Strategic Workforce Planning - Selected Case Studies

DoD Acquisition, Technology, & Logistics (DoD AT&L)

Client Objective: DoD established a Human Capital Strategic Planning (HCSP) process for its Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AT&L) workforce in response to an October 2000 task force report identified potentially serious problems related to the exodus of the Department’s acquisition talent over the next several years.  FMP was selected to assist in refining, improving, and carrying out this HCSP process and continues to provide support for this process.

FMP Approach: The overall goal of the DoD acquisition workforce initiatives is to align the Department’s acquisition functions with accomplishment of its military mission.  As part of this project, FMP:

• Inventoried DoD strategic guidance, such as memoranda from the Secretary of Defense, and reports from the Quadrennial Defense Review and the Defense Science Board, to assure that human capital plans would be aligned with overall mission and strategic goals
• Identified best practices both from within the Department and from non-DoD agencies
• Designed a new HCSP process and supported its implementation by facilitating a working group of representatives from the DoD services and four defense agencies that comprise the bulk of the acquisition workforce
• Designed and wrote a high-level, 5-year AT&L Workforce Strategic Plan based on the new Department-wide acquisition workforce strategic planning process and other guiding documents
• Developed a catalog of strategic workforce planning efforts across the Federal government, with a particular emphasis on competency management
• Provided guidance to the DoD components for conducting workforce planning and synthesizing workforce planning data
• Analyzed the impact of competitive sourcing on the DoD AT&L workforce

Results: As a result of this work, the Department of Defense now has a consolidated workforce plan for its large and critical acquisition workforce, linked to the budget process and coordinated across military departments and other components. The planning process and other products increase the Department’s likelihood of meeting its military goals because a skilled acquisition workforce will be in place to buy, test, deliver, and maintain the equipment and weapons systems of the future.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)

Client Objective: In response to the President’s Management Agenda and in anticipation of projected demographic and retirement eligibility trends, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) undertook a comprehensive analysis of its workforce requirements and projected workforce changes.

FMP Approach: FMP engaged the entire Service in a comprehensive workforce planning process that compared the current organization to the desired future state of operations.  The process resulted in a plan applicable to the entire Service including methodology, milestones, resource requirements, and benefits and caveats to implementation.  Specific solution-focused activities at the program level included the following:

• Conducted strategic planning and workforce analysis activities to align organizational objectives with organizational structure and work processes. 
• Developed staffing models for determining and supporting future staffing and FTE requirements, restructured positions and related competencies to support future mission and business objectives, and redesigned career paths and training requirements.
• Conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the FWS Washington and Regional Office organizations.  Consulted and engaged executive leadership; identified organizational trends; held multiple focus groups with employees and managers to gather data and identify concerns; and devised communications strategies.  Presented a report and recommendations for systemic organizational change at an executive leadership meeting.
• Designed a long term, end-to-end workforce planning process for FWS.  This process included a detailed plan for cyclical reviews, procedures for involving stakeholders, methods for using existing work teams, and ways to identify metrics for measuring effectiveness and success.