OrgCharts for Strategic Planning

Org Charts as a strategic tool

Traditionally, org charts are used to provide an easy visual representation of company hierarchy. Typically the information is limited to name, title and department. These charts are sometimes maintained in simple drawing software such as PowerPoint and Visio. As charts become bigger and more complex, just formatting these charts becomes more tedious and prone to error.

With specialized org chart software, such as OrgChart Now, there are easy-to-use templates and automatic formatting functions which facilitate chart creation and maintenance. This software also automatically imports other company information from diverse databases within the company. For example, pulling in profile pictures to make employee identification easier.

Workforce planners have started to recognize the org chart’s usefulness outside of being a static snapshot of an organization’s current state. With OrgChart Now Connectors capable of pulling data in from all major HRIS systems, all manner of KPIs fundamental to a company’s growth are available. Once the important metrics are decided upon they can then be plugged into the org chart for analysis and strategic workforce planning purposes.

Different Views: Org Chart Security

One of the barriers to using org charts as a strategic tool is the ability to share them widely without compromising the privacy of some of the more sensitive data. OrgChart Now achieves this with user level security controls. While a basic org chart is often made available on a company’s intranet for the purposes of employee orientation, sensitive information, such as salary, may need to be hidden from all but those with HR and finance department access. This user level security ensures the right people have access to the information they need to do their jobs.

Different Inputs: Collaboration Module

Workforce planning, when done properly, requires the knowledge and input from many departments of the organizations including but not limited to executive management, finance and HR. Teams are often dispersed both geographically and over different time zones so it’s not always practical to have a boardroom style collaboration with the various stakeholders to lay down a plan. OrgChart Now’s cloud-based Collaboration Module allows teams to work on the same charts and view the same data in real-time. Comments can be made and changes are identified and tracked to save time and minimize confusion.

Change Tracking in Collaborative Planning Module

Different Purposes: Types of Planning

As org charts are becoming more sophisticated, what purposes are managers finding for them as part of their strategic tool set? As org chart software can connect into internal finance applications, individual departments and managers financial burdens can be analyzed and projected into the future. Salary roll-ups and budget caps can be automated and viewed.

Succession planning is another powerful use of an org chart with metrics such as age to retirement, flight risk and performance displayed to highlight potential future weaknesses. Project-based organizational structures can also be analysed, with the project load of each employee easily displayed within the hierarchical structure. Hiring strategy is also a natural fit for an org chart analysis with gaps in the organizational structure clearly visible by pulling in metrics such as skill set, experience and performance.

Budget Planning With OrgChart Now

For more information on how to get the most out of org chart software, schedule a free discussion with one of our experts on integrating org charts into your strategic planning workflow.