Qualitative personnel planning: example

Many HR managers underestimate the fact that HR planning consists of two fundamental pillars: the Quantitative and the Qualitative personnel planning. Those who only Quantity of employees needed runs the risk of hiring the wrong people, even if the teams are complete in terms of numbers.

I. Qualitative vs. quantitative personnel planning

The distinction is very simple: the Quantitative personnel planning asks: "How many employees do we need?". It provides an exact figure for recognizing an impending bottleneck or overstaffing at an early stage. In contrast, the Qualitative personnel planning the strategically more important question: "What qualifications, skills and experience do these employees need to have?". The aim here is to find the ideal Requirement profile (the target profile), which is to define both Hard Skills (specialist knowledge, IT skills) as well as Soft skills (communication skills, ability to work in a team, willingness to change).

The shift towards digitalization and automation has dramatically increased the importance of qualitative planning. This is because while machines and AI are taking over repetitive tasks, the demands placed on the social skills and the Problem-solving skills of human employees. Studies show that soft skills such as emotional intelligence and adaptability are often the decisive success factor for innovation projects today - skills that cannot simply be mapped in a pure headcount analysis. Would you like to delve deeper into the calculation models and formulas? We have summarized the exact definitions and calculation methods for you in detail: Find out more about the Quantitative vs. qualitative personnel planning experience.

II. The 3-step process of qualitative personnel requirements planning

Qualitative personnel planning is not a one-off act, but a strategic, three-stage process that forms the basis for future-proof personnel decisions. It forces companies to look beyond the current staffing situation and focus on the future. services and skills required in the future to concentrate.

Step 1: The target profile - achievements and future tasks

Before you determine the personnel requirements, you must define which Services your employees will have to deliver in the future. The first step is therefore to determine which Job targets are to be achieved and which tasks are assigned to the respective position.

The central tool here is the Analysis of the job description. Here, not only the daily activities are described, but also the Powers and Areas of responsibility anchored in the role. A look at the future corporate strategy is essential here: which tasks will be eliminated (e.g. through automation) and which new tasks will be added (e.g. through the introduction of AI or market expansion)? The result is the Target profilethe blueprint of the ideal cast.

Step 2: The target/actual comparison and skills gap analysis

The second step is about relentless self-reflection: What qualifications do you already have (Actual profile) and where are the gaps to the defined target profile?

You are now comparing the Requirement profile of the position (step 1) with the actual skills of the current job holder or the entire team. Here, both Competence levels considered:

• Hard Skills: Specialist knowledge, certifications, languages, programming skills.
• Soft skills: Strong communication skills, the ability to work in a team, motivation, willingness to change - skills that are difficult to measure but often determine the success of a project.

To precisely identify these gaps, HR experts use methods such as the analytical estimation methods or the Route slip method in order to record the actual qualification status in detail.

Step 3: Derive measures

As soon as the skills gaps have been clearly identified, you initiate the necessary Measures in order to Net personnel requirements to cover.

The most important fields of action are

1. Personnel development (retraining/further training): If the gaps are small or specific, it is often most efficient to replace existing employees with new ones. Further training measures or internal training courses to the necessary level.
2. Recruiting: Become Core competencies which are completely missing in the company, is the Targeted recruitment of new specialists is necessary.
3. Staff release (internal/external): If qualifications are no longer required due to new technologies or if there are clear Overlaps before, employees can internally transferred (e.g. retrained for new tasks) or, in extreme cases, made redundant.
4. Outsourcing: In the case of highly specialized or only temporarily required tasks, it can be decided whether the service is to be provided by External service providers instead of hiring new staff on a permanent basis.

III Practical example: Qualitative personnel planning at "TechSolutions GmbH"

The TechSolutions GmbH - an IT company with a focus on innovative solutions - is facing the strategic challenge of preparing its workforce for future fields such as Artificial intelligence and Blockchain technologies fit. While the strategic goals (further training, talent development) are clearly defined, it is now crucial to determine them precisely, who exactly which gaps in skills before investing resources in expensive training programs.

The success of the Qualitative personnel planning depends on the precise Competence gap analysis (step 2).

Application of analytical methods in the actual state

In order to Actual profile of the IT team at TechSolutions GmbH objectively, it is necessary to move away from pure estimates or subjective assessments and analytical methods anzuwenden. Diese Methoden sind darauf ausgerichtet, scheinbar “qualitative” Arbeitsprozesse messbar zu machen:

• The docket method: In this method, an employee accompanies a task - for example, the development of a new cloud feature - from start to finish with a routing slip. Jeder einzelne Schritt, jede involvierte Kompetenz (z. B. “Python-Scripting”, “Cloud-Architektur-Entwurf”) und die dafür benötigte Zeit wird detailliert dokumentiert. Bei TechSolutions hilft dies, die tatsächliche Expertise in the use of modern programming languages and to determine whether there is a lack of Hard Skills or only in the Efficiency is available.
• The time recording (including external observation): For complex IT tasks, such as the API integration of customer systems, the direct Time recording by an observer provides the most accurate data. This makes it possible to determine whether the employees have the required agile development methods efficiently or whether there is a lack of Soft skills as the coordination in the Project management is lacking.

Through this detailed recording, TechSolutions GmbH can determine that out of 20 developers only 4 efficiently master the new cloud technology, while the remaining 16 are undergoing an intensive Continuing education program need. The exact data obtained in this way is the basis for finding the right Measures in step 3 - for example the Targeted recruitment one Blockchain experts (entity) if the gap cannot be closed internally.

IV. Methoden zur Ermittlung des Qualitativen Personalbedarfs

Once the 3-step process has clarified the framework conditions, the question arises: How can qualitative requirements be determined as objectively as possible? HR managers should not rely on simple, subjective estimates. Instead analytical methods and targeted Expert surveys to the Usewhich provide more precise data for personnel requirements planning.

Analytical estimation methods

These procedures are based on estimating future personnel requirements using data and empirical values. calculate and to appreciate. They are a further development of the purely intuitive estimate.

• Running slip method and time recording: As already explained in the practical example of TechSolutions GmbH, methods such as the Route slip method and the Time recording Detailed actual values on the actual time and qualification requirements of individual tasks. This makes it possible to derive future target profiles with significantly greater accuracy.
• Key figure method (qualitatively adapted): Although the key figure method is primarily used quantitatively, it can be adapted qualitatively. Instead of Employees per order the key figure Competence per project complexity or Expert knowledge per risk factor is taken as a basis. This helps to avoid bottlenecks in Core competencies (entity) at an early stage.

The Delphi method (expert survey)

The Delphi method is a systematic estimation procedure that determines the subjective expertise of several independent experts in order to create a more objective forecast. It is particularly valuable when it comes to the assessment of Future trends and completely new requirements (e.g. which new Soft skills through the introduction of AI are needed in 5 years).

1. Anonymous survey: A group of internal and external experts (e.g. managers, technical experts, industry analysts) will be consulted anonymously on future Job requirements and necessary Qualifications interviewed.
2. Feedback rounds: The results of the first round are summarized and fed back to the experts (anonymously). The experts are asked to revise their original estimate, taking into account the Median response of the Group and justify it.
3. Consensus: This is repeated until a stable consensus or a clear trend of expert opinions (entity: expert forecast) is reached.

For a more in-depth discussion with the exact formulas and application requirements of these and other techniques, visit our dedicated overview page: XXXXX

V. Maßnahmen: Lücken schließen mit dem richtigen Werkzeug

The precise identification of qualification gaps in the Target/actual comparison is the first step; the second and decisive step is choosing the right tools and measures to close these gaps. A strategic decision is made here as to whether the need should be covered internally (development) or externally (recruitment/outsourcing).

Personnel development & further training: Establishment of a competence center

The most efficient measure to cover the Qualitative personnel requirements is often the Further training and retraining of existing employees. Instead of making expensive new hires, the existing team can be developed in a targeted manner. A key instrument for this is the development of Competence centers.

A Competence Center bündelt Expertenwissen zu Schlüsselthemen (z. B. “Agile Methoden”, “KI-Prompting”) innerhalb der Organisation. Es dient als interner Hub für:

• Knowledge transfer: Ensuring that Core competencies are not only present in individuals, but in the entire department.
• Recurring training courses: Organizing workshops and training sessions to equip the team with the skills they will need in the future. Skills to be equipped.
• Representative regulations: Ensuring that critical tasks can continue to be performed in the event of short-term staff shortages because several employees have the same qualifications.

HR software for qualification management

The success of any personnel development measure depends on whether qualifications can be managed and planned transparently. Modern HR Software solves the problem of confusing skills management and is therefore an important commercial Entity in the field of Qualitative personnel planning.

Tools like Teamhero, Personio or Staffcloud enable the identified Hard Skills and Soft skills of the workforce, but also to visualize them.

Click here for a direct comparison of job.rocks as a Staffcloud alternative: https://job.rocks/staff-cloud-alternative/

• Visualization and planning: Functions such as drag-and-drop scheduling boards help to provide employees with the right Role and qualification filters to the correct projects or shifts.
• Training management: Die Verknüpfung von identifizierten Lücken (z. B. “Fehlende Zertifizierung X”) mit einem Qualification management enables a targeted Training planning.
• Absence management: Even the management of vacation and sick leave is simplified by these tools, which indirectly increases the reliability and efficiency of the company. Employee satisfaction and avoids bottlenecks.

Strategic investment in such an HR solution is often the key to achieving the theoretical Qualitative personnel planning into measurable, operational success.

VI. Fazit und Ausblick: Die Rolle von E-E-A-T

The Qualitative personnel planning is far more than just a HR taskIt is a strategic investment in the credibility and future viability of your entire company. It ensures that you are not only operationally capable of acting, but also that you strengthen your market position in the long term.

The success of a company in the modern economy depends directly on the Expertise (E) and Trustworthiness (T) that it communicates to its customers and partners. If your organization through precise qualitative planning:

• Expert knowledge (E) on key topics (e.g. AI, compliance) and continuously develop them further.
• The Experience (E) of your workforce through targeted training in the right areas.
• The Authority (A) of the experts through clear Requirement profiles and competence centers.

… dann stärkst du die interne Expertise and thus automatically the external Trustworthiness of the entire brand. A clearly defined, highly qualified team that knows what tasks it has to perform minimizes errors, increases reliability and ensures that deadlines are met.

In short: The Qualitative personnel planning is the foundation on which the digital Future viability and the reputation of your company. If you develop your employees strategically and manage their qualifications in a targeted manner, you will not only meet internal demand, but also establish yourself as a credible, highly competent employer. Authority position ourselves in the market.