HR Basics is a series of short courses, designed to highlight what you need to know about a particular human resource management topic. In today’s HR Basics, we explore human resource planning by outlining a three-step strategic process to meet your organization’s human resource needs.

Human resource planning is a process that identifies current and future human resources needs for an organization to achieve its goals. Human resource planning should serve as a link between human resource management and the overall strategic plan of an organization. The goals of human resource planning are to ultimately improve organizational outcomes.

Human resource planning is used in and for all functional areas of human resource management. Although you might immediately think of workforce planning, human resource planning covers the brood spectrum of functional areas of human resource management.

Human resource planning includes figuring out where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there.

Using this process, you will develop the core elements of a human resource plan - strategy, goals, and actions. Strategy is an extension of an organization's mission, a bridge between the organization and it’s environment. Goals are a statement of desired outcomes toward which effort is directed, to realize your human resource plan. Actions are the most important things that can be done to reach stated goals.

Planning is critical for each functional area of human resource management. Ask these three simple strategic questions – where are we now, where do we want to be, and how can we get there? - to frame your next human resource planning process. Doing so will ensure you develop the right human resource strategy, goals and action items to realize your plan.