Your two-person office-cleaning business has grown into a full-service janitorial services company.  With careful planning, adherence to a strict budget and some tough decisions, you managed to survive, and even thrive, during the “great recession.”

Now you’ve got an excellent reputation in the marketplace and your services are in demand.  But your continued growth is outstripping your team’s ability to maintain the level of service your clients are accustomed to.  Plus, your planned new services for pressure washing, upholstery cleaning and mold remediation mean you’re looking to hire new team members with very different skill sets.  You think you need additional sales and marketing help to expand your client base.  If your projections are correct, you also need to hire an office manager or groom one from your current team.

A staffing plan can help you determine the right number of people with the right set of skills to address your evolving business needs.  Staff planning is a methodical process that accounts for both internal and external changes to help you meet your business objectives.

Our HR Pros suggest these five steps to create an effective staffing plan:

1. Develop a job description for each position in the company.  Make sure you capture the minimum knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the essential functions of the job.  Also, consider the necessary qualifications and relationships among the various jobs.  After doing so, you may recognize that you have qualified internal candidates or employees who simply need specific individual development to bring them up to speed.
2. Identify the skill levels of each of your current employees.  Look for matches between these skills and your staffing needs.  If significant gaps exist, expand your search by considering external candidates.  (Not all positions require full-time resources.  Can you split up or combine roles to achieve the desired end?)
3. Review your staff development support.  Training opportunities and individual development plans help employees professionally grow with your company.  They also help your business build and keep a more skilled, agile and satisfied workforce.  (Do you have natural leaders who have trained new hires in the past?  If a license or certificate is required for certain job functions, what is the process to obtain these?)
4. Track turnover trends to forecast employment cycles.  (Does seasonality affect your hiring ability?)
5. Understand business trends.  Account for external or regulatory conditions that may affect your staffing plans. (Have new employers moved into the area?  Is affordable housing and/or public transportation available for potential employees?  Will additional staff push you over a numeric threshold that requires compliance with certain regulations—such as the Americans with Disabilities Act or the Affordable Care Act?)

Whether your business is expanding or you’re figuring out how to grow profits by doing more with less, a well-thought-out staffing plan is essential to keeping your business and your team running smoothly.  To get started, here’s your job description template to walk you through all of the key qualifications and relationships for each role in your organization.