Seeking Advice: How Would You Forecast Manpower Needs for a 1000-Employee Factory?

Dear Seniors, I have an assignment to be completed and I request all of you to provide your valuable suggestions on the following:

Forecasting Techniques for Manpower Requirement

You are working with a manufacturing organization that has one factory and a combined manpower strength of around 1000 employees. What forecasting techniques will you employ to determine their manpower requirement for the financial year 2014-2015?

Looking forward to hearing from all of you.

Regards,
Deepa Makhija

First, study the existing manpower base department-wise to determine how much manpower is required. Break it down by department, shift, and operation. Here's a structured approach to follow:

- List out the operations in each department.
- Determine the required manpower for each operation based on skills.
- Assess the current manpower available.

By doing this, you will be able to identify any excess or shortage of manpower across departments and skill sets, helping you pinpoint areas that need attention.

Additionally, consider the present production volume and the upcoming production plan for the next year. You may need assistance from other departments, such as production, to gather relevant data.

I may not be senior, but I have attempted to address your query to the best of my ability. I hope this information proves helpful to you.

Regards,
Rajeev Dixit