Staffing models, also sometimes called staffing plans, are useful tools that help strategic management analyze, plan and evaluate workers' production and staffing needs. These models come in the form of reports, charts or graphs for strategic management to easily analyze and review.

Before putting staffing models and workforce planning to work for your business, it's important to have the knowledge and resources available to you to show you how they work. Consider the following when making the most of staffing models:

1. Increase your knowledge base with white papers and articles on staffing plans and workforce planning.

2. Refer to checklists, templates and diagrams for additional knowledge and training to implement a successful staffing model.

3. Network with other professionals in community forums and blogs for insight on what others consider key in implementing a successful staffing business plan.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Research what's involved in creating successful staffing model solutions

Business staffing models are key to making your workforce management programs run smoothly. There are numerous models available and it's good to research best practices and review case studies of successful staffing models that have worked for other businesses to find one that will work for your operation.

I recommend: Allegis Group Services' knowledge resource center includes a series of white papers you can request, from best practices to reengineering your contingent workforce to contingency planning and more. Review some of them to see what tips you can apply in designing your own. Gain insight with an article published by Penton Media on "How to Build a Staffing Plan." While the article focuses on developing one for universities, this basic approach can be applied to any business. Read an article on eHow entitled, "How to Use a Strategic Staffing Plan," which provides tips on involving your current staff and managers, how to source effectively and more when developing and implementing a plan.

Increase your knowledge of staffing models through checklists and staffing plan examples

Create a staffing model just right for your operation by gathering the necessary resources to help you design it. Refer to staffing plan checklists and staffing models on the Internet to see basic ones include and then tailor to fit your specific need.

I recommend: Review the Information Services Board (ISB) website, which not only gives a definition and instructions of a staffing plan for project management, but provides a handy checklist and templates to download--useful tools to get you started when designing your own. Rand offers insight for staffing and workforce planning in complex organizations. Review the four key questions to consider when developing a model for your company. Consult with Mau to develop the right staffing plan for your business. Compare a traditional model to the complex outsourced model they offer.

Access community forums and blogs for more tips for a staffing plan

Forecasting is one important factor to consider when designing a business plan for staffing. Depending on the nature of your business and staffing needs, these factors will vary. Logging on to community forums allows you to network with other professionals in your field on what must be considered when creating a plan.

I recommend: Review a blog by Deborah L. Kluge on staffing plans and what they should convey as well as how they can vary among companies. Browse Workforce Management's community forum on additional factors that some consider when designing a plan.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider using scheduling software to help you make the most of your business staffing plan. Scheduling software allows you to print reports off easily that are vital in building your plan, like costs associated with staffing, scheduling and turnover, saving you time on research, especially if you're already using this software in your business.
• •  Designing a staffing model or plan can be difficult. Consider a staffing firm to help you out. You can always terminate their services once you feel more comfortable handling this on your own.

A staffing model will streamline your hiring process and will create consistency in all hiring decisions throughout your organization. Successful companies excel at hiring the right people for the right job and staffing models can help you achieve this goal.

Staffing plan examples include diversity recruiting, internal applicant recruiting and defining interview questions, but there are many components to creating a staffing plan. A staffing model will help your organization in many ways.

1. A staffing model will allow you to plan for current and future personnel needs.

2. A staffing model will help you to attract and recruit talent.

3. A staffing model will show you how to select and hire the best candidates for your positions.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hire a consulting group to create your staffing business plan

There are definite advantages to hiring a consultant to create your staffing models. They will help you create a template for your staffing plans that will be more customizable than an out of the box software. A consultant can point out inconsistencies that you might not even realize exist

I recommend: McDonald Consulting and Bechet Consulting offer expertise in staffing management solutions and services vary from on-site consulting to remote consulting that is done in the form of teleconferencing. Join the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) to learn about the latest developments in human resource management. SHRM has a learning library and features listings of human resource consultants that are available to members only.

Purchase staffing model solutions

Staffing model solutions can be added on in addition to whatever staffing model a consulting firm will design for you. Since recruitment is a large part of your staffing plan, you will want a good software solution.

I recommend: Taleo Corporation specializes in succession planning software which is a critical part of any staffing business plan. Business Management Systems has a product called Snap Schedule that helps you with your shift planning and scheduling. Sendouts Pro 6.5 is a software package that can help streamline your recruitment process.

Learn the technique of creating a staffing model

Use available resources to see the correct way to create a business plan for staffing.

I recommend: The Information Services Board (ISB) has templates and checklists for you to use while creating your staffing model. Register at Project@Work to access an article on creating a staffing plan for your business.

Employ a temp agency to help with your staffing plan

As part of the process that you will be going through to create a staffing plan, you will need to know at what times during the year you will need additional help. No matter what industry you are in there is an ebb and flow to staffing needs. A temporary staffing agency can help get you the right temps for your additional work.

I recommend: Working with staffing agencies is easy. They want to please you because repeat business means money in their pocket. Manpower is a staffing agency that specializes in placing engineering, finance, information technology and science professionals. Kelly Services is a global staffing agency that places temporary in many areas including, law, education and health care.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  A strategic staffing plan should never be static. It should be continually updated, revised and changed as the business needs change.

Staffing models are reports, charts and graphs used to understand how employee time is spent and at what cost. They provide management with a broad view of employees' work activities, as well as a more in-depth look at work activity time and cost per employee. Staffing models can work for any industry or business and break out into two structures: centralized models, where management exercises control over model functions including strategy, resources, budget and process; and decentralized, where recruiting strategies are tailored to local circumstances and managed locally.

Staffing plans are similar in format to staffing models. They are more of a forecasting tool that predicts what time will be needed when employers come across different scenarios, such as changes to product volumes or production output. It's common for companies to use both terms interchangeably.

When considering staffing model solutions for your business, ask yourself the following questions:

1. How can a business plan for staffing help my operation?

2. How would my company go about creating a staffing plan?

3. Once a staffing plan model has been chosen, what resources are available to help me implement the model to my business?

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get to know what a business staffing plan can do for your company

Staffing models basics first includes knowing how a particular staffing plan can help a company. There are many staffing models and plans and finding or designing one that meets your particular need is key. Plans can calculate how much time each job position spends on an activity; list out staffing time and cost for every process, product and customer segment; help determine whether you have the right balance of HR staff; and helps your company predict future staffing needs by the hours of skills you'll need.

I recommend: Taleo defines centralized and decentralized business staffing models and lists out key factors a staffing model must address, no matter the structure or industry. Orient Point Consulting provides insight to businesses on why they would need a staffing business plan as well as services that can help your company. View a staffing model webinar for more information.

Review a number of factors and staffing plan examples

Companies must tailor a staffing model to meet their specific industry need, otherwise it won't track and forecast correctly. A staffing plan for an IT business tracks and reports different factors than a business that's main goal is to increase revenue through sales of a product or service, or a manufacturing company that relies on product output.

I recommend: Read "A Buyer's Guide to Staffing Models," by McDonald Consulting Group, for a general overview of factors basic staffing plans must cover. Review an article by Microsoft that provides insight on how to choose a IT staffing model right for your tech business. In addition, review tips and tools that can help develop your IT staffing model. Sourcingmag.com identifies the types of staffing solutions any staffing model can use, no matter the products or services you provide.

Find resources on implementing your staffing model

Once you've decided a staffing plan is needed, it's important to have the right resources at your fingertips for easy reference, along with the necessary tools or services to support the plan.

I recommend: Bechet Consulting offers a variety of resources on workforce planning as well as a book, Strategic Staffing: A Practical Toolkit for Workforce Planning. One of Citisoft's core services is implementing a flexible staffing model for your business--whether you have one already in place that just needs updating or you're starting from scratch. Use KnowledgeStorm's online search tool and get detailed reports to assist you in finding the right software, hardware, service or reseller needed to implement your plan.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  A staffing model or plan works only if it's reviewed periodically. Evaluate your staffing model at least once a year and adjust it to your current staffing needs.

Staffing models systematically determine how employee time is spent in the workplace. They involve analyses of what skills each employee has and what skills are necessary to run an organization on any given day. Armed with that information, managers can make strategic hiring decisions, rather than scrambling to fill vacancies as employees quit or go on leave. Though there are general concepts that apply to staffing models, you'll find that there are specific types of models to suit each industry.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Full-time equivalent (FTE)

Generally, full-time equivalent (FTE) is defined as the full number of hours an employee works, divided by the maximum number of paid hours in a year or quarter. This figure is used to determine the extent of employee involvement in workplace projects.

I recommend: Minnesota Management and Budget publishes its FTE reports and describes how it calculates FTE.

Erlang

The Erlang, named in honor of telecommunications expert Agner Krarup Erlang, is a telecommunications unit that represents the continuous use of a voice path. Erlang models are used to staff call centers and other telecommunications systems.

I recommend: KoolToolz, which makes staffing software, describes Erlang models in more detail.

Staffing plans

The term 'staffing plans' is often used interchangeably with 'staffing model,' though it has a slightly different meaning. Staffing models are undertaken to determine how and where employees spend their time. Staffing plans use that information to determine staffing needs at different times.

I recommend: American School & University outlines the steps necessary to develop a staffing plan.

Acuity-based staffing

Acuity-based staffing is a model used in the health care industry. Rather than focus on the nurse-to-patient ratio, acuity-based staffing accounts for the specific patient needs when staffing health care professionals. This model has been shown to improve patient outcomes and job satisfaction.

I recommend: RedScrubs describes the benefits of acuity-based staffing.

Gap analysis

Gap analysis is a business term that broadly applies to performance, be it in sales, marketing or hiring. An organization sets goals for where it would like to be, evaluates where it is, and makes a plan to fill the gap.

I recommend: Marketing Teacher has a tutorial on gap analysis as it applies to marketing, but the same concept also applies to staffing models.

Knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs)

Knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) are the qualifications an employee must have to fill a position with a company. Usually, candidates attain KSAs either through education, experience or professional training. A KSA analysis is necessary to figure out which skills are necessary so that a systematic staffing plan can be implemented.

I recommend: The U.S. Department of Labor describes how KSAs are used in the government's hiring process.