This unit is responsible for maintaining the enterprise workforce planning policy, setting standardized workforce planning indicators and collection and analysis of agency data to report trends and forecast needs and/or solutions.
HRD-Office of Talent Management workforce planning consultative services include, but are not limited to, speaking to agency leadership teams about the implications and benefits of workforce planning, offering workshops to support the workforce planning process, guiding HR business partners through the process of evaluating their specific workforce situations via the online toolkit and resources, and finally by organizing a consortium of human resources professionals to increase collaboration and cooperation.
Program Administrator: Ray Justice Learning and Talent Development Administrator 614-728-8944
In Spring 2009, the Governor signed an agreement allowing the Pew Center on the States to assist the Department of Administrative Services’ (DAS), Human Resources Division in developing a statewide workforce planning policy and tools to better strategically align our people to the work our agencies perform.
Directive HR-D-15 for workforce planning.
Coming soon.
NEW - Watch the video below to learn about strategic succession planning.
Human ResourcesHuman Resources’ role is to gather and compile data from performance results to create potential successor pools, which are comprised of individuals who possess the skills necessary for the exempt positions that could become vacant. In addition, Human Resources supports supervisors in completing items such as performance evaluations, stay interviews, and periodic coaching meetings as well as in developing employees for their next role.
ManagerManagers play a vital role in succession planning by effectively communicating with employees and taking an active role in employee development. The most effective succession planning involves managers who promote and encourage employee development. Managers should evaluate employees’ interest in the succession planning process and help develop employees for their next role.
EmployeeEmployees exempt from collective bargaining play an important role in succession planning. Exempt employees should think about their preferred career path and find ways to look into several positions of interest. Exempt employees who are interested in development either within their current pay grade (laterally) or in a higher pay grade (promotionally) should inform their manager of their interest and begin to develop a plan to achieve the desired position.
Best Practices
Common Mistakes
Frequently Asked Questions
Glossary
Expand each step below to explore tools that support each step of the Strategic Succession Planning Framework.
Additional resources coming soon.
Click here to download the complete Strategic Succession Planning Resource Guide. Click the below sections to focus on a specific subject area from the Guide.
The State of Ohio’s Strategic Succession Planning Guide is a resource to assist leaders and human resources professionals in creating dynamic, impactful plans for developing potential successors while strengthening the current bench. By planning, agencies will develop individuals who can effectively lead as well as achieve the mission and strategic priorities to maintain an effective work environment.
According to Gartner, strategic succession planning focuses on identifying and developing a pool of leaders and critical talent ready to fill key roles across all organizational levels, closely aligned with long-term organizational goals and objectives. This guide will help you understand how to apply this definition within the State’s strategic succession planning framework.
How can managers and leaders benefit from this Guide?
Agency leaders can benefit from this guide in rethinking how they think about filling vacancies internally as well as how they consider the development paths of employees.
How can employees benefit from this Guide?
Employees can benefit from this guide by learning more about how the State utilizes strategic succession planning, preparing for potential conversations with their leaders.
How can Human Resources professionals benefit from this Guide?
Human Resources professionals can benefit from this guide by understanding the process and related tools to assist in consulting with agency leaders and employees on their strategic succession planning needs.
Strategic Succession Planning is a component of the State of Ohio’s overall Talent Management practices and processes. The broader practice of Talent Management is aimed at optimizing human capital, which enables an organization to drive short- and long-term results by building culture, engagement, capability, and capacity through integrated talent acquisition, talent development, and talent deployment processes that align to business goals.
As illustrated in the table below, strategic succession and workforce planning usually work in tandem to inform human resources-related systems, process, and policies such as talent acquisition and performance management.
When done in a strategic manner, succession planning supports not only workforce planning and talent management efforts, but the agency’s overall strategic priorities and goals. Succession strategies should be utilized to effectively plan for internal talent needs in support of the agency’s vision, mission, and strategic priorities. The comprehensive succession plan should address current and future leadership needs of the agency.
Succession planning, when performed in a strategic manner, can influence many aspects of an agency’s talent management strategy. Therefore, it is essential to determine the role of succession planning during strategic planning meetings to ensure leadership buy-in and support, thus positioning the practice in a place of importance within the agency. If misaligned to the agency’s overall strategy, succession planning may not have the desired impact, which may lead to reduced knowledge transfer along with a weakened talent bench. Additionally, strategic succession planning helps agencies ensure business continuity that supports all Ohioans.
The following are some key benefits of succession planning.
Illustrated below is the State’s Strategic Succession Planning Framework. Each step will be described in detail, which defines the process, tools, and activities associated with each of the four steps.
Step 1: Identify Mission Critical or Key Positions
The first step involves the agency’s strategic leadership team assembling and collaborating to identify which positions are mission critical. This requires evaluating the impact each position has in achieving strategic goals. In other words, would an unfilled position pose a critical risk to the agency?
Process Detail
Step 2: Identify Talent Pool and Assess Bench Strength
The next step is to assess the current workforce’s bench strength to establish an individual’s readiness for a critical role. The talent pool consists of existing employees who may be identified as a potential successor to pursue development toward the identified critical positions referenced in Step 1. It is important to determine the talent pool members’ bench strength or current readiness to move into a critical role.
This step will help determine how the skills of the identified talent pool members align with the established needs of each mission critical or key position.
Step 4 involves translating identified skill gaps into individualized development plans tailored to each member of the identified talent pool. Once the individualized development plans are in place, adjustments should be made according to each member’s developmental needs and the needs of the critical role. The progress of each pool member should be monitored and assessed.
Once you have completed the tools, it is time to craft your narrative strategic succession plan. This not only helps put the completed tools into actionable practice, but it helps demonstrate your plans for leadership review and approval. Finally, the narrative plan provides an opportunity to link your succession efforts to your department’s, division’s, or agency’s strategic goals and priorities.
Related resources, such as competency development assistance, may be found by visiting the below webpages.
Gartner Glossary. (n.d.). Retrieved from Gartner: https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/glossary/succession-planning-and-management
Maurer, R. (2020, March 22). Leadership Succession Risks and What HR Can Do About Them. Retrieved from Society for Human Resource Management: https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/Pages/HR-Leadership-Succession-Risks.aspx
Services for Agencies: Workforce & Succession Planning. (n.d.). Retrieved from U.S. Office of Personnel Management: https://www.opm.gov/services-for-agencies/workforce-succession-planning/succession-planning/#url=Succession-Planning-Strategies
State of Oregon. (2017). Succession Planning Guide. Retrieved from https://www.oregon.gov/das/HR/Documents/sp-SP%20Guide.pdf
Succession Planning. (n.d.). Retrieved from United States Geological Survey: https://www.usgs.gov/about/organization/science-support/human-capital/succession-planning
30 E. Broad St., 40th Floor Columbus, Ohio 43215
Voice: 614-728-8944
Email: das.hrdwfp@das.ohio.gov
Technology Management
Learning and Talent Development
Lead Ohio
Performance Management and Development
Talent Development Community
Talent Management
Workforce and Succession Planning
