A Future-Forward Look at Strategic Workforce Planning - Workforce Planning & Readiness Exchange
Workforce planning can’t be a once-a-year spreadsheet exercise anymore.
Leading organizations are shifting to adaptive workforce planning—living, scenario-based planning cycles that evolve with business strategy, technology disruption, and changing skill demands.
Why does it matter? Organizational readiness now depends on making smaller, smarter workforce moves earlier, not reacting later with costly corrections.
In this interactive Exchange, HR practitioners and leaders will compare how peers are moving from static headcount models to continuous, cross-functional planning rhythms shared across HR, Finance, and Operations.
Together, we’ll explore:
- Practical ways to shift from annual planning to continuous, adaptive cycles
- Clear approaches to scenario modeling, skill forecasting, and tradeoff decisions
- Strategies to “smooth” hiring and workforce adjustments to reduce risk and disruption
Member Spotlight: David Edwards
We’re excited to welcome David Edwards as our guest speaker for this Workforce Planning & Readiness Exchange and look forward to a rich, practical conversation with our member community on bringing strategic workforce planning to life.
David is a globally recognized authority in Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) with more than 45 years of experience building and leading workforce planning capabilities in complex, multinational organizations. He has held senior roles at Ericsson and NatWest and has advised organizations worldwide through his work at Visier.
David has played a key role in advancing the discipline of workforce planning, including contributing as a member of the Workforce Planning Institute’s Global Standards Committee. He is the author of The Strategic Workforce Planning Handbook, a best-selling practical guide that helps leaders make better workforce decisions grounded in real-world application—not just theory.
Known for his pragmatic approach, David helps organizations move beyond workforce planning as an annual headcount exercise and instead embed whole-workforce planning as a core business capability. His work bridges talent acquisition, learning, procurement, finance, and transformation, enabling organizations to make more informed, integrated decisions.
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