Staffing Plan Activity
A soft-skills solution that gives your students a development
plan in less than an hour and better prepares them for a
successful business school experience and post-MBA
career.
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Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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Table of Contents
Staffing Plan-Activity Summary ..................................................................................................................... 2
How to Use this Document............................................................................................................................. 2
Section 1: Activity Outline............................................................................................................................... 2
Section 2: Faculty Guidance .......................................................................................................................... 2
Section 3: Supporting Collateral .................................................................................................................... 2
This information is confidential and proprietary and may not be reproduced in whole or part
unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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Staffing Plan-Activity Summary
Description
This group activity enlists students as consultants for
developing and executing a staffing plan for a start-up
company. It provides an opportunity for students to
effectively use Reflect general information, Reflect
“benchmarked” roles and their own insights from their
Reflect results (if they have completed the assessment) to
identify the key roles, behavioral attributes, and
responsibilities for key company staff members.
Specifically, in groups, students use one of the optional
case studies (Attachment II) or make up their own start-up
company “case” as the context for identifying and scoping
the fictional company’s staffing strategy and its critical positions.
Students also are responsible for coming up with interview questions for each position that
would support a “smart,” competency-driven hiring decision. Once they have they
completed a staffing plan, they answer a set of questions, in their groups, to assess their
end product and their team’s performance.
The culminating activity task is a group presentation.
Type
This is a group activity.
Learning Objective
Through developing a staffing plan (e.g. identifying key roles, developing job descriptions,
crafting interview questions) for a start-up company, students, first, build their knowledge
and understanding of Reflect competencies and their “real” business world, human
resource implications and, second, develop a keener sense for how to position themselves
for jobs (e.g. writing a staffing plan equips one with the aptitude to effectively read and
respond to job announcements).
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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How to Use this Document
Document Roadmap
Section 1-Activity Outline
a. Step-by-Step Process
b. Supplies Needed
Section 2-Faculty Guidance
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Implementation Notes
Mixing it Up
Competency Applications
Activity Examples
Grading Guidelines
Section 3-Supporting Materials
a. For Teachers—Presentations,
Probing Questions, Scripts
b. For Students—Handouts
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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Section 1: Activity Outline
Step 1—Introduction (30-45 min.)
a.
b.
c.
d.
Faculty member introduces activity as a group project (Supporting Collateral-Item 1).
Faculty member provides an example (Faculty Guidance-Activity Example).
Faculty member provides overview of activity steps/milestones as outlined below.
Faculty member shares general grading rubric (Faculty Guidance-Grading Guidelines).
Step 2— Group Assignment/Selection
(15 minutes immediately following faculty introduction of activity)
a. Ideally, among group members, all the Reflect competencies, as strengths and areas for development, are
represented, assuming the Reflect assessment has already been completed.
Step 3—Group Project Work (course of term; faculty-determined deadline)
a. Groups identify “case” to set context for their staffing plan. They either:
i. Select one of the case study examples (Supporting Collateral-Item 4).
ii. Draft their own case study, using the case study considerations
(Supporting Collateral-Item 3).
b. Groups identify the positions for inclusion/description in their staffing plan.
c. Within each groups student determine who will be responsible for:
i. Drafting each job description and interview questions (Supporting Collateral-Item 5).
ii. Timeline for independent work completion.
iii. Schedule for re-convening as a group, refining individual work, and meeting deadline for class
presentation (Supporting Collateral-Item 6).
Step 4— In Class Preparation for Group Presentations (a few hours of class allotted time
and possibly after class time within a day or so presentations)
a.
(Supporting Collateral-Item 7).
Step 5— Final Presentations (15 minutes for each presentation with Q&A)
a. Provide Feedback (Supporting Collateral-Item 8).
Step 6— Final Group Discussion
a. (Supporting Collateral-Item 2).
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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Section 2: Faculty Guidance
Implementation Notes

This activity is designed as a group project.

Students must complete the Reflect
assessment before embarking on this
activity. It’s in fact important that they have
also had debriefed the results and had time
to complete a thorough, independent review
of them.


This activity will likely require 4-8 hours to
complete, assuming that each member of a
group take primary responsibility for
scripting out a role, leaving time for group
work to finalize the staffing plan, develop
interview questions, and respond to “post
mortem” questions in preparation for their
class presentations.
Faculty members ultimately determine the
activity’s scope. Any activity process details
(e.g. steps, timelines, timing, materials) as
reflected in the outline below are strictly
suggestions and are dependent on facultydetermined course structure and
requirements. As one example and
depending on academic needs, faculty can
modify the number of job descriptions
“required” for activity completion.
HOW TO MIX THINGS UP
Ideas to modify the activity, introduce new
design and delivery options, and increase the
difficulty level for students.

Faculty can limit the options available to
students regarding the case studies –
requiring students use the examples
provided OR requiring that student groups
make up their own cases.

The activity can include a requirement that
students detail one position that is currently
NOT a benchmarked Reflect role.

To reduce the implementation time of the
activity, faculty can select one case study
and divide students into groups by key
positions (HR Manager, Marketing
Manager). Each group is subsequently
required to scope that particular position as
opposed to creating an entire staffing plan.
While this option limits some of the
activity’s learning opportunities, students
still gain appreciation and knowledge for
how the competencies impact job
descriptions and candidate selection.

Faculty members can require students to
participate in mock interviews, with other
groups thereby actually practicing, in the
roles of job candidates, their responses to
questions for key positions.
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Opportunities to Apply Reflect Competencies
Through its implementation, the activity offers the student opportunities to build insight and
skill on:
 Operational thinking: The activity’s successful execution depends on
student’s effectiveness at project planning.
 Decision Making: The activity requires students to make
decisions regarding roles and responsibilities and activity scope. While
broad, this level of decision-making contributes to the activity’s successful
execution.
 Innovation: The activity provides students with opportunities to think
creatively and approach the assignment in innovative ways.
 Collaboration & Valuing Others: Group members’ ability to collaborate
and place value on individual member’s ideas and contributions plays an
important role in project success.
Through its content focus, the activity offers the student an opportunity to align specific
competencies with specific roles within an organization and, in so doing, gain a stronger
appreciation for the importance of each competency. Students’ experiences will vary
depending on the competencies on which they focus in their individual work.
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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Activity Example
Chris is one member of a four-person group assigned to
develop a staffing plan for a start-up company. The
case study for this company goes something like this…
“Chris” and his/her team have received an angel
investment to make their dream a reality – the launch of
a “design your own” cupcake application and bakery.
They have tested and refined both products (the app
and the cupcake recipe), secured storefront property,
and, with their investors, established revenue goals for
Year 1 of “CakeArt.” The next order of business is for
them to hire a staff of five, excluding “retail staff” and
bakers, to lead the effort. The owners have identified the five key roles that they need:
 HR Manager
 Logistics Consultant
 Marketing Manager
 Operations Manager
 Financial Manager
In order to find the right people for these roles, the next order of business is for the team to
develop job descriptions for each role and conduct a search. When they have identified a
few candidates for each position, they’ll also need to be prepared with interview questions.
The team hopes that within a relatively short period of time, they’ll be ready to launch
CakeArt.
With their fictional marching orders clear, Chris and his/her team work create their staffing
plan.
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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Grading Guidelines
It is recommended that teams receive a
letter grade for this activity based on:
 Each group’s quality completion of
the staffing plan/position scoping
as evidenced by job descriptions
and interview questions.
 Each group’s class presentations.
 Participation and engagement
during class discussions.
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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
Section
3: Supporting Collateral
Materials, as referenced in the activity
outline, appear on the subsequent
pages. When applicable, instructions are
provided to the user (faculty member,
student). Faculty members are
encouraged to edit the materials to suit
their needs and to align with their
preferences for activity implementation.
This section is divided into two primary
categories, collateral for teachers and
collateral for students.
This information is confidential and proprietary and may not be reproduced in whole or part
unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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ITEM 1 FOR TEACHERS:
Script for Introducing Activity
Use the following script and/or enhance it as necessary to meet your needs. The
accompanying slides for this activity also support its introduction.
This “staffing plan” case study-driven activity will help cement your understanding of the
Reflect competencies and how they impact staffing/hiring decisions. Because it is a group
activity, it also provides you with opportunities to collaborate on project activities and
outcomes, leveraging Reflect competencies in the process.
Your goal is to use case study information as a foundation for “inspiring” and developing a
staffing plan and collateral materials for a core staff of five for a start-up company. You can
either use one of the case studies we’ve provided or create one on your own, potentially
based on a start-up idea you have.
Your specific activities will involve:
 Reviewing or conceptualizing your case.
 Determining the five roles that are critical for the start-ups success and outlining their
knowledge, skills, and behavior.
 Identifying interview questions as part of the screening process for candidates for
each role.
The culminating task involves preparing responses to activity “debrief” questions in your
small group and presenting your staffing plan to the class.
This activity will require you and your group members to work together in meeting activity
milestones and delegating roles and responsibilities. See PowerPoint below:
Staffing Plan
Script.pptx
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ITEM 2 FOR TEACHERS:
Final Discussion Points
The following questions may help to frame a final class discussion about this activity. The
goal is three-fold:
 To leverage student ideas about the competencies relative to the activity.
 To solicit student insights about the competencies relative to the process.
 To invite student perspectives on the implications of this activity on their professional
career knowledge and choices.
1) What did you learn about the competencies as a result of this activity?
a) Competencies that are most important in “leadership” positions?
b) Competencies that are less important?
c) “Tension” between competencies (e.g. How does an HR manager in the middle of
a downsizing reconcile the possible tension between critical “valuing others” and
“resilience” competencies. How does an operations manager in a highly innovative
work environment position him/herself? How does a marketing manager separate
the necessary “interpersonal intuition” that he/she must have with his/her external
clients with his/her peers internally?).
d) Strategic self-awareness is a competency that is not considered “job” critical but it
is critical to one’s development and growth professionally. How do leaders in
organizations ensure that they are maintaining the “edge” on this competency?
e) When positions vary in the relative importance of competencies and leadership
teams are supposed to work collaboratively, what do individual team members
need to do (e.g. operations and HR, sales and marketing and innovation)?
2) As part of the activity, you identified candidate interview questions for each position. What
motivated the selection of the particular questions? Why did they rise to the top?
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3) What did the group experience “teach” you about the competencies?
a) Were any competencies more critical than others?
b) Did you Reflect results align with your capabilities on the project team?
c) Did your experience as a team member heighten areas of development for you or
areas where you can better leverage your strengths?
4) What new insights do you have about professional future/career based on this activity?
a) Are there types of positions that intrigue you more?
b) Are there ones that you believe are ill fitted for you?
c) What do you need to do to position yourself for comparable positions? To what
extent are you prepared and how will you further prepare to respond effectively to
interview questions like the ones you developed?
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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ITEM 3 FOR STUDENTS:
Case Study Considerations
If your team elects to create its own case study, following are some criteria to consider.

A “startup” company concept that someone in your group would like to investigate
further for his/her own personal/professional goals.

A “startup” company in which a group member has been involved directly or has
intimate knowledge but that needs a staffing plan.

A “startup” company that requires a number of multiple roles/positions to operate
effectively even in its launch stage.

A “startup” company that responds to critical business/consumer need.

A “startup” company that responds to a business that recently failed.
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ITEM 4 FOR STUDENTS:
Case Study Examples
Following are examples of case studies on business start-ups. You can use and/or enhance
one of the examples below and/or use Item 3 criteria to create your own “case.”
CAKE-ART
“Chris” has received an angel investment to make his/her dream a reality – the launch of a
“design your own” cupcake app and bakery. He/she has tested both products (app and
cupcake), secured storefront property, and with his/her investors, revenue goals for Year 1
of “CakeArt” have been established. The next order of business is for him/her to hire a staff
of five, excluding “retail staff” and bakers, to lead the effort. Chris has identified the five key
roles that he/she needs:





HR Manager
Logistics Consultant
Marketing Manager
Operations Manager
Financial Manager
“At Your Office” Concierge Service
“Sam,” a self-described burned-out corporate executive, is launching a new business that
provides “nuts and bolts” concierge services to corporate executives, but with a real personal
touch. His/her value add is that his/her company gets to know each of his/her individual
clients extremely well so that services are tailor made to meet each clients’ lifestyle needs.
Sam’s independent wealth will enable him/her to invest the resources necessary to secure six
corporate clients in the first year of operations but he/she needs a staff of individuals to
establish and run the show.
Who does Sam need on his/her five-person team? What will they need to be able to do?
*Continued on Page 16
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*Continued from Page 15
Summer Fun
“Pat” recognizes that things change in the summer. Schedules are uprooted as the school
year ends, vacations needs to be planned, down time is more permissible and expected.
Pat’s job is to help busy families plan their worlds from June to August, based on their
summer goals and budgets. Pat involves the whole family in the intake process to ensure
that everyone’s voice is heard. Pat sees his/her business as primarily virtual to support
families nationwide. Beyond her operational staff that works at ground level, Pat needs a
leadership team of who can help envision and launch his/her business in a number of
different cities.
Beyond a Sales Manager and a Marketing Manager, who else does Pat need on his/her
team? What additional position, not reflected in Reflect’s benchmarked positions, would be
a requisite addition to Pat’s leadership team?
Closet in a Crate
Something for everyone, the Closet in a Crate company is the brainchild of “Kelly.” Kelly
has developed a product line of “crates of clothing” that share a common color palette and
style. As an example, the “little girl in green” crate includes three shirts, a baseball cap, two
pairs of shorts, one pair of pants, a skort, a dress, a belt, baseball cap, and sweater. All
items are interchangeable. There are crates for every member of the family, in five different
colors. Kelly has the seed money available to launch the business but she now needs to
hire temp-to-perm contractors to support her launch and expansion of the crate line.
Who should Kelly hire? Identify five benchmarked Reflect positions and one new one on
your own? Develop job descriptions for these positions.
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ITEM 5 FOR STUDENTS:
Job Description and Interview Question Template
After assigning positions to each team member, each individual should complete the
following for their assigned position.
Application
Organizational Overview
Describe the hiring organization:
Position General Overview
Provide a general overview of the position for which you’re hiring:
Key Position Responsibilities
Outline below the position’s key responsibilities. This will most likely be fictional based on
your start up case study but you can certainly research comparable roles to further
understand baseline requirements for similar roles:
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*Continued from Page 17
Required Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviors
This area requires you to sufficiently understand the role so you can detail the “technical”
requirements of the position. It also requires your significant understanding of Reflect
competencies so that you can effectively outline the critical skills and behaviors for the role.
If you have already completed and received your individual Reflect report, you can also use
its results to inform the content of this section:
Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Behaviors
This section complements the above one and also leverages the “important” and “helpful”
categories for benchmarked positions:
Miscellaneous Considerations
This final section allows you to be creative (based on the case study) but also invites you to
consider special Reflect -inspired information to support your position detailing:
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*Continued from Page 18
Interview Questions
In the following section, identify at least five questions the responses to which would
support you making an informed hiring decision for this ideal candidate for this position
Also, provide the rationale for including that question over other possible ones (e.g. how
does each question facilitate candidate selection, what information does the question
leverage and how is it critical). Questions should leverage the candidate characteristics that
are important based on the job description. Imagine questions that, if considered for the
position yourself, you would find challenging but critical to answer effectively. Questions
should be “open,” soliciting from respondents more than “yes” and “no” responses:
1.
2.
3.
4.
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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ITEM 6 FOR STUDENTS:
Staffing Plan Presentation Outline
The following outline may be helpful to you as you prepare your 15-minute presentation on
your staffing plan. While you are not required to follow the outline exactly, it reveals
important discussion points that student groups should address. “Discussion Prep
Questions” are also available to help you prepare for the presentation.
I. Introduction of Case Study
II. Overview of Staffing Plan
a. Number positions
b. Titles of positions
c. Rationale for each position (e.g. why does your start-up need this position,
what’s its value-add over other possible “first” positions to fill)
III. Review of Each Position (each group member should present on the role that
he/she was assigned)
a. Title
b. Primary roles and responsibilities
c. Critical competencies
i. Descriptions
ii. Relationship to job position and role requirements
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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ITEM 7 FOR STUDENTS:
Group Presentation Preparation Questions
You are responsible for presenting your staffing plan to your classmates as a culminating
task for this activity. After your presentation, audience members (e.g. peer, faculty) will have
an opportunity to pose questions to your group from the following ones that appear below.
Selection of questions will be random. Your group has a few hours of class time to discuss
responses to these questions.
Staffing Plan Product
1. What inspired your group’s selection of its job roles?
2. Which role was the hardest to detail? The easiest?
3. Which positions are most vulnerable to “failure” based on its requirements? Which
positions have the most likelihood of success?
4. If you were to staff the positions with current members of your team, who would be the
ideal candidate for each role? Why?
5. If you had to downsize and cut one role, what would it be? If you could add an
additional member of your leadership team, what role would you add? Would it
replicate a current role?
*Continued on Page 22
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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*Continued from Page 21
6. At the on-boarding/staffing launch celebration, what would be the number one
message that you would want to convey to all hired staff about your needs for their
competency/behavior? In other words, if you had to identify one or two Reflect
competencies that you think are critical for every staff person to demonstrate, what
would they be?
7. Imagine a six months into the start-up’s launch, you need terminate one of your
employees. Pick one of your positions and imagine the scenario that might contribute
to his/her firing, if failure to demonstrate critical competency was the “infraction.”
Your Team’s Process
1. For this activity, which of the Reflect competencies were most critical to your team’s
work and implementation?
2. Which competencies were least important?
3. If you were to give your team a grade on its competency demonstration, where did it
shine? Where not?
4. What have you learned individually about yourself in the execution of the project?
What are the implication for your own learning and development?
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unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.
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ITEM 8 FOR STUDENTS:
Peer Evaluation Form
Use the following form to identify and articulate your 30-day experiment idea. Faculty will
be using your responses to the questions below to approve or reject the proposed focus of
your experiment.
It’s important to note that at this stage experiment focus can be relatively broad, recognizing
that refinement of your activities/process will occur over 30 days.
It’s also important to note that your behavioral focus does not need to be for a competency
on which you received low results.
Group/Group Members:
Case:
Your Name:
Assess the group’s success at identifying critical positions to staff its company?
Assess the group’s success at scoping each position and leveraging appropriate
competencies as part of the process.
What is one thing this group did really well?
What is one thing you would recommend they change for a comparable project in the
future?
This information is confidential and proprietary and may not be reproduced in whole or part
unless authorized by the Graduate Management Admission Council®.