HR Summit and Expo Pre-Conference Workshops - 12 October 2026Monday, 12 October 2026 - GT (Gulf Time, GMT+04:00)

Difficulty:

HR leaders, HR Business Partners, talent leaders, workforce planning teams, OD professionals and business leaders involved in strategic people decisions.

Overview:

Organisations are facing increasing pressure to ensure they have the right workforce capabilities to deliver their strategy in a rapidly changing environment. Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) provides a structured approach to understanding current workforce capability, anticipating future needs and making informed talent decisions.

This highly interactive masterclass provides a practical introduction to Strategic Workforce Planning using the CIPD 6-Stage Workforce Planning Model. Participants will explore how workforce planning connects to business strategy, identify critical workforce segments and roles, assess future workforce risks and gaps, and evaluate practical workforce planning interventions.

Through case studies, simulations and facilitated discussions, participants will gain a clear end-to-end understanding of Strategic Workforce Planning and leave with practical actions they can apply immediately within their organisation.

This workshop focuses on the strategic process and practical application of SWP.

Module 1: Introduction to strategic workforce planning

• What is Strategic Workforce Planning?
• Why SWP matters
• The Seven Rights of Workforce Planning
• Overview of the CIPD Six-Stage SWP Model
• Common SWP maturity challenges

Activity: SWP maturity pulse check

Module 2: Business strategy & workforce alignment

• Understanding business strategy
• Future of work trends
• Translating business goals into workforce implications
• Strategic risks and workforce implications

Activity: Strategy-to-workforce mapping

Module 3: Workforce segmentation & business-critical roles

• Workforce segmentation principles
• Capability segmentation
• Identifying critical roles
• Strategic vs operational roles
• Risk and impact assessment

Simulation: Critical role prioritisation exercise

Module 4: Future needs & gap analysis

• Current state vs future state workforce
• Future capability requirements
• Skills shortages and surpluses
• Scenario thinking
• High-level demand and supply concepts

Case Study: Gap analysis

Module 5: Workforce Planning levers – The 7 Bs

• Build
• Buy
• Borrow
• Bot
• Bind
• Bounce
• Balance

Simulation: Workforce Planning Decision Game

Module 6: Stakeholders & making SWP work

• Roles and responsibilities in SWP
• Governance and accountability
• Stakeholder mapping
• Influencing leaders
• Creating organisational buy-in

Activity: Stakeholder influence challenge

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this masterclass, participants will be able to:

• Explain the purpose and value of SWP and the CIPD 6-Stage Model.
• Align workforce priorities with organisational strategy and future business needs.
• Identify workforce segments and business-critical roles that drive organisational success.
• Conduct a high-level workforce gap analysis and evaluate workforce planning options.
• Engage key stakeholders and build support for successful workforce planning initiatives.

Post-Workshop Benefits:

Participants will receive a certificate of attendance from CIPD.