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Integrated planning guide

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Note: The integrated planning guidebook is an evergreen document.

April 2007

Table of Contents



Introduction

Integrated planning is the foundation for assessing and understanding the current and future needs of departments, agencies and the Public Service as a whole.

Integrated planning is central to the successful implementation of the Public Service Modernization Act and to the promotion of healthy organizations that retain competent, committed and engaged employees across the Public Service.

Integrated planning is an important building block in continuously improving and building the human capacity of the Public Service to deliver services to Canadians (Results for Canadians). Integrated, rigorous planning can mitigate risks associated with aging workforces, tight labour markets, technological change, and so on. Integrated planning can help identify optimal strategies and activities for such important HR management components as recruitment, retention, learning, development, employee engagement, promotion, succession, employment equity and official languages.

Some departments and agencies are recognized as having taken innovative approaches to planning. Overall, however, there is widespread recognition at all levels of government that over the last ten years, the HR planning capacity across the Public Service of Canada has diminished. The time is right to rigorously rebuild capacity in HR planning. The need for sound integrated planning with business planning, has never been more important.

Why integrated planning?

Defining HR planning

HR planning is defined as follows:

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

Integrated planning principles

Some key principles of integrated planning are as follows:



The integrated planning environment chart has been created to illustrate the links between the drivers, processes and tools that contribute to the development and implementation of integrated planning within the Public Service.

Section 1: Legislative base and other drivers of integrated planning

Legislative base

The coming into force of the Accountability Act established a broad legislative context for Deputy Head accountabilities with regard to the performance of any assigned duties in relation to the administration of departments/agencies. Departmental administration includes the management of the organization’s human resources and part of that function involves integrated planning.

The legislative base for HR planning is the Financial Administration Act and the Public Service Employment Act contained in the Public Service Modernization Act . Other related Acts include the Employment Equity Act and Official Languages Act.

The Public Service Modernization Act (through the Financial Administration Act and the Public Service Employment Act), clearly establishes the Employer’s responsibility to identify the current and future needs of the Public Service; to determine the human resource requirements of the Public Service; and to provide for the allocation and effective utilization of human resources within the Public Service – all of which are key to the integrated planning process.

For additional information visit the Public Service Modernizations Act on the Agency website.

Other drivers

Guidance for Deputy Ministers, an important document issued by the Clerk of the Privy Council, is intended to clarify how Deputy Ministers fulfill their role in the Government of Canada. The document sets out the key elements of responsible government as a backdrop for understanding the individual and collective responsibility and accountability of Ministers. It further sets out the responsibilities of Deputy Ministers and their accountabilities, including the management of human and financial resources.

Guidance for Deputy Ministers signals that, “Effective departmental management requires careful integration of human resources management planning with the planning of departmental activities.”

For additional information visit this guidance for deputy ministers link.

The Clerk’s Corporate Priorities reinforced the concept of integrated human resources and business planning, with one of the priorities relating to the implementation of the Public Service Modernization Act, including the strengthening of human resources planning.

For additional information visit this clerk’s priorities link.

The Auditor General’s Findings related to Human Resources Planning (1999 to Today) are also a driver that strongly identifies planning as a central function to the healthy management of an organization. It speaks to the lack of human resources planning in the entirety of the Public Service and more specifically, of the lack of efficiencies and effectiveness incurred by the lack of integrated planning.

The Management Accountability Framework flows from Results for Canadians and the Comptrollership Modernization initiative. It establishes the framework of accountability for Deputy Heads - also establishing a close link to the responsibilities and accountabilities of Deputy Ministers as defined in Guidance for Deputy Ministers - to ensure that the conditions for good management are set in place in order to achieve Results for Canadians. It includes performance measures and indicators for ten identified outcomes. One of the outcomes is the People Component which relates to the management of people, and aims at measuring an organization’s human resources capacity including having a workforce that is renewable and affordable over time - again emphasizing the need for good integrated planning and effective management of resources.

For additional information on the Management Accountability Framework, visit the Treasury Board Secretariat Web site: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/maf-crg/index-eng.asp

The Staffing Management Accountability Framework comprises part of this accountability suite. It establishes the Deputy Minister’s accountabilities to the Public Service Commission with regard to staffing systems and delegated staffing authorities.

For additional information on the Staffing Management Accountability Framework, visit the Public Service Commission Web site: http://www.psc-cfp.gc.ca/plcy-pltq/frame-cadre/acco-resp/smaf-crgd-eng.htm

Together, the legislation and drivers described above set the direction for Deputy Heads and senior managers to inculcate good management practices through integrated planning in order to meet their corporate objectives.

Section 2: integrated planning principles and process

Six principles of integrated planning

At the heart of integrated planning are the six guiding principles. These principles form the basis on which planning activities and processes are to be developed and implemented.

Integrated planning calendar

Based on the Six Principles of Integrated Planning, the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada has developed an integrated planning calendar. The Calendar illustrates a four-phase approach to aligning human resources and business lines to achieve integrated planning. It also provides approximate timeframes for each of the four phases.

Five-step approach to determining and building for current and future needs

A five-step approach to determining and building for current and future needs was also developed to guide organizations in their efforts to implement integrated planning. The Integrated Human Resources and Business Planning Checklist is a “how to” model, and provides some important questions for managers to consider as they develop their plans. More specifically, the five steps include:

Together, the six principles, the planning calendar, and the five-step approach outlined above form the basis from which planning activities, tool and instruments should be derived.

Section 3: integrated planning tools

Having set in place the main elements of the integrated planning process, departments and agencies can then use a variety of instruments or tools to help them fulfill their operational requirements. The last section of the Integrated Planning Environment Chart outlines a number of tools that have been developed by the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada to assist departments with procedures leading to the formulation of integrated plans.

These tools are evergreen and complement the original Integrated Human Resources and Business Planning Tool Kit that was issued in November 2004. These tools are available for use by Deputy Ministers and Senior Managers, Managers and Human Resources professionals either as is, or for tailoring to specific departmental/agency needs.

Specifically, the tools include Integrated Planning – A Handbook for Deputy Ministers and Senior Managers, the Succession Planning and Management Tool, the Succession Planning and Management Tool for Senior Managers, and the Succession Planning and Management Tool for Managers. Also under development are Integrated Planning Templates (refer to Annex 1), which will provide departments and agencies with easy to follow instructions in applying the five-step approach in their organizations. The tools noted above are available on the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada Web site.

Integrated planning tools table

Text Version



Integrated planning guidebook: integrated planning in a delegated environment chart

Diagramme sur Guide de la planification intérée: Diagramme de la planification intégrée dans un contexte de délégation



People component of the management accountability framework

Management
Accountability
Framework
Departments and agencies have the people, work environment and focus on building capacity and leadership to assure success and a confident future for the Public Service of Canada.

Outcomes
WORKPLACE

A workplace that is fair, enabling, and healthy and safe in order to provide best service to Canadians.

Fair

The workplace exhibits fair employment and workplace practices and effective labour relations.

Enabling

The workplace exhibits clear direction, collaboration, respect and support for employees' linguistic rights, diversity and personal circumstances in order to enable them to fulfill their mandate.

Healthy and safe

The workplace is a healthy and safe physical and psychological environment.

WORKFORCE

A workforce that is productive, principled, sustainable and adaptable in order to provide best service to Canadians.

Productive

A committed workforce with the size, mix of skills and diversity of backgrounds to competently perform its duties.

Principled

The workforce is reflective of Canada's population, is respectful of Canada's official languages and performs its duties guided by the values and ethics of the Public Service.

Sustainable

A workforce that is renewable and affordable over time.

Adaptable

A workforce that is versatile, innovative and engages in continuous learning.

Key Success Factors Leadership Employee Engagement Collective Responsibility Continuous Improvement
  Policies and Instruments Information
Supporting infrastructure
  • Health and Safety
  • HR Planning
  • Labour Relations
  • Leadership Development
  • Employment Equity
  • Learning
  • Informal Conflict Management
  • Performance Management
  • Official Languages
  • Organization Design and Classification
  • Compensation
  • Resourcing
  • Values & Ethics
  • Workplace Well-being
  • Regular public service-wide employee surveys
  • Human resources management information systems
  • Research and analysis
  • Current and future human resources needs
Accountabilities Central Agencies: Provide the leadership and human resources management principles, mechanisms, tools and the necessary support; assist departments and agencies in achieving workplace and workforce outcomes; monitor and assess departmental performance; report on HR outcomes and management to Parliament.

Deputy Heads: Advance achievement of workplace and workforce outcomes in their departments/agencies and provide the necessary support; contribute to the development, implementation and improvement of government-wide human resources management; report on HR outcomes and management to central

Managers: Lead and manage to ensure workplace and workforce outcomes; support Deputy Heads' accountabilities.

Human Resources: Support managers and employees through the provision of strategic advice, policies and services to help them deliver on workplace and workforce outcomes.

Reporting/ Accountability Mechanisms
  • Report on Plans and Priorities
  • Departmental Performance Reports
  • Annual Reports on HR Management
  • Management Accountability Framework
  • Results for Canadians
  • Performance Management Agreements



Integrated Planning Calendar

Diagram on Integrated Planning Calendar

  1. Discussing strategic direction: April - June
  2. Getting the priorities right: July - September
  3. Detailed work planning: October - December
  4. Reporting and readiness: January - March

Fiscal year 2, implement steps 1 to 4 and begin new planning cycle

Fiscal year 3, report on previous fiscal year, implement year 2 plan, and begin new planning cycle

Responsibilities of key partners in effective planning

Managers

Human resources

Corporate planners



Integrated Human Resources and Business Planning Checklist

A five-step approach to determining and building for current and future needs

The following steps are widely recognized as key to integrating HR and business planning. They reflect national and international research into the practices of leading public and private sector employers.

Moreover, they have been validated in the PS by way of extensive consultation across the country with stakeholders. Line managers, HR professionals, bargaining agent representatives, as well as functional community representatives and other stakeholders all contributed to this model.

STEP ONE: Determine your business goals

A solid understanding of your business goals is critical for integrated planning. Ask the following questions:

For additional information on step one, have a look at the document entitled “Supplement to the Integrated Human Resources and Business Planning Checklist”.

STEP TWO: Scan the environment

A) Workforce Analysis

A key component of HR planning is understanding your workforce and planning for projected shortages and surpluses in specific occupations and skill sets. By way of example, has the following workforce information been analyzed for various occupational categories in your team?

B) Internal Scan

It is important for line managers to identify factors internal to the organization that may affect the HR capacity of their teams with regard to meeting projected goals.

C) External Scan

Are external environmental factors expected to affect workforce capacity, given known operational and HR priorities and emerging issues.

Have you considered, for example

For additional information on step one, have a look at the document entitled “Supplement to the Integrated Human Resources and Business Planning Checklist”.

STEP THREE: Conduct a gap analysis

Based on an analysis of your business goals, as well as your understanding of environmental issues and your workforce, what do you see as your key current and future HR needs?

Examples of Considerations:

For additional information on step one, have a look at the document entitled “Supplement to the Integrated Human Resources and Business Planning Checklist”.

STEP FOUR: Set HR priorities to help achieve goals

Based on the organization's goals, environmental scan and gap analysis: 1) What are the major HR priorities; and 2) What strategies will achieve the desired outcomes? Work plans may include strategies on:

Recruitment/ Staffing, Mobility/Redeployment, Employment Equity, Official Languages training, Training and Development, Corporate knowledge Retention and sharing and Workplace well-being

For additional information on step one, have a look at the document entitled “Supplement to the Integrated Human Resources and Business Planning Checklist”.

STEP FIVE: Measure, Monitor and Report on Progress

Measuring, monitoring and reporting is key to assessing progress.

For additional information on step one, have a look at the document entitled “Supplement to the Integrated Human Resources and Business Planning Checklist”.



Determine your business goals

A solid understanding of organizational priorities and the business planning cycle is critical for effective alignment of human resources (HR) and business goals. As you begin your integrated HR and business planning, ask the following questions:

Scan the environment

Workforce Analysis

A key component of integrated planning is understanding your workforce and planning for projected shortages and surpluses in specific occupations and skills sets.

Has the following employment information been analyzed for various occupational categories or functional communities?

Internal Scan

Identify factors internal to the organization that may affect HR capacity to meet organizational goals. Have you considered…?

External Scan

Determine the most important environmental factors expected to affect workforce capacity, given known operational and HR priorities and emerging issues. Have you considered…?

Examples of Considerations

Conduct a gap analysis

Based on an analysis of the environmental scan and business goals, what are the organization's current and future HR needs?

Examples of Considerations:

Set HR priorities to help achieve business goals

Based on the organization's goals, environmental scan and gap analysis: 1) What are the major HR priorities; and 2) What strategies will achieve the desired outcomes? Work plans may include strategies on:

Examples of Considerations:

Measure, monitor and report on progress

Measuring, monitoring and reporting HR performance outcomes is key to assessing progress in target areas, organizational learning and improvement and determining future priorities.



STEP 1 - determine your business goals

A solid understanding of organizational priorities and the business planning cycle is critical for effective alignment of human resources and business goals. As you begin your integrated HR and business planning, ask the following questions:

In this step, managers review business objectives in light of any issues likely to impact the business (e.g. government priorities, legislative reform, etc). As key input to the process, HR provides information regarding legislative and/or labour market data affecting the workforce.

In order to assess whether there is sufficient capacity (including skills, competencies and resources) to deliver on the business, it is first necessary to have a clear understanding of where the organization/region/branch is headed. In addition to knowing the strategic priorities at both the organization and branch/regional level, it is important to take into consideration government-wide priorities (e.g. Speech from the Throne, Clerk’s priorities) since they may well have an influence on the business priorities.

Supporting points to consider in determining your business goals

Additional information:

STEP 2 - scan the environment

Workforce analysis

A key component of planning is understanding your workforce and planning for projected shortages and surpluses in specific occupations and skill sets. Workforce analysis is an important element in the planning process. This section of the kit discusses nine areas that managers may consider in an effort to better understand their workforce.

  1. Skills and competencies
  2. Learning, training and development
  3. Employment type and resourcing
  4. Separation
  5. Organization structure
  6. Employment equity
  7. Official languages
  8. Workplace well-being
  9. Values and ethics

Analysis in these areas can include both quantitative and qualitative data.

A discussion of each of these areas follows.

A) Skills and competencies

The skills and competencies of the workforce (or team) are important contributing factors to organizational capacity. Key terms used to define an organization's capability are “competencies” and “skills”.

Competence is a combination of knowledge, skill, understanding, ability, application, behaviour, aptitude, attitude and performance. Skill is the practised application of a topic, technique or concept.

Information on skills and competencies could include the education profile of employees (e.g. major field of study, degree attained) and the skills, competency levels and learning/development required.

Questions to consider:

Additional sources of information:

To obtain additional sources of information for the following documents, visit the Canada Public Service Agency Web site:

The Public Service Commission Web site has several articles and publications on skills and competencies. Use the search engine and type in competencies for a full listing: http://www.psc-cfp.gc.ca.

Your departmental/agency staffing program and supporting tools.

B) Training, learning and development

Training, learning and development can be important tools in ensuring effective integration of HR and business planning.

The Government established a Policy on Learning, Training and Development (which, on January 1, 2006, replaced the Policy for Continuous Learning in the Public Service). The objective of the policy is stated as follows: “…to help build a skilled, well-trained and professional workforce; to strengthen organizational leadership; and to adopt leading-edge management practices to encourage innovation and continuous improvements in performance.”

The Public Service Learning Policy Centre has identified core learning needs and requirements through the establishment of a Library of Common Knowledge for managers of the Public Service. It covers the ten key elements of the Management Accountability Framework and supports the objectives of ensuring a highly competent, bilingual, and representative Public Service. The Library has served as a solid foundation for the curriculum review undertaken by the Canada School of Public Service.

Questions to consider:

Additional sources of information:

Consult your internal learning specialist for information on training, learning and development options (e.g. employee orientation, courses).

C) Employment type and resourcing

Employment type distribution (e.g. term, indeterminate, casual, etc.) gives you important information on the stability and sustainability of your workforce and can help inform short and long-term staffing decisions and actions that may be required.

Examples of employment type:

Term employment (less than and greater than three months); indeterminate employment (full time and part time); sunset; casual; seasonal; assignment; interchange; secondment; development programs (e.g. Career Assignment Program, Management Trainee Program); other (students, co-ops, Financial Officer Recruitment Development Program, etc.)

Questions to consider:

D) Separation

The literature suggests some organizations have used an annual attrition assumption of 4.5% as normal. Of course, this varies depending on the size and nature of your organization, hiring freezes, downsizing, restructuring and economic and political changes.

Attrition that exceeds normal patterns can result in unnecessary costs to the employer from lost productivity, workload related to staffing positions, training for new employees, etc. Answering some of the questions outlined below should help you develop plans for stabilizing and sustaining staffing levels, inform succession plans, and focus your training, learning and development.

Questions to consider:

E) Organizational Structure

The Deputy Head or Chief Executive Officer is responsible for ensuring that the organizational structure in their department or agency is appropriate for the delivery of the departmental or agency program. The structure is formed by organizing work into functionally related units, such as branches, sectors, and divisions.

Within these branches, sectors, divisions and so on, managers design their own organizational structures, and organize and assign the work to the positions in the structure. The manager describes the work of each position in a work description, which is allocated to an occupational group and evaluated, using the appropriate classification standard, to determine its classification level.

Appropriate decisions on organization design and the assignment of work are all part of sound HR management. These decisions affect the long-term ability of departments and agencies to deliver programs and services, and to compete for resources and retain competent staff.

Managers are accountable for assigning or reassigning work in a timely and systematic manner and for analyzing the short- and long-term consequences of their decisions, within the context of effective integrated planning; otherwise, these decisions could inadvertently change the level of positions, impact on career mobility and employee productivity and/or increase the cost of the Public Service. In addition, being unaware of the impacts or waiting too long to take action could result in considerable salary liability for the department, and in some cases, the entire Public Service.

Questions to consider:

Additional sources of information:

To obtain additional sources of information for the following documents, visit the Canada Public Service Agency Web site:

Tip

During your re-organization efforts, involve classification advisors at the front end so they can highlight organizational impacts.

F) Employment equity

The purpose of the Employment Equity Act is to correct conditions of disadvantage in employment faced by Aboriginal persons, members of visible minorities, persons with disabilities and women by removing barriers to employment and using positive measures. Departments and agencies are required by the Employment Equity Act to conduct a workforce analysis and develop an Employment Equity plan to address under-representation of designated group members. It is recommended that you review the departmental Employment Equity plan. Your own plan should in turn reflect the department’s or agency’s Employment Equity goals as highlighted in the departmental Employment Equity plan.

The data you receive on Aboriginal persons, visible minorities and persons with disabilities are based on those employees who have self-identified. Information on women is retrieved from the pay system. Employment Equity data covers all indeterminate employees, employees with terms of three months or more and seasonal employees.

As a manager, you will want to use this information to assess designated group representation in different employment categories and levels, set goals and monitor progress in reaching those goals.

Questions to consider:

Additional sources of information:

Check your departmental/agency Employment Equity plan for additional information, your branch Employment Equity workforce analysis as well as the Canada Public Service Agency Web site:

Tip

If there is an under-representation, you may want to include in the plan the measures you will take to close the representation gap.

G) Official languages

Equal opportunities: Members of both official language groups have equal opportunities to obtain employment and advancement in federal institutions.

Workforce composition: The composition of the workforce of federal institutions tends to reflect the presence of both the official language communities of Canada.

Language skills: English and French are the official languages of federal institutions. Members of the public have the right to communicate with federal institutions and receive services from them in their preferred official language at designated offices. In regions designated as bilingual for language-of-work purposes, both official languages are the languages of work. In other regions, the language of work is generally the one that predominates in the province or territory.

As a manager in a designated bilingual office for service to the public, it is important that you identify and maintain the necessary language capacity to provide quality services in both official languages.

As a manager in bilingual regions for language-of-work purposes, it is important that you create and maintain a work environment conducive to the use of both official languages, and ensure that employees can exercise their right to choose either language as it pertains to supervision, training, tools, meetings, documents, or personal and central services.

Questions to consider:

Additional sources of information:

Canada Public Service Agency's Official Languages site

H) Workplace well-being

Organizations that create an “HR dashboard” to monitor key indicators of workplace well-being and employee engagement are better equipped to develop integrated HR and business plans that contain meaningful actions aimed at specific areas of improvement. Employee engagement lies at the heart of both performance and retention; it is based on job satisfaction and rational and emotional commitment to the workplace. It is therefore important to develop both objective (quantitative) and subjective (qualitative) indicators to allow organizations to have a full picture of how “well” they are doing.

Workplace well-being is a holistic approach to creating high performance organizations through establishing the right workplace conditions to generate high levels of employee engagement. It assumes that achieving high levels of organizational performance depends on employees who are strongly committed to achieving the goals of the organization and who show this through their actions. This behavioural objective is influenced in turn by levels of employee satisfaction and by supportive, respectful and healthy work environments. Workplace Well-Being is connected to physical health and wellness but primarily emphasizes the social and psychological dimensions of three inter-related elements: the workplace, the workforce, and the work people do.

Questions to consider:

Additional sources of information:

To obtain additional sources of information for the following documents, visit the Canada Public Service Agency Web site:

I) Values and Ethics

Enhancing and maintaining public trust in the institutions of government is a fundamental element of the work of the Public Service of Canada. Managers have a key role in ensuring that all their responsibilities – whether for people, money or programs – are carried out in such a way that the values of the Public Service are upheld, and that all employees maintain high ethical standards in their actions and decisions.

To guide public servants in upholding the organization’s values and to foster public confidence, the Treasury Board adopted the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service (the Code) in September 2003. It is a condition of employment in the Public Service. It contains a statement of Public Service values and ethics, developed following extensive consultation with public servants, which highlights four fundamental families of values: democratic, professional, ethical and people values. The Code also contains conflict of interest and post-employment measures, and provides avenues of resolution if there are perceived breaches to the Code or in cases of disagreement about its interpretation. Deputy heads are accountable for ensuring the Code is implemented in their organizations, and for decisions made under the Code. Managers will need to familiarize themselves with this and other related, important policies such as the Policy on the Internal Disclosure of Information Concerning Wrongdoing in the Workplace (IDP) and the Policy on the Prevention and Resolution of Harassment in the Workplace, as part of their own responsibilities to provide sound ethical advice and guidance to employees.

Managers, whose responsibility it is to exemplify Public Service values, must strive to create and maintain a work environment that encourages dialogue on organizational values and on the ethical dilemmas unique to their operations. As part of their planning, managers are encouraged to assess employees’ level of awareness and understanding of the Code and related policies, as well as the extent to which staff feel the Code is upheld and their degree of comfort in raising concerns or ethical dilemmas within the organization. Managers should also contact the senior official responsible for the Code within their department or agency to familiarize themselves with the organizational plan of action on values and ethics or for help determining appropriate initiatives for their own work units.

Questions to consider:

Additional sources of information:

To obtain additional sources of information for the following documents, visit the Canada Public Service Agency Web site:

Tip

STEP 3 – conduct a gap analysis

Based on an analysis of the environmental scan and business goals, what are the organization’s current and future HR needs?

Examples of considerations:

Supporting points to consider in the gap analysis

Worksheet - Sample gap analysis
What are my business objectives? What are the HR requirements to deliver on the business objectives? Gap - Do I have what I need to carry out my activities or business objectives (yes/no)? What is the outcome of not addressing the gap Potential solutions/strategies to address the gap
Example: Technology launch Technical Staff trained to install and maintain technology No High
  • Include training in employee learning plans
  • Work with internal learning specialists to explore in house training options
  • Examine change delivery mechanisms

STEP 4 – set HR priorities to help achieve business goals

Based on the organization’s goals, environmental scan and gap analysis:

  1. What are the major HR priorities?
  2. What strategies will achieve the desired outcomes?

Work plans may include strategies on:

Recruitment/Staffing, Retention, Mobility/Redeployment, Employment Equity, Official Languages, Classification/Organizational Design, Change Management, Systems Capacity, Leadership Development, Learning, Training and Development, Performance Management, Competency/Skills Development, Succession and Contingency Planning, Corporate Knowledge Retention, Health and Safety, HR Planning, Employee Engagement, Reward and Recognition, Workplace Well-being, Workplace Accommodation, Labour Management Relations, Values and Ethics, Organizational Development, Disability Management

Examples of considerations:

Supporting points to consider in priority setting and strategy development

It is now time to prioritize the gaps based on the relative importance of carrying out your programs/activities and/or business objectives.

N.B. When setting HR priorities and strategies, it is important to introduce an integrated risk management approach to the process. For more information, please visit the Treasury Board Secretariat Web site:

Federal Regional Councils have good examples of carrying out horizontal initiatives. For example, under the mandate of the Quebec Regional Council, the Quebec Region Interdepartmental Committee of HR Directors has developed a horizontal approach to developing HR initiatives. For additional information, please visit the Federal Regional Council site at http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/fcer-cfre/index-eng.asp

STEP 5 – measure, monitor and report on progress

Measuring, monitoring and reporting HR performance outcomes is key to assessing progress in target areas, organizational learning and improvement and determining future priorities.

Supporting points to consider for measuring, monitoring and reporting

Consequently, you may wish to establish a process that allows for a regular review of planning efforts in order to:

The following considerations support the questions outlined above in the Checklist and may help determine whether or not your plan needs revisions (Note: Most of these questions will become relevant after you are fairly far along in implementing your strategies.)

Tip

In deciding on what to measure, it is important to consider:



Demographic information is a key component in the integrated planning process. The links provided below on demographics are intended to serve as a support to your department’s or agency’s planning efforts. It is recognized that many organizations already have procedures in place to capture demographic information.

The following information can be found on-line on the Canada Public Service Agency website

Federal Public Service Employment Statistics

The Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada provides on-line access to a range of information on employment in the Public Service. The site contains aggregate, statistical data relating to departments and agencies.

Public Service Commission role:

Target audience:

Contents of the statistical tool:



The Canada School of the Public Service offers key courses to departments, agencies and central agencies on integrated planning.

P100 Integrated Planning and HR Management is currently being revised. This course takes the “essentials” of PSMA one step further by helping managers and HR professionals learn how to integrate HR and business planning, the Management Accountability Framework and Modern Comptrollership.

The CSPS also offers a dedicated four-day course: P702 Human Resources Planning. The course provides participants with the fundamentals of this important discipline within the federal Public Service context. Participants have the opportunity to learn and practice using the basic tools needed to provide advice and service in this field.

Content: Human Resources Planning (P702)

Location: HR planning courses are offered in regions and in the National Capital Region.

Typical participants: HR professionals new to HR planning and those who may be asked to provide advice and guidance to managers on this topic.

Access the course description and register for the HR planning course via the Canada School of the Public Service Web site.

Canada School of Public Service : www.myschool-monecole.gc.ca



These publications can be found on-line on the Government of Canada Web site: http://canada.gc.ca/home.html

Government of Canada:

Other sites of interest:



1) What is integrated HR and business planning?

Integrated HR and business planning is the process of:

2) We already do some HR planning. Is it mandatory for us to use the tools in this kit?

Departments and agencies are free to adopt the processes in this kit, or to use them as a complement to existing planning practices should they wish to do so.

Even if departments and agencies are well along the road in integrating HR and business planning, the information in this kit can provide useful benchmarks and checklists that can augment existing practices across departments and agencies.

3) I'm a line manager and I am very busy. I already know my team well. Will this work really help me?

Most good managers address HR planning intuitively, and we know that some organizations are already quite advanced in this area. However, we also know that improvement is needed, Public Service-wide, and it is considered a priority among senior decision makers across government.

The tools in the Integrated Planning Guidebook are generic enough that managers in any organization can use them to help them think through how they can best integrate HR and business planning.

4) From a line manager's perspective, what is the most important document in the Integrated Planning Guidebook for me to work with?

The document entitled Integrated HR and Business Planning Checklist outlines for you the steps that are commonly accepted as central to integrating HR and business planning. Organizations noted for good HR planning typically follow these steps or a slight variation thereof.

If you work through these steps and ask yourself the questions that fall under each heading you may well get some ideas on how you can better integrate HR and business planning and improve your team's capacity to deliver.

It is possible that after you work through this methodology you may only focus on two or three HR strategies. That is fine.

5) What do I need to know before I start the integrated planning process?

Understanding your business goals and deliverables is central to integrating HR and business planning. Although it is recognized that in government, as elsewhere, priorities change, most line managers, after receiving strategic direction, can determine with some accuracy a reasonable course of action for consideration and approval by more senior levels.

6) How can I do an integrated plan in instances where it is unclear what my final budget will be?

It is recognized that sometimes managers do not have all the details at their fingertips that they would like as they work through the planning process. There is always an aspect of risk and uncertainty in any environment.

However, line managers are in the position where they must:

Talk to your immediate manager and get as clear an idea as possible of what the business priorities are for the coming year.

7) How do I integrate HR planning with staffing?

Integrated HR and business planning is fundamental to taking advantage of the opportunities available to you under the Public Service Employment Act. Integrated HR and business plans can provide you with the solid foundation you need in order to make staffing decisions. Here are some examples of new staffing possibilities:

8) How are the reporting requirements, such as the Report on Plans and Priorities, Departmental Performance Report and annual reports, linked to integrated HR and business planning process?

All departments and agencies are subject to traditional reporting requirements such as the Report on Plans and Priorities and the Departmental Performance Report. Line managers at various levels typically contribute to the process of preparing these documents.

Integrated HR and business planning in the context of preparing these reports is important. For example, the Report on Plans and Priorities outlines what organizations plan to do, so it is important to ensure you have the human capacity to achieve your goals.

However, integrated HR and business planning should not be considered as an exercise exclusively designed to meet reporting requirements. Integrated HR and business planning should be an ongoing process whereby managers are regularly thinking about their work in the context of the people, learning and human development needed to meet their goals.

9) What support is available to help departments, agencies and line managers integrate HR with business planning?

The information in the Integrated Planning Guidebook is designed to transcend the planning-related specifics of any particular department or manager, and provides a model and checklists that can either be adopted outright or adapted to complement existing planning practices.

The Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada also offers help and support to departments and agencies. The Planning Directorate can be contacted by calling (613) 946-9303.

HR advisors, HR planning specialists and corporate planners in departments and agencies can provide support to managers. The HR Planning Interdepartmental Network (HRPIN) meets regularly to discuss HR planning issues. This is an open forum where those interested in HR planning issues can attend and participate.

10) How is Public Service-wide Renewal linked to Integrated Planning?

One of the biggest challenges the government is currently facing deals with attracting, recruiting, training and retaining talents in a highly competitive national and international context for this vital resource. Renewal is about ensuring excellence in all that Public Service does in the future. Renewal encompasses both how business is done and the people who do it. This means that every manager in the Public Service must plan for his/her business and for the associated people requirements, know existing and forecasted talent strengths and gaps, effectively align resources (including people) to deliver results and use planning to engage employees and achieve traction.



Integrated planning Guidebook: Annex 1

Integrated planning: working through the five-step approach

Foreword

The planning templates contained in this document were developed based on numerous requests from a variety of departments and agencies in the Public Service for more information on the integrated planning process.

In a recent address to Deputy Ministers, the President of CPSA stated that:

“…Planning, and more specifically Integrated Planning – that is the integration of human resources and business planning - has been identified as one of the key pillars of Public Service Renewal by both the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee on the Public Service and the Deputy Minister’s Sub-Committee on Public Service Renewal.”

The Clerk of the Privy Council has identified planning, recruitment, development and enabling infrastructure to be the 4 pillars of Renewal, and as such, Public Service Renewal has become one of our top priorities at the Canada Public Service Agency.

From “Determining your Business Goals” to “Measuring, Monitoring and Reporting on your Progress”, these templates were developed to help you in your ongoing efforts to implement and improve integrated planning, and they can be used in whole or in part to supplement your organization’s existing planning processes.

We hope these tools are useful and we welcome your feedback on them.

We would like to thank the organizations below who contributed to the development of these templates: Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Citizenship and Immigration, Industry Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada, Transport Canada, Service Canada, The Small Agency Transition Support Team (CPSA), Natural Resources Canada

How to use this tool

Templates and/or worksheets have been created to follow the Five-Step Approach of the integrated human resources and business planning checklist. The Five-Step Approach is a guide to integrating human resources and business planning. As you proceed through the process you may find that some steps can be worked concurrently or in a different order than what is indicated. All templates and worksheets are supported by a list of suggested Considerations, Documents to Consult and Roles and Responsibilities. Templates and worksheets were developed in Excel 9.0.

Step 1: Determine your business goals

Two spreadsheets have been provided for your use.

The Worksheet may be used for regional-, sector-, or branch-level organizations. In keeping with the Program Activity Architecture policy, we have allowed space to include sub-activities and activities.

The Template may be used at the higher Branch or Department/Agency level to allow for roll-up of the regional worksheets. Space is also provided at this level to include Branch activities.

Step 2: scan the environment

Three worksheets; one for Key Positions, one for determining Employment Equity and one for Training and Development supports the Current Workforce Analysis template.

As well, templates are available for Internal and External Analysis and provide space for Risk Analysis, Mitigation Strategies and could assist you in the beginning of a human resources plan.

Two additional, separate templates are available for forecasting Future Workforce Needs (short term and long term), which summarizes the current Workforce Analysis, and Internal and External Analysis templates.

Step 3: conduct a gap analysis

One template is provided to help summarize the gap analysis between your current workforce, future workforce and your business goals. This template provides space to indicate some strategies to meet the gap and gives you an opportunity to conduct a risk assessment.

Step 4: set HR priorities to help achieve business goals

Taking into consideration the gap analysis of Step 3, Step 4 provides a template to summarize your strategies linked to the gap analysis and business goals. This template could be considered as an action plan as you move forward to developing the Staffing Plan. An additional template is provided to help draft the Staffing Plan.

Step 5: measure, monitor and report on progress

Step 5 provides both a worksheet for Regional, Sector or Branch level organizations and a template for roll-up to a higher level to assist in measuring the progress against your priorities. The worksheet provides for an at-a-glance view of the status of activities in the organization.

Please note that these templates and worksheets may contain sensitive information once completed, and should therefore be marked PROTECTED


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