What is a personnel plan?
A personnel plan is a document that outlines an organization’s staffing needs, goals, and strategies for managing its workforce. Whether taken upon yourself or delegated to a trusted manager, this is essential for business.
It is a key component of human resource management and provides a roadmap for the recruitment, selection, training, development, retention, and management of employees.
A personnel plan is critical within the business plan you would have created as a start-up or entrepreneur. It will help you in your financial forecasting, anticipating the right times to hire and expand.
What to include in the personnel section of your business plan
The personnel section of a business plan should include information about the management team and staff that will be involved in operating the business. The people who do the work are the most important asset, which of course comes with a cost. Understanding when to hire, when to think about human resources, and when to grow your business at the right time can be enormously important in meeting business objectives, setting yourself up for success with great personal benchmarks.
Building out a personnel plan within your business plan is going to be essential in planning for the long term success of your business. Forecasting this data can be the best way to ensure longevity.
Who is your management team?
This should include a brief introduction to the key members of the management team, including their backgrounds, experience, and relevant skills. It’s important to highlight their qualifications and how they will contribute to the success of the business.
This can be brief and doesn’t require a full resume for each member of the team. A simple explanation detailing qualifications and relevant experience applicable within the company is all that’s required.
What is the organizational structure?
This section should provide an overview of the organizational structure of the company, including who will be in charge of each department or functional area, as well as any outside consultants or advisors who will be involved.
In line with forecasting, you will want to illustrate the future of your company and who will be included. As you develop, you can anticipate your team growing from a just few employees into staff across multiple sectors, such as customer service, marketing, and support.
What are your staffing needs?
Outline the staffing needs of the business, including the number and types of employees needed to run the business successfully. This should also include the qualifications and skills required for each position.
Here you can identify the weaknesses and risks across your team, ensuring that you have a capable understanding of the roles and responsibilities that are important to the business in the future – though they may not be in place right now. Investors are quick to highlight “perfect” personnel plans, so you will want to embrace that you have identified risks in staffing.
As an example, your head of customer support may also be your head of sales, but in time these two roles will need to be separated.
What will recruitment and training look like?
This section should detail how the company plans to recruit and train employees, including any training programs or on-the-job training that will be provided.
What will the compensations and benefits be?
Outline the compensation and benefits packages that will be offered to employees, including salaries, bonuses, health benefits, retirement plans, and any other perks or incentives.
Outline the Human Resources policies
Detail the company’s policies on issues such as employee performance reviews, disciplinary procedures, and termination policies.
Does a business plan need personnel planning if I have no staff?
Even if you don’t have any employees right now, having a personnel plan is beneficial for your business in the long term.
Without a personnel plan, you may find it challenging to scale your business or adapt to changes in your industry or market. For example, if you suddenly need to hire someone to fill a critical role, you may not know where to start or what qualifications you should look for.
Creating a personnel plan can also help you to clarify your business goals and objectives. By determining the roles and responsibilities required to meet those goals, you can better prioritize and focus on the essential tasks that need to be done.
Therefore, even if you don’t have any employees currently, it’s still a good idea to develop a personnel plan to help you prepare for future growth and ensure that you have the right team in place to support your business objectives.
Is there an easy way to forecast a personnel plan?
Personnel planning is a long process as it requires dedicated thought as to what needs to happen in your business and where you want to take it. Typically, this require a lengthy process of spreadsheets and equations to figure out exactly who needs to be working with you, and at what cost.
Business planning software can ensure that this part of your business plan, alongside other key components, is created with ease – simply needing a few data entries to be entered throughout the software.
