SHuRePlan

What does the plan cover?

Once there is some clarity about the rationale for the plan and the decisions it supports, it should be possible to start defining the scope of the plan:

• What is the timescale for the plan?
• What client groups does it cover?
• What geographical area does it cover?
• What services and organisations are covered by the plan?
• What types of staff are covered by the plan? What level of detail should we use to classify staff and services?

Getting the scope right is important - too narrow and it will miss important factors - too wide and there is a risk that the planning becomes unmanageable. The scope should be sufficient to support the decisions the plan supports. Typically planning timescales will be driven by the lead times for bringing about changes in the workforce.

As with all elements of the plan definition, the scope can be adjusted during the planning process. It is better to start with too narrow a scope and expand than to waste effort collecting lots of information that turns out not to be needed.