1. To provide you with an opportunity to analyse strategic plans to determine human resource strategic direction, objectives and targets.

Activity: 1. Why is it important to have a human resources (HR) strategic plan?

2. What information do you need in order to determine the HR strategic plan?

3. Why is it important to have clear and specific HR strategic objectives?

2. To provide you with an opportunity to undertake additional environmental analysis to identify emerging practices and trends that may impact on human resources management in the organisation.

Activity: 1. Why is it important to undertake additional environmental analysis when developing the HR strategic plan?

2. Identify an organisation with which you are familiar. This may be your own organisation or another that you and the group are familiar with.

3. Conduct a short PESTLE analysis, identifying at least five relevant factors in each of the PESTLE categories.

3. To provide you with an opportunity to identify future labour needs, skill requirements and options for sourcing labour supply.

Activity: 1. What are the key questions you need to consider when assessing the organisation's future labour needs?

2. What are the possible sources of labour supply?

5. To provide you with an opportunity to consider new technology and its impact on job roles and job design.

Activity: 1. What potential impact could new technology have on job roles and job design?

2. Think about a technological change that has taken place in your organisation or sector in the past. From an HR strategic planning point of view, what worked well and what were the lessons learned from this experience? How does this inform your current strategic planning activity?

6. To provide you with an opportunity to review recent and potential changes to industrial and legal requirements.

Activity: 1. Identify a forthcoming change in employment legislation. What are the implications of this for an organisation?

7. To provide you with an opportunity to consult relevant managers about their human resources preferences.

Activity: 1. Why is it important to engage managers in discussions about their HR preferences, philosophies, values and policies?

2. What methods can be used to consult with managers?

8. To provide you with an opportunity to agree on human resources philosophies, values and policies with relevant managers.

Activity: 1. Imagine that you are planning a consultation meeting with a group of managers in your organisation, the purpose of which is to establish their views about the organisation's values and HR philosophy. Create an outline agenda for this meeting.

9. To provide you with an opportunity to develop strategic objectives and targets for human resources services.

Activity: 1. What is the purpose of strategic objectives and targets for HR services?

Imagine that you are the HR Manager of a small manufacturing organisation which employs 55 employees in a variety of production, warehousing, administration, sales and management roles. The organisation has ambitious plans for expansion, aiming to double its turnover within the next five years.

What would be the key HR priorities for this organisation? For one of the priorities, draft a potential strategic objective.

10. To provide you with an opportunity to examine options for the provision of human resources services and analyse costs and benefits.

Activity: 1. Why is it important to examine options for the provision of HR services?

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages associated with each of the following options?

11. To provide you with an opportunity to identify appropriate technology and systems to support agreed human resources programs and practices.

Activity: 1. Give three examples of technology and systems which can be used to support HR programs and practices. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?

12. To provide you with an opportunity to write strategic human resources plan and obtain senior management support for the plan.

Activity: 1. Why is it important to obtain senior management support for the strategic HR plan?

2. What steps can be taken to enlist senior management support for the strategic HR plan?

13. To provide you with an opportunity to develop risk management plans to support the strategic human resources plan.

Activity: 1. What factors might pose a risk to the strategic HR plan?

2. How can risk to the implementation of the HR plan be minimised?

14. To provide you with an opportunity to work with others to see that the plan is implemented.

Activity: 1. Who may be involved in the implementation of the strategic HR plan?

2. Imagine that your strategic HR plan includes an action for a manager to lead a working party to explore different options for employee benefits. They have volunteered for this as part of their ongoing professional development. You are meeting with them to brief them on their role. Draft an outline agenda for this meeting, highlighting the key items that you would want to discuss with this person.

15. To provide you with an opportunity to monitor and review the plan.

Activity: 1. Why is it important to monitor and review the implementation of the strategic HR plan?

2. What steps can you take to monitor and review the plan?

16. To provide you with an opportunity to adapt plan should circumstances change.

Activity: 1. What changes in circumstances have you encountered which have affected the implementation of strategic HR plans?

2. What action can be taken if circumstances change during the implementation of the plan?

17. To provide you with an opportunity to evaluate and review performance against plan objectives.

Activity: 1. Why is it important to evaluate and review performance against the plan objectives?

2. What types of data might you review in order to evaluate performance against objectives?