Workforce Planning: 5 steps to a Skills-first Approach

Key considerations when making the shift to skills

For years, workforce planning has been about headcount; tracking how many people you have, where they are, and what they cost. While important, headcount alone can’t tell you whether your workforce has the capabilities to deliver your strategy. 

That’s where a different approach comes in. By focusing on the skills needed for the jobs in your organisation, you can see not just how many people you have, but what they can deliver. It’s a powerful way to align your workforce with your business goals. 

One of the most effective ways to begin is by focusing on the skills needed for the jobs your people do. This creates a clear view of the work that needs to be done and the capabilities each role requires. Ideally, you’ll eventually connect this with employee-level skills data to see exactly where you have gaps or opportunities, but starting at the job level gives you a strong, practical foundation. 

Step 1: Audit Your Job Data 

The quality of your workforce planning depends on the quality of your job data. Outdated or inaccurate job descriptions are one of the most significant barriers to effective skills planning. If they don’t reflect what people actually do day to day, you can’t map the capabilities your organisation needs now or in the future. 

Start by reviewing your existing job descriptions. Ask yourself: 

• Are they accurate and up to date? 
• Were they written with input from people who know the role? 
• Do they describe actual responsibilities and accountabilities rather than generic duties? 

This process ensures you have a realistic view of the work being done across your organisation. 

Step 2: Define Your Job Architecture 

Once your job data is in better shape, the next step is to organise it. A Job Architecture is the structured framework that defines each role’s purpose, its place in the organisation and its relationship to other jobs. 

A clear job architecture helps you: 

• Standardise how jobs are described across departments 
• Spot overlaps or gaps in your structure 
• Identify roles that are critical to your strategy 
• Create a consistent basis for workforce planning 

With this structure in place, you can map skills more effectively and ensure they align more effectively to business needs. 

Step 3: Map Skills to Jobs 

With your roles clearly defined, the next step is to map the skills associated with each one. This means identifying both the core capabilities needed today and the ones that will be important for the future. 

By mapping skills to jobs, you create a skills blueprint for your organisation that can stand alone or be linked with employee-level data for deeper insights. It also allows you to make informed decisions, including: 

• Which jobs are critical to delivering your strategy 
• Where roles may need redesigning to add or update skills 
• Which emerging skills to prioritise for development or recruitment 

Step 4: Integrate Job Data into Workforce Planning 

Job data becomes truly valuable when it’s embedded in your planning process. Linking directly to your hiring, role design and strategic initiatives. For example: 

• When recruiting, ensure the job profile reflects the work that actually needs doing 
• When restructuring, map which roles are staying, changing or being phased out 
• When planning new projects, identify the job types required before deciding on headcount 

This ensures your workforce plans are built on the reality of the work, not just on numbers. 

Step 5: Keep Your Job Data Live 

Jobs evolve as strategies shift, technology advances and market needs change. Keeping your job data up to date means you can spot where skills needs are emerging before they cause gaps. 

Set up a process to: 

• Review job descriptions regularly 
• Update job architecture after organisational changes 
• Track emerging skills for each role as part of your planning cycle 

Job management software can make this easier by automating updates, maintaining consistency and keeping job data connected across systems. 

Why a Job-First Approach Works 

Starting with job-level skills data gives you: 

• A clear, structured view of the work that needs doing 
• A consistent foundation for strategic workforce planning 
• The ability to layer in employee-level data later for a complete skills picture 

This approach delivers immediate value while setting the stage for deeper, more connected workforce planning insights in the future. 

Your Skills Planning Checklist 

1. Audit your job data – Ensure job descriptions reflect real work today. 

2. Define your job architecture – Create a consistent structure across the organisation. 

3. Map skills to jobs – Identify capabilities each role needs now and in the future. 

4. Integrate with workforce planning – Base hiring and restructuring on job data. 

5. Keep job data live – Review and update regularly. 

RoleMapper helps you build the job and skills clarity to plan with confidence. Book a demo and take the first step towards a more innovative approach to workforce planning.