people-strategy-roadmap

# People Strategy Roadmap ## Core Frame: Stage-Appropriate A people strategy that's right at one stage is wrong at another. Importing enterprise programs into early-stage companies, or leaving scaleups stuck on early operating models, are the dominant failure modes. Stage matters. So does business strategy, capital, and founder worldview. ## The Strategy on a Page When the founder asks "what's our people strategy?" the answer should fit on a page: ``` ## People Strategy [Year/Quarter] ### Business Context [2 sentences: stage, strategy, key business priorities] ### People Mission [1 sentence: what the people function is here to do, in service of the business] ### Top 3 People Priorities (this year) 1. [Priority] — [why it matters, expected outcome] 2. [Priority] — [why it matters, expected outcome] 3. [Priority] — [why it matters, expected outcome] ### What We Will Build (this quarter) - [Specific program / system / hire] - [Specific program / system / hire] - [Specific program / system / hire] ### What We Will Not Build (this quarter) - [Things someone might expect us to build, with reasons] ### How We'll Know It's Working - [Specific metric — adoption, fairness, business outcome] - [Specific metric] - [Specific metric] ### Open Questions - [Things the leadership team needs to align on] ``` ## Sequencing Logic Priority order: 1. **Floor first**: compliance gaps, broken comp, broken hiring — fix what's actively damaging 2. **Highest leverage per dollar**: programs that compound (hiring, manager dev) over those that don't 3. **Manager multiplier**: manager effectiveness amplifies every other program 4. **Sequence by dependencies**: - Pay bands before calibrated comp cycle - Leveling rubrics before promotion process - Manager basics before performance system rollout - Engagement signal before culture programs - HRIS data hygiene before analytics ## Stage-Appropriate Investments | Stage | Headcount | Top Investments | |-------|-----------|-----------------| | Pre-PMF | 1–10 | Hire well, pay on time, basic offer letters | | PMF Hunt | 10–30 | First management layer, structured hiring, basic comp bands | | Early Scale | 30–80 | Performance system v1, comp framework, manager basics, HRIS | | Scale | 80–250 | Calibration, leveling, real comp cycle, manager development | | Scaleup | 250–1000 | Pay equity, succession, specialized programs, systematic L&D | | Late Stage | 1000+ | Bench strength, executive succession, organizational design at scale | ## What Not to Build A surprising amount of high-quality consulting is "stop doing this": - Annual reviews at 50 people - 360s without follow-through - "Culture committees" without authority - Tools nobody uses - Programs the founder won't sponsor - Generic leadership development - Mandatory training as the entire DEI strategy Be willing to recommend killing programs. ## 12-Month Roadmap A typical roadmap structure: | Quarter | Focus | Deliverables | |---------|-------|--------------| | Q1 | Diagnose + foundation | Maturity heatmap, top priorities, philosophy docs (comp, performance) | | Q2 | Build core programs | Program designs (e.g., performance, hiring) + manager training | | Q3 | Pilot and roll out | Pilot results; calibration cycles; comp cycle | | Q4 | Measure and iterate | Outcome data; refresh; next-year planning | Adjust based on engagement scope. ## Diagnostic Heatmap For a first-meeting visual: 8 dimensions × 1–5 score × stage-appropriate target: 1. People Strategy 2. Talent Acquisition 3. Performance Management 4. Compensation 5. Career Frameworks 6. Manager Effectiveness 7. Employee Experience 8. People Ops Foundation Heatmap surfaces: - Top 3 risks (where gap is biggest with severe consequences) - Top 3 opportunities (where investment compounds fastest) - 90-day priorities (smallest set of moves that moves the most dimensions) ## Common Failures - Importing enterprise practices into early-stage - Leaving scaleups in startup mode - Building 14 priorities (= no priorities) - No connection between people strategy and business strategy - Aspirational roadmap without dependencies - Roadmap that requires more founder bandwidth than available - No "what we won't build" list - No measurement plan ## Cross-References - `people-strategy-architect` agent - `people-orchestrator` agent - `change-management` skill - `workforce-planning` skill ## Key References - Bock, L. (2015). *Work Rules!* - Avin, T. (TroopHR community work on stage-appropriate people ops) - McCord, P. (2017). *Powerful*. - Boudreau, J., & Ramstad, P. (2007). *Beyond HR*.