Checklist for Updating

HR Strategy
The rapid pace of change in the external environment — including technology,
demographic and social shifts — has forced organizations to adapt and
recalibrate their business strategies. To keep up with changes in the business,
HR leaders must continually adjust their strategies (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Relationship Between the Business Strategy and the HR Strategy

at
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te ma te
r
Pe tra
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Yo
Maximiz HR S

ur
HR
es
n
Create a

Strategy
Business Partner With HR Strategy
Strategy the Business

ai
en
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nt
t

ain n m
i g
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th Y
our HR Strate
Source: Gartner

HR leaders must establish strategies that satisfy their organizations’ needs and feed into
the broader planning process. The following steps will help HR leaders successfully create
and update their organizations’ HR strategies:
1. Prepare for HR strategy planning. 4. Communicate HR strategy.
2. Understand business strategy and its 5. Adapt and monitor HR strategy.
talent implications.
3. Connect HR strategy to business strategy.

The following checklist will help HR leaders ensure that all of the critical steps for creating,
communicating and updating HR strategy (as mentioned above) are adhered to.

© 2021 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. CM_GBS_1176496
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Instructions: The following table provides a list of questions for checking and ensuring
the successful execution of each of the five steps for updating HR strategy. After executing
each step, HR leaders should refer to the questions listed in the second column. The answer
to each question should be “yes” before HR leaders move to the execution of the next step.

Key Steps Key Questions to Answer Yes

Step #1 Have you identified the key stakeholders who need to be

Prepare for HR involved in the HR strategy planning process?
Strategy Planning
Have you aligned your corporate strategy planning process
with your HR strategy planning process?

Step #2 Have you had significant interactions with relevant business

Understand leaders about the strategic direction of the organization?
Business Strategy
Do you understand the business’s short- and long-term strategy?
and Its Talent
Implications Do you understand the emerging trends that may impact future
business strategy?
Have you identified the talent implications that are critical to
achieving each business strategic objective?

Step #3 Do you understand the current state of HR capabilities?

Connect HR
Strategy to Do you know the strengths and weaknesses of your current
Business Strategy HR efforts?
Have you conducted a gap analysis to identify the most critical
HR activities where current capability is lacking?
Does your HR strategic plan have a set of integrated actions
across the HR subfunctions?
Do you have a list of clearly defined metrics associated with
each of your HR strategic objectives?

Step #4 Have you identified all the stakeholders who need to be aware
Communicate of the HR strategic plan?
HR Strategy
Have you developed an HR strategic communication plan that
targets employees, other functions and management?
Have you developed a storyline to effectively convey your
strategy to the identified stakeholders?

Step #5 Have you identified triggers for revisiting your HR strategy?

Adapt and Monitor
HR Strategy Do you have a decision framework for adapting your HR strategy
when business conditions change?

© 2021 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. CM_GBS_1176496