Business Transformation & the Role of Workforce Planning Breffini Carpenter EUPAN April

My role in the organisation Since 2005; to provide the Department with analysis and advice on organisational development, business process improvement, resource deployment and change management; and to co-ordinate the Department’s response to public service reform. 2

My role in the organisation A programme of internal reviews of business units have been completed (21 to date), including major reviews of the local office network, which has led to improved business processes and greater operational efficiency:  The Department’s staffing level has fallen from 4,800 in 2005 to less than 3,300 currently, a reduction of 32%. In 2012 alone, staffing fell by some 230.  The cost of running the Department has fallen substantially since 2008, by some €76 million or approximately 25% (€303 million in 2008 to an allocation of €227million for 2013). 3

Re-Organisation of Local Offices - the numbers In 2005 the Department employed approximately 4,800 staff in 200 locations including: 28 DVOs 20 standalone Environmental offices 10 Forestry offices Today those 58 offices are 16; 42 offices have closed. Today, less than 3,300 employed (32% down) – nearly half of that reduction came from the local offices. Approximately €26million per annum is being saved. 4

Before 5

After 6

Reasons for Change To facilitate the more efficient management of schemes & services – to drive down costs, especially important in the context of the downturn in the Irish economy Changing working environment - ICT and badgers don’t recognise county boundaries To provide an enhanced customer service. 7

Enablers of change Not our first time –culture of change in the Department since 2005 – “change is the only constant” Major ICT developments Rigour of analysis Senior management and political buy-in Acceptance by major external stakeholders, e.g. farm bodies – “there’s not enough money for us both” Acceptance by staff / Croke Park; a new reality 8

Re-Organisation Plan Detailed project governance in place for implementation of the plan for the new structure: Number of Department Offices (58 to 16) Staff Numbers (1,400 to 800) Business Process Improvement All staff affected by the changes; we had active engagement with staff to ensure there were no surprises. Avoid ‘implementation deficit disorder’. Project management arrangements must be up front. 9

Relevance? This was Workforce Planning before we had heard of Workforce Planning!! 10

Workforce Planning - the formal process January 2012: DPER issued guidelines – ‘A Workforce Planning Framework for the Civil Service and Non- Commercial State Bodies’ - “Forecasting our future demands in the context of the business planning process to get the right people, with the right skills, in the right place at the right time.” February to July 2012: Preparation of Plan including extensive internal consultation with senior management. September 2012: Plan finalised. 11

Key Steps 12

The Agriculture Group is made up of the Department and the 6 non-commercial State Agencies under its aegis: Agriculture Group Total4,735 Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine3,269 Bord Bia89 Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM)119 Marine Institute (MI) 5 National Milk Agency (NMA)133 Sea Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA)84 Teagasc1,036

Each agency was responsible for preparation of its own plan and met with the Department while drafting. Within the Department, three separate exercises took place: 1. Analysis of the staffing supply 2. Consultations with senior management on future staffing demand 3. Analysis of supply –v– demand to reveal any future gaps. Methodology

Plan Content Overview of the Agriculture Group Methodology explained Overview of current staffing and Employee Control Framework Mandates of each organisation within the Group List of documents influencing the Plan Future challenges and opportunities Separate plan for each of the Group’s 5 programmes A summary of group workforce plan

‘Interesting’ example of content 16

Workforce Planning & Business Transformation - Conclusion What’s required? Common elements: Vision Strategy Analysis Top management commitment Implementation 17