Program objective
Develop a structured approach to aligning workforce capacity, capability and organizational design with business demand. Participants compare workforce scenarios and design options, making assumptions, costs, dependencies and transition needs visible.
Who this suits
HR leaders, workforce planners, organization-design practitioners and managers planning team or business growth.
Professional objectives
- Forecast workforce demand and supply using explicit business assumptions.
- Evaluate organization design and workforce options against cost and capability needs.
- Develop a phased workforce plan with measurable implementation priorities.
Key learning outcomes
- Build a basic demand forecast and document its assumptions.
- Create a workforce supply profile and a prioritized skills-gap analysis.
- Prepare a scenario comparison and a recommended workforce response.
- Assess two organization-design options and explain the trade-offs.
- Draft a role charter and a practical organization-transition plan.
- Deliver a phased workforce plan and management dashboard outline.
Module map
- 1.Strategy and workforce demand
- 2.Workforce supply and skills analysis
- 3.Scenarios and workforce options
- 4.Organization design principles
- 5.Role clarity and transition planning
- 6.Measures, governance and action planning
Modules in detail
1
Strategy and workforce demand
Theory & concepts
Translate growth, service levels and operating plans into workforce requirements. Define workload drivers, productivity assumptions and critical skills, and distinguish short-term headcount requests from structural capability needs. Convert service demand into workload, productivity and full-time-equivalent assumptions. Separate demand uncertainty from estimation error and identify roles or skills that constrain the operating plan.
Professional application
Link forecast demand to service levels, workload and productivity assumptions. Identify the factor that most affects the estimate and test the consequences of a different demand pattern.
Hands-on exercise & output
Build a basic demand forecast and document its assumptions.
2
Workforce supply and skills analysis
Theory & concepts
Assess current capacity, skills, location, attrition and internal mobility. Build a gap analysis that separates role shortages from proficiency gaps, and identify where incomplete workforce data weakens planning confidence. Map headcount, skills, proficiency, attrition and internal mobility. Distinguish the availability of a person from readiness to perform a critical task or role.
Professional application
Assess both headcount and usable capability. Document proficiency, deployment constraints and critical skills so the supply picture reflects the work that can actually be delivered.
Hands-on exercise & output
Create a workforce supply profile and a prioritized skills-gap analysis.
3
Scenarios and workforce options
Theory & concepts
Compare base, growth and constraint scenarios with explicit assumptions. Evaluate recruitment, development, redeployment, outsourcing and automation options against cost, time, operational risk and the availability of skills. Model growth, steady-state and constraint scenarios with different demand assumptions. Compare recruitment, development, contracting, redeployment and automation against cost, time and risk.
Professional application
Compare workforce responses over an appropriate time horizon. Include the time to recruit or develop, transition disruption and dependency on external capacity.
Hands-on exercise & output
Prepare a scenario comparison and a recommended workforce response.
4
Organization design principles
Theory & concepts
Examine structure, spans, layers, decision rights and cross-functional interfaces. Test alternative designs against the work that must be delivered rather than relying on an organization chart alone. Evaluate functional, divisional and matrix choices against strategy and workflow. Examine spans, layers, duplicated activity and decision bottlenecks rather than changing reporting lines alone.
Professional application
Evaluate structure against the flow of work and decisions. Identify duplicated ownership, excessive handovers and unclear interfaces before proposing changes to reporting relationships.
Hands-on exercise & output
Assess two organization-design options and explain the trade-offs.
5
Role clarity and transition planning
Theory & concepts
Develop role accountabilities and resolve duplicated or missing responsibilities. Consider workload, capability and employee impacts during transition, and connect redesign decisions to consultation, communication and implementation requirements. Define accountabilities, decision rights and cross-functional interfaces for critical roles. Sequence transition actions and recognize employee, consultation and capability implications.
Professional application
Write role accountabilities in terms of outcomes and decision authority. Clarify interfaces with adjacent roles and identify the support needed during transition.
Hands-on exercise & output
Draft a role charter and a practical organization-transition plan.
6
Measures, governance and action planning
Theory & concepts
Track critical vacancies, skill readiness, productivity and workforce cost through a focused dashboard. Create a phased action plan with owners, decision points and a process for updating assumptions as conditions change. Track critical gaps, readiness, workforce cost and productivity with agreed definitions. Establish ownership for refreshing assumptions and reviewing progress against business demand.
Professional application
Set review triggers for changes in demand, attrition and capability. Use the workforce plan as a decision process that is updated with evidence rather than a fixed annual headcount table.
Hands-on exercise & output
Deliver a phased workforce plan and management dashboard outline.
Integrated assignment
Produce a scenario-based workforce plan and transition roadmap with role clarity, capability options, costs, risks and implementation priorities.
Delivery & methodology
Format
Part-time professional training
Attendance
Face-to-face · Live online
Location
Dubai / UAE for face-to-face cohorts; online attendance available
Timing
Session hours, timetable, venue and cohort availability are confirmed in joining instructions.
- Pre-course needs and learning-goals assessment
- Facilitated theory and professional concepts
- Guided demonstrations, case analysis and hands-on exercises
- Application to workplace decisions, with discussion and feedback
- Post-course learning review and a personal application plan
Assessment & application
Before
Identify your role, experience, priority objectives and a workplace task you want to improve. Record a baseline confidence rating with an example of current capability.
During
Review module exercises for accurate use of the method, evidence supporting decisions, relevance to the case and clarity of the completed output. Use facilitator and peer feedback to refine the work.
After
Compare the completed assignment with your initial objectives. Explain the decisions made, identify remaining gaps and record the next practical steps.
Workplace transfer
Create a personal 30-day application plan with a defined action, target date, required support and an observable success measure. This is a participant follow-through plan; ongoing coaching is scoped separately.
Frequently asked questions
How does the program connect workforce planning to organization design?
It models workforce requirements from business demand, assesses capability and compares response options, then designs the organization through workflow, decision rights and role clarity into a scenario-based plan.
Is organization design covered?
Yes — through workflow, decision rights and role clarity rather than reporting lines alone.
Are the dates confirmed?
Dates, delivery format and places are confirmed by TIH before any booking is finalized. Use the enquiry option to check the next available cohort.
