Demand assumptions documented with owners, evidence and confidence ranges

Participants can translate service requirements into capacity and staffing needs.

  • Capacity models distinguish productive hours, availability and utilisation
  • Erlang principles applied to variable demand and service targets
  • Shift patterns tested against peaks, coverage and fatigue constraints
  • Queue demand converted into staffing scenarios for service operations
  • Span-of-control benchmarks reviewed against management work requirements
  • Capacity shortfalls separated from capability and performance problems

Participants can assess future internal workforce supply and associated risks.

  • Supply analysis tracks workforce stock, flows and internal movement
  • Cohort analysis identifies retention patterns by tenure and demographic
  • Markov chain analysis estimates movements between workforce states
  • Retirement exposure assessed through age profiles and eligibility rules
  • Internal mobility rates tested against career pathways and vacancy demand
  • Supply assumptions documented for attrition, hiring and redeployment

Participants can assess external talent availability and recruitment feasibility.

  • External labour supply assessed by geography, occupation and skill
  • Talent market mapping identifies competitors, pipelines and source channels
  • Pay positioning compared with relevant labour-market reference points
  • Recruitment funnel metrics quantify time, conversion and offer risks
  • Location strategy tested against skill availability and employment costs
  • Immigration, licensing and security constraints incorporated into supply estimates

Participants can quantify workforce gaps and prioritise action based on business risk.

  • Demand and supply forecasts reconciled by role, skill and location
  • Gap analysis separates numerical shortages from proficiency shortfalls
  • Risk matrix scores probability, impact, velocity and controllability
  • Critical workforce risks linked to strategic objectives and controls
  • Sensitivity analysis tests assumptions with the greatest planning effect
  • Priority gap register assigns owners, actions and review dates

Participants can construct alternative workforce scenarios and define decision triggers.

  • Scenario planning frames plausible demand, technology and policy futures
  • Base, upside and downside cases built from explicit assumptions
  • Scenario narratives connect external signals with workforce consequences
  • Decision triggers specify indicators requiring plan revision or escalation
  • Stress testing exposes capacity and skill vulnerabilities under disruption
  • Scenario comparison tables show workforce, cost and service trade-offs

Participants can model workforce costs and test the affordability of planning options.

  • Workforce cost model includes pay, benefits, recruitment and contingent spend
  • Fully loaded cost rates calculated by role, grade and location
  • Vacancy factors and time-to-fill assumptions adjusted in cost forecasts
  • Build-versus-buy costs compared over defined planning periods
  • Finance assumptions reconciled with budget cycles and approval thresholds
  • Cost scenarios show recurring, one-off and avoided expenditure

Participants can select workforce responses that address priority gaps and constraints.

  • Build, buy, borrow, bind and bot options assessed systematically
  • Recruitment strategies matched to talent scarcity and time requirements
  • Learning pathways designed for priority skill conversion and proficiency
  • Redeployment pools aligned with adjacent skills and available capacity
  • Contingent workforce choices evaluated for cost, risk and knowledge retention
  • Automation cases tested against process maturity and workforce implications

Participants can integrate succession evidence into strategic workforce plans.

  • Succession coverage measured for critical roles and leadership positions
  • Ready-now and ready-later successor pools assessed against demand
  • Bench strength analysis identifies depth, diversity and development needs
  • Knowledge-risk mapping captures single points of failure and transfer priorities
  • Talent review outputs incorporated into workforce supply forecasts
  • Continuity actions assign development, retention and contingency measures

Participants can assess workforce implications of structural and process redesign.

  • Organisation design principles connect work, accountability and decision rights
  • Activity analysis identifies duplication, handoffs and non-value-adding work
  • Layer and span analysis tests managerial effectiveness and cost
  • Workforce transition plans sequence roles, skills and employee communications
  • Restructuring options assessed for service continuity and legal constraints
  • Target operating model translated into phased workforce requirements

Participants can incorporate equity, employee relations and workforce risk considerations into plans.

  • Workforce plans tested for disparate impacts across employee groups
  • Representation data analysed by level, function, hiring and promotion
  • Pay equity considerations incorporated into workforce cost assumptions
  • Employee relations risks assessed for major workforce changes
  • Wellbeing and workload indicators monitored during capacity reductions
  • Ethical data-use principles applied to workforce analytics and decisions

Participants can establish governance, accountabilities and review rhythms for workforce planning.

  • RACI matrix assigns planning responsibilities across HR, finance and operations
  • Planning calendar aligns strategy, budget, talent and operating reviews
  • Workforce planning forums define inputs, decisions and escalation routes
  • Assumption logs maintain traceability for forecasts and scenarios
  • Key performance indicators track plan delivery and workforce outcomes
  • Quarterly refresh process updates forecasts, risks and action priorities

Participants can communicate workforce choices clearly to executive decision-makers.

  • Executive decision paper structures issue, evidence, options and recommendation
  • Workforce dashboards use variance, trend and threshold-based visualisation
  • Narratives connect workforce evidence with strategic and financial consequences
  • Options appraisal compares benefits, costs, risks and implementation timing
  • Stakeholder maps identify sponsors, challengers and affected groups
  • Board-level messages distinguish decisions required from information provided

Participants can convert workforce planning actions into an owned implementation roadmap.

  • Workforce actions sequenced by urgency, dependency and implementation capacity
  • Roadmaps define milestones, owners, resources and measurable outcomes
  • Change impact assessment identifies affected roles, teams and leaders
  • Communication plans address rationale, timing, choices and employee concerns
  • Benefits realisation measures track planned workforce interventions
  • Implementation risks monitored through action logs and escalation routines

Participants can build, review and present a complete strategic workforce plan for an executive audience.

  • Planning charter confirms strategic scope, stakeholders and decision requirements
  • Workforce baseline synthesises headcount, skills, cost and risk evidence
  • Demand and supply model quantifies priority workforce gaps
  • Scenario options compare workforce actions, affordability and delivery risks
  • Implementation roadmap assigns governance, milestones and success measures
  • Executive presentation defends recommendations, assumptions and requested decisions

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Strategic workforce planning charter template
  2. Workforce baseline and segmentation model
  3. Demand, supply and gap analysis workbook
  4. Workforce scenario and cost model
  5. Governance and planning-cycle checklist
  6. Executive workforce plan decision-paper template

Who should attend

  • HR Directors — accountable for linking people strategy to enterprise plans
  • Workforce Planning Managers — responsible for designing and running planning cycles
  • HR Business Partners — translating business plans into workforce actions
  • People Analytics Leaders — producing evidence for workforce decisions
  • Finance Business Partners — testing workforce cost assumptions and investment cases
  • Operational Directors — managing capacity, skills and service-delivery requirements

Skills and tools covered

Workforce demand modellingSkills gap analysisScenario planningWorkforce cost modellingTalent supply forecastingExecutive workforce communication

Tools and standards

ISO 30414, PESTLE analysis, Markov chain analysis, RACI matrix

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short briefings to introduce planning methods, followed by case analysis, facilitated group work, modelling tasks and decision simulations. Participants work with realistic workforce datasets to test demand drivers, attrition assumptions, skill gaps and cost choices. Instructor feedback focuses on the quality of assumptions, evidence and stakeholder messages. Throughout the programme, participants apply each method to a selected organisational challenge and refine a workforce planning pack for review in the final capstone.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience in HR, workforce planning, finance, operations or business planning, and should understand their organisation's headcount approval, budgeting and talent processes. Confidence reading spreadsheets and basic workforce data such as headcount, turnover, vacancies and payroll cost is expected. Experience advising senior stakeholders is useful. Participants do not need advanced statistics, programming skills, a specialist analytics platform or prior formal study of strategic workforce planning. The course explains each planning method before applying it to workforce decisions.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should have practical exposure to HR, finance, operations, workforce data or business planning. Advanced statistics and specialist workforce analytics software are not required.

Bring a current workforce challenge, relevant strategic priorities and any non-confidential headcount, skills, turnover or budget information available. Templates and case data are provided, so participants can also work from a representative scenario.

It is designed for experienced HR and workforce planning professionals, HR business partners, people analytics leaders, finance partners and operational leaders. It is most useful for people expected to influence medium- or long-term workforce choices.

Workforce analytics training concentrates on data analysis and reporting, while succession training concentrates on leadership and critical-role continuity. This course uses both as inputs to a broader planning process covering demand, supply, scenarios, cost and implementation decisions.

Participants develop a planning pack around a selected organisational issue, such as scarce skills, service expansion, restructuring or technology adoption. The pack can be adapted for a business-unit plan, annual planning cycle or executive decision meeting.

Each day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours. The first week establishes the baseline, demand and supply evidence; the second week develops scenarios, interventions, governance and the final plan presentation.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

Related courses in Strategic Planning