There are a variety of models of how federal agencies can conduct
workforce planning. For example, in 1999 OPM published a five-step
model that suggests agencies define their strategic direction, assess
their current and future workforces, and develop and implement action
plans for closing identified gaps in future workforce needs.[Footnote
5] Since then, NAPA and the International Personnel Management
Association (IPMA) have reported on workforce models used by federal,
state, and local governments and industry, and developed their own
generic models.[Footnote 6]

Comparing these models, NAPA and IPMA found that the following four
steps are generally common to strategic workforce planning efforts:

* examining future organizational, environmental, and other issues that
may affect the agency's ability to attain its strategic goals;

* determining skills and competencies needed in the future workforce to
meet the organization's goals and identifying gaps in skills and
competencies that an organization needs to address;