All HR professionals are expected to understand the basic tools necessary to determine HR Demand. All the HR textbooks cover the topic, and all HR provincial regulatory examinations will test you on the subject. Learning the concepts and applying the concepts, are two vastly different tasks. Many HR Professionals use the Delphi Technique, outlined in this Belcourt’s, Strategic Human Resources Planning, to determine HR Demand.
The Delphi Technique is described as:
“A process in which the forecasts and judgments of a selected group of experts are solicited and summarized in an attempt to determine the future HR demand.”
Now let’s take the theory behind the Delphi Technique and make it practical. The following step-by-step guide for application, was written by Project Manager, Duncan Haughety:
Step 1: Choose a Facilitator
Step 2: Identify Your Experts
Step 3: Define the Problem
Step 4: Round One Questions
Step 5: Round Two Questions
Step 6: Round Three Questions
Step 7: Act on Your Findings
Click here to read more about Haughety’s Step-by-Step Guide.
The next time you are asked to predict HR demand, pull out this step-by-step guide to help you along.
Discussion Questions:
- You are the HR director for a solar panel manufacture, currently employing 500 engineers, project managers, sales people, general assembly workers and installers. Your current annual production is 100,000 units. Your sales forecasts predict that your sales will double next year, and 500% in five years. Develop an action plan by using the Delphi technique and predict the future HR demand for employees in your industry.