The proper human resource management tools and techniques are essential for HR managers to use in their planning process.

It is important for the HR department to understand the proper tools and techniques they can use to ensure the business is operating in the best way possible. When HR managers use every tool available to them to achieve the goals and objectives of the business, the company and the employees succeed.

When it comes to the human resources department, it is necessary to keep detailed plans to assist management. Keeping detailed plans assists in recruiting, training, retention, compensation, and benefits. Planning is also the most effective way to stay aligned with corporate goals and objectives.

Tools for Human Resource Planning

The mission, vision, and values of a company define the company’s purpose and give it direction. HR managers incorporate these elements into their recruiting, development, and retention practices and allow the HR department to plan for necessary actions that must be taken for the company to achieve its specific goals and objectives.

Strategic human resource planning must include these elements for companies to reach their highest potential. Another part of the HR planning process is to take an environmental analysis into consideration. This involves monitoring the internal and external factors that influence the company.

A common aspect of a good human resource management plan is to create a SWOT analysis that finds the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the company and plans on ways to address them. The most successful HR departments are able to forecast labor needs and make proper plans to maintain or expand as needed.

Another important tool for HR managers to use is business data. Data like payroll, benefits cost, revenues, employee hours, absenteeism rates, training costs, and turnover rates allow HR managers to assess, understand and evaluate the business better.

Forecasting Techniques in Human Resource Planning

• Analyze Work Operations
• Conduct a Detailed Job Analysis
• Conduct Online Surveys
• Use Society of Human Resource Calculators
• Read Department of Commerce Reports
• Document Forecasting Process
• Follow Forecasting Process Consistently
• Trend Analysis
• Ratio Analysis
• Scatter Plot

There are many human resource management tools and techniques HR departments can use to make their planning process easier. When conducting a detailed job analysis for each function of the company, HR managers should list all policies and procedures required to complete each task.

HR managers should document the standard output for each person and compare that to the desired output to determine the number of people needed to produce the desired volume of operations. A technique many HR managers use is to ask several experts in their organization about their opinion on forecasting needs based on their experience of managing employees.

These findings should be shared with all experts involved due to the fact that they don’t normally share their opinions with each other. This is a problem within businesses because communication is key to making a company successful.

The department of commerce has reported on workforce planning needs that help HR managers learn about trends and assist them in their forecasting budgets for hiring, training, and payroll. These reports help companies compete in the global marketplace. By documenting forecasting processes used, HR departments are able to create more accurate forecasts in the future.

Trend Analysis is also another popular forecasting technique of human resource planning. It is based on the evaluations of the perceived patterns and trends. The technique places emphasis on the present trend based on past experiences. Ratio Analysis is also used in forecasting HR needs according to the ratio between specific regular factors like the number of employees needed, sales volume, or between a number of required employees and quantity of output needed for the production of that amount.

Scatter plot is an HR forecasting technique that uses the graphical representation to identify the correspondence between two variables such as staffing levels and business activities.

Human Resource Management Tools and Techniques

• Organizational Charts
• Responsibility Assignments Matrix
• Text
• Networking
• Organizational Theory
• Expert Judgement
• SWOT Analysis
• Programmatic Job Advertising Tools
• Talent Management Systems
• Pre-employment Assessment Tools

Organizational charts are an excellent way to explain authority and reporting lines in a project. The HR plan should describe when to recruit staff into a project, how they will be trained, and when the staff should complete the project. Many HR managers use a matrix called the responsibility assignments matrix (RAM). This matrix should describe the various work packages and the various roles within the company.

The text is a simple document that states the role within a project, the responsibilities they will have, the tasks involved in the role, and the qualifications needed to fill such a role. This document is necessary for HR managers to hire the best candidate for the position. Networking is an important aspect of the HR planning process.

Communication with others within a contact network is necessary to understand outside forces that may influence projects. People work differently when they are alone than when they are in a group setting so it is important for managers to understand how their team will behave.

Programmatic job advertising tools save the HR manager the stress of manual sourcing which involves searching, identifying, and updating useful platforms, job boards, and social channels. Talent management systems are integrated software platforms that cover the entire scope of human resources talent management, which are: employee recruitment and onboarding, growth and learning, performance management, succession planning, and compensation management.

Pre-employment assessment tools gather applicant information in order to predict the possibility of a candidate excelling in the position they are applying for.

There are many HR tools and techniques HR departments can use in their planning processes. For an organization to operate at its highest capacity, the HR team must be aware of all tools and techniques available to them and use them wisely. When the HR department within a company is operating at its highest capacity, the organization will also be operating at its highest capacity as well.