A solid business strategy is an essential launchpad for workforce planning. But what do you need to consider before starting to build out your business?
Many workforce planning models assume businesses already have a strategy.
The reality is that, particularly with small enterprises that don't have typical corporate resources, it’s more than likely they won’t.
But the starting point has to be the business strategy.
Strategy, based on solid and meaningful data, helps organisations set priorities that make the best use of their resources over the medium to long term.
Read our introduction to business strategy here.
A unique selling point
The biggest sticking point for a company can often be identifying its unique selling point - also sometimes referred to as the competitive advantage.
Where you’re a start-up or established company, you need to understand what people get from your product or service that they can't get from anywhere else.
You need to drive the question – “why should your customers or clients choose you instead of your competitors?”
The answer to that question should be the bedrock of your business, and workforce planning strategy.
Building workforce planning into the strategy
Once you have a plan about what you want to do and sell, what skills do you need now and into the future to remain in business?
“It's about understanding what skills you actually need, and then how long it takes to develop those skills if you have to build them locally, versus how much is it going to cost you to attract employees if you're competing in a tight labour market,” says Apprenticeship Support Australia Manager Lena Constantine.
"Get your ducks in a row and understand what it is that you're playing for."
Read more about the importance of brand and visibility here.
CCIWA’s ASA can help your business undertake a skills analysis and provide advice on traineeships or apprenticeships to help your business thrive.
Workforce Skills can assist with utilising internships and graduate workforce.
Click on the links to explore CCIWA's workforce planning model.
