Occupational Workforce Planning and Recommended Next Steps

1. Occupational Workforce Planning and Recommended Next Steps Federal Aviation Administration

2. Background and Objectives To meet the challenge of operating a 21st century aerospace system, the FAA workforce must have the right skills at the right time and be deployed effectively to accomplish the agency’s mission and meet the changing , future business requirements. People and Business Challenges Facing the FAA • Concern that FAA will not have the talent/skill sets required to meet needs over the next 2 - 10 years • Heavy and increasing workloads, perceived to cause stress and burnout • Transitioning to new skill and performance demands on the FAA workforce • Increased retirements as the workforce ages and attrition as the economy improves • Changing constituent expectations • Constrained resources and budgets • Other than in ATS, there is little external recruiting and it is focused primarily on experienced specialists • The highly stable and aging workforce makes it difficult to introduce new skills -- low turnover and low retirements rates among eligible employees • Because of workload and budgets, little time is devoted to training and development

3. Background and Objectives, Continued Objectives of Workforce Planning • Understand, prepare for, and act to address changes within the FAA workforce relative to changing requirements • A comprehensive analysis of an organization’s work, workforce, and strategic direction • Three-to-five year outlook • Workforce plans developed within each line of business/staff office • Focused on “mission-critical” and or “at risk” occupations • Workforce plans linked to LOB/SO strategies and performance plans/budgets processes • Corporate initiatives developed to address common or cross-cutting workforce planning issues Expected Benefits to the FAA • Addresses impacts of technology, demographics, and resources on the nature of work and skills required in the FAA • Allows organizations to systematically address issues that drive workforce change (assessment of gaps between current and future workforce profiles) • Provides managers with a strategic and proactive basis for making human resource decisions

4. Approach FAA Workforce Planning Team • A corporate workforce planning framework was developed by a cross-organizational team sponsored by AHR and with leadership from ATS • A Guide was developed to provide a systematic approach to conducting workforce planning, through five phases: prepare to conduct workforce planning, determine future requirements, analyze the current/future workforce profile, develop and implement a workforce action plan, and evaluate the workforce planning process and results. • The process is illustrated in the model presented below. Creating the Framework and Guide • Benchmarked FAA and other public and private sector organizations’ workforce planning approaches and lessons learned • Adapted generic models and tools to fit FAA organization and environment • Reviewed demographics and trends in the current workforce • Created workforce planning tools to support development and implementation of workforce plans • Provided flexibility in the framework for each line of business or staff office to address local issues, outcomes, strategies or other conditions • Briefed FAA Management Board

5. FAA Workforce Planning Process

6. Approach, Continued LOB/SO Occupational Workforce Planning Implementation Teams • A team was formed by each LOB/SO to implement the occupational workforce planning process • Representatives of the teams met regularly as a team to coordinate planning the occupational planning effort across the FAA Occupational Workforce Planning Workshops • AHR conducted training workshops were provided to equip members of the teams to implement the process. • In each workshop, the teams presented the results of their data gathering and analysis, and solicited feedback from their colleagues and the workshop leaders for improvement. • April, 2001: Stage One -- Framing the workforce plan for your organization (identifying major workforce issues, broadly defining future requirements, selecting critical occupational groups, identifying major gaps) • June, 2001: Stage Two -- Analyzing the gaps, issues, and solutions for critical occupational groups (in-depth analysis of gaps, issues, and solutions for each of the critical occupations selected) • August, 2001: Stage Three -- Implementing strategies/action plans and evaluating results (formulating implementation plans, communication, and evaluation)

7. Findings Common themes among the LOB/SO workforce plans included: • Workload is increasing, while the number of authorized positions is constrained by budgets • Most LOBS and Staff Offices project flat or declining staffing levels because of budget constraints • Increasing workload will be offset to some extent by technology, use of external resources (e.g., outsourcing, designees) • Work is being redefined to improve utilization and productivity • New skills are required to perform changing work • Training to enable individuals to perform work more effectively and efficiently • Modernization of the NAS and introduction of new technology • Training and oversight of designees, contractors, etc. • Recruiting of experienced talent with specialized skills is relied upon to fill gaps • Few entry-level hires in most occupations, therefore little development of talent from within • Recruiting actions tend to be localized and targeted to specific staffing needs or vacancies • Multiple organizations report they are recruiting people in the same occupational series or with similar skill sets.

8. Findings, Continued • Within a few years (5-10 years), the number of retirements will increase because of workforce aging and low turnover • Low turnover and hiring of experienced talent is increasing the average age of employees and the proportion of older employees • In many occupations there is a rising risk of losing critical knowledge and skills • LOBs have not addressed staff talent working in their organizations in their occupational workforce plans • Financial Services, and to a lesser extent Information Services and Human Resource Management, are concerned that their functional counterparts in the LOBs are effectively utilized and developed • There is no FAA-wide workforce planning for occupations in these areas

9. Process Implications Lessons Learned • The initial introduction of this process was more difficult for the participants than expected, especially with regard to projections of future requirements (e.g., LOBs tended to develop plans within established budgets rather than requirements based on future workloads; plans tended to focus on recruiting and development actions) • Applying the process from the LOB/SO level upward is vital to get at issues, engage executives, enable development of practical plans integrated with performance plans • The planning process may not be considered equally important to all LOBs and SOs, because the workforce issues are not considered to be a constraint to achieving organizational objectives Opportunities to enhance the process • More rigorous dialogue with executives to obtain their thinking about workforce issues, solutions, and obstacles relating to their performance plans. • Better access to information on workforce information, patterns, and trends (e.g., CMIS and other data bases; build information system support/applications specifically for workforce planning) • Provide adequate resources are allocated by the LOBs and SOs to the workforce planning process (e.g., individuals with the right skills, adequate time to perform the data gathering and analysis, access to executives)

10. Measures The effectiveness of occupational workforce planning in the FAA should be evaluated using the following measures: • Plan formulation -- Has each LOB/SO completed a workforce plan in accordance with the framework and process guidelines (e.g., the plan was formulated with appropriate data analysis and inputs/review from senior executives)? • Action plans -- Are specific action plans to address workforce gaps/issues defined (with indication of steps, responsibility, timing, resources, and outcome measures)? • Integration with budget -- Are key action plans addressed in annual performance plans and budgets? • Coordination of activities -- Are key actions planned coordinated with other ongoing activities in areas such as recruitment/selection, redeployment, or training and education? • Implementation -- Have specific actions been completed? • Results achieved -- Have needed workforce changes been achieved to address the gaps/issues identified (talent availability, skills required, etc.)?

11. Next Steps To ensure that the FAA Occupational Workforce Planning Process will continue to identify and address critical needs, we propose the following actions: • LOBs and SOs should follow up on the formulation and implementation of their plans • Obtain information needed to complete analysis and planning in specific areas • Obtain approval/concurrence on the overall plan and specific actions to be taken • Integrate the action plans with performance plans and budgets • Provide inputs on projected staffing needs to the corporate recruiting initiative • Staffing requirements as indicated by the submitted plans • Consideration of opportunities to support recruiting actions an FAA-wide basis • Address opportunities to meet identified training and development needs on a shared basis • Common programs (e.g., program management, basic management skills, business acumen) • Common technology platform (e.g., for e-learning applications, knowledge sharing) • Update the process for the next planning cycle • Evaluate the effectiveness of the occupational workforce planning process • Refine the process with the participation of the members of the OWP implementation teams or other representatives of the LOBs and SOs • Provide improved information access and data base support