Questions for Discussion

We are planning to base the first iteration of iHRIS Plan on John Dewdney's model as presented at the Workforce Planning Model Workshop. The Excel spreadsheet version can be downloaded here. This will be a simple proof-of-concept version of the workforce planning software; later more complex features of the Hall/Hornby models can be added.

After analyzing the Dewedney model spreadsheets, there are several questions that still need to be answered for the first-iteration development of iHRIS Plan. Feel free to add answers and discussion below.

1. Should the projection be for a broad cadre of health workers (i.e., nurses) or on a specific subset of each cadre representing various job classifications within that cadre? If a subset of the cadre is analyzed, promotions out of the job level will have to be taken into account.
2. How far out can the model reasonably project? Should we set limits on the number of years for projection (either too short or too long)? Note: This initial model does not take into account the differences between short-term and long-term projections.
3. Currently, the system calculates attrition based on retirement, death/illness and "other factors"? Should we add additional attraction assumptions that can be manipulated separately, such as losses due to out migration?
4. How is the target number of positions to be filled in the starting year (requirements) reached? Is it based on establishing a standard ratio of health care workers to population, and if so, where are those standards coming from? Note: This model does not include a methodology for estimating requirements.
5. How is the annual growth rate of required positions calculated? Is it based on maintaining a standard ratio of health care workers to population, and if so, where are those standards coming from? Note: This model does not include a methodology for estimating requirements.
6. Is there any way to calculate automatically the new student intake for each year, based on an assumption (as opposed to entering the number of intakes for each year separately)?
7. When entering number of staff employed, are we assuming that 1 staff person = a full-time equivalent?
8. How are other staff intakes (beyond graduating students) calculated? Can this figure be automatically determined based on an assumption?
9. Should we provide the option to enter the numbers of actual workers by gender so that analysis can be done by gender?
10. Should we provide the option to enter the numbers of actual workers by age range so that analysis can be done by age, such as retirement predictions?
11. Should an assumption be set for recruitment efforts other than increasing pre-service training?
12. Should the system also calculate costs for the number of required positions as well as for existing staff to cost out projections? This does not seem to be the case in the model.
13. How does updating the projection work? Can the user generate multiple projections with different starting years and actual workforce data, or does entering a new starting year overwrite the previous projection? It seems like it would be most valuable to be able to enter actual data and compare it to a previously run projection to analyze the accuracy of the projection.