The Strategic Workforce Planning Handbook - by David Edwards

About the Book

Design and implement a strategic workforce plan to meet your business goals with this practical guide written for senior HR practitioners.

Book Synopsis

Is your organization's workforce fit for its current and future business purpose? Do you know the risks to your business if it is not? Do you know how you will tackle those risks?

Business leaders and senior people professionals must be able to answer 'yes' to all these questions and the only way to achieve this is through successful strategic workforce planning. This practical guide outlines why strategic workforce planning (SWP) is so important and explains how to ensure you get it right. It covers how to assess your current people and organization design, explains how to identify what you need to meet your business goals and provides everything you need to design and implement a successful workforce plan.

Covering everything from getting stakeholder buy-in and setting a vision through to communicating change to the workforce and working with the finance team, The Strategic Workforce Planning Handbook includes everything you need to build a business plan that will support future company growth and drive results. There is discussion of how to measure and demonstrate the value of SWP, the internal politics and ethical considerations that you need to be aware of and the significance of diversity and inclusion in workforce planning. This book also contains crucial coverage of skills, technology and SWP metrics.

Review Quotes

"David combines deep knowledge with a sharp sense of humor, making tough topics easy to grasp. His willingness to share this expertise enriches the entire network, inspiring everyone to adapt and improve further in today's fast changing context."-- "Alessandro Alessandrini, SWP Director, Airbus"

"David takes a subject that usually feels distant and makes it close, real and practical. His clarity, practicality, and uniquely human lens makes this an outstanding contribution for anyone shaping the future of work."-- "Priyanka Anand, India HR Leader of the Yea"

"David Edwards has written the rarest of things: a book on workforce planning that's as engaging as it is essential. His informal, passionate style makes even the most complex strategic concepts feel approachable and actionable. This isn't just informative-it's genuinely inviting, drawing you into a subject that too often feels technical and distant. David proves that rigorous planning and human insight aren't opposing forces but powerful partners. An enriching read for anyone who believes people should be at the heart of business strategy."-- "Toby Culshaw Vice President of Strategy - Talent Intelligence, Lightcast"

"David's eclectic experiences and astute observations illustrate the relevance of SWP. With wit and practicality, he demonstrates how caring for and investing in people continues to be a cornerstone of successful organizations. This is not a handbook but a user's guide."-- "Dave Ulrich, Rensis Likert Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan Partner, the RBL Group"

"

At a time when workforce planning is more consequential, and more misunderstood, than ever, The Strategic Workforce Planning Handbook arrives to bring clarity. David Edwards has created more than a guide; he's curated a global conversation among the brightest minds in Strategic Workforce Planning, weaving together his expertise with their collective wisdom into something both practical and profound.

This book captures the essence of SWP at a critical inflection point. David has long been one of the field's sharpest thinkers, but his genius here lies in convening the community-the practitioners, the innovators, the skeptics-and distilling their insights into a handbook that will shape how Strategic Workforce Planning is practiced for years to come. Well done.

"-- "Cole Napper, Vice President of Research, Innovation & Talent Insights at Lightcast, Author of People Analytics, and Host of the Directionally Correct Podcast"

"Brilliant and funny, David has produced a work of art - albeit more René Magritte than Johannes Vermeer. In The Strategic Workforce Planning Handbook, he expertly blends his own leadership experience with the successes and struggles of the practitioner community to create a must-have survival guide. Friends and fans will instantly recognize his irreverent, unique voice shining through this highly accessible book, which I wholeheartedly recommend to both newcomers and seasoned practitioners. Even the most experienced amongst us will uncover genuine gems of wisdom - and more than a little catharsis along the way."-- "Adam Gibson, Author, Agile Workforce Planning"

"Finally, a book for those who would rather do literally anything else than read a workforce planning book. David proves that rigor, personality and humour can coexist. His writing is engaging and accessible without compromising on complexity. And 'anseriformes' is the best (nerdy, taxonomically correct) way of saying 'getting your ducks in a row' that I'll be stealing immediately."-- "Stela Lupushor, Chief-Reframer, Reframe.Work Inc., co-Author of Humans at Work and Humanizing Human Capital"

"I picked up this book as an SWP neophyte. Not only have I learned about the scale, reach and benefits that SWP can deliver. But more than that, I believe this book offers insight, learnings and tools for anyone looking to effect positive change in a corporate environment and navigate the complexities of functional and hierarchical structures. All HR professionals seeking to move beyond transactional into strategic leadership would do well to learn the lessons from David's extensive experience."-- "Paul Milner, ex MD, international infrastructure group"

"In The Strategic Workforce Planning Handbook, David Edwards adroitly demystifies strategic workforce planning, transforming a topic often perceived as abstract or overly technical into something genuinely accessible, practical, and, most importantly, human. This book serves as a vital bridge, showing leaders how to master the transition from the what of people analytics-those crucial insights-to the how of strategy, turning mere data into powerful foresight that shapes the future of the organization. Given that we are now fully entering the Age of AI and unprecedented workforce disruption, The Strategic Workforce Handbook is not just timely; it is essential reading. Highly recommended for anyone serious about building a resilient, future-fit workforce."-- "David Green, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Insight222, co-author Excellence in People Analytics"

"This book offers a rich vision of what HR can be, through the lens of strategic workforce planning. David Edwards brings his wealth of unique experience, personal stories, and strolls through London and beyond, to create marvelous observations and analogies that encourage and inspire the community of strategic workforce planners to play their important role in shaping the future of work and HR."-- "Dr. John Boudreau, Emeritus Professor and Senior Research Scientist, Center for Effective Organizations and Marshall School of Business University of Southern California"

"This handbook is everything a treatise on Strategic Workforce Planning usually isn't - clear, practical and refreshingly funny. Drawing from his years as a practitioner, David blends real stories, clever analogies and just the right amount of humor to make the concepts easy to understand and apply. His care and steadfast commitment to excellence in SWP is obvious, but rather than keeping hard-won wisdom to himself, he is sharing it with us in the role of seasoned guide - teaching, inspiring and lightening the load while elevating this essential craft."-- "Jane Datta, ex-Chief Human Capital Officer, NASA"

"This isn't just an HR book: It's a new standard text for anyone thinking seriously about the future of work. Grappling with AI, risk, global volatility and skill shortages, leaders will feel a weight fall from their shoulders reading this. Bringing each theory to life though real-world stories from practitioners, humour and data, David transforms theory into something tangible and useful. It's a rare gem in the world of strategic workforce planning-equal parts insightful, practical and genuinely enjoyable to read."-- "Betsy Summers, Principal Analyst, Future of Work & HCM, Forrester Research"

"While SWP might not sound the most thrilling endeavour, David's storytelling and conversational tone really takes you by the hand and kindly guides through the intricacies of what we believe is a way to prepare better for the uncertain future ahead. Equally welcome as light reading for your commute and as a comprehensive guide to what might be the most complex and important work of HR and people profession."-- "Alise Rupeka, EDHEC Online"

"You make what we do human."-- "Liz Jurcik, CEO, Workforce Strategy Partners"

About the Author

David Edwards is a global authority on Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP). He has been the Head of Workforce Planning at Ericsson, Strategic Workforce Management Programme Manager at NatWest Group and the Head of Resource Management for CIB Technology at RBS. Based in Basingstoke, UK, he is an advisor and conference speaker on all aspects of SWP.