Everything you need to get started for your Operational Headcount Planning needs.
Overview
Workforce Planning is no longer a siloed part of business that organizations can visit once a year. And modern workforce planning needs to become a framework of collaborative enterprise planning that is continuous and dynamic. Organizations are transitioning from purpose-built workforce planning application to enterprise-grade planning where they get access to HR as content for acceleration.
From Operational headcount planning to Strategic workforce planning, SAP Analytics Cloud for planning integrates Workforce Planning into the realm of Extended Planning and Analysis (xP&A). It combines Workforce Planning with Smart Predict capability and comes with standard features that are critical for planning to empower businesses to drive positive financial, operational, and human capital outcomes of an organization.
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Strategic Workforce Planning vs Operational Headcount Planning
“What are the workforce implications of our organization’s short and long-term business strategy on our critical job roles?”
“Will we have the right resources? If not, how could we get them?”
For business HR strategists, Strategic Workforce Planning ensures the contribution of the HR strategy to the business’s success and strategic objectives. It is a planning solution that helps to predict the future development of workforce demand, supply, and gap, and define a strategy for gap closure.
“How do we plan for the right number, cost, and types of workforce resources to hit projected business targets and make sure we are executing on that plan?”
For HR business partners, Operational Headcount Planning is a planning solution that supports the yearly planning of headcount. Operational Headcount Planning by Job allows planning of headcount or FTE for hires, terminations and transfers and their salaries and merit increases. Operational Headcount Planning by Position is performed on position level and allows for planning of new positions, position transfers, employee transfers and position terminations and salary adjustments.
In this blog we will focus on Operational Headcount Planning. If you would like to learn more about the steps for Operational Headcount Planning, please take a look at this blog: Activating SAP Analytics Cloud for Planning – Strategic Workforce Planning
How it works
Here is a high-level overview of how HR can help streamline the workforce planning workflow to make better-informed talent decisions.
- Create your planning model
- In order to use SAP Analytics Cloud for workforce planning you’ll have to import your HR data. Usually before you can import any data you have to define how it will be structured by creating a planning model. SAP accelerates this process by providing you with predefined templates you can use to define and load data from SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central based on existing structures and relationships.
- A planning model is a representation of your people data according to your defined structure. When you create your model, you’ll define hierarchical relationships between positions and determine your organizational structure according to cost center or departmental structures. Models will provide the basis for your planning in SAP Analytics Cloud.
- Once your model is defined, you’ll complete the process by importing your workforce data. In this stage, you can add the different types of your headcount and cost data such as actuals, budget, and forecasts.
- Collaborate with your team
- In order to increase accountability and cut down on multiple communication channels, SAP Analytics Cloud incorporates collaboration tools so stakeholders like cost center managers, leadership and workforce planners can communicate in context without leaving the platform.
- Collaboration features give individuals the ability to:
- Start discussions with individuals or groups
- Access discussions from anywhere in the workspace
- Comment on individual visualizations
- Assign tasks & send reminders to team members
Data Connectivity
- Import Data Connection from SAP SuccessFactors to SAP Analytics Cloud
- Add Connection by selecting Acquire Data – SAP SuccessFactors
- On the New SAP SuccessFactors Connection dialog, enter data connection name, Service URL, User ID, API Key, upload the certificate file under Private Key, and enter Company ID
- Clicking Create will add the new connection to the list of connections on the Connections screen
- Import Data Connection from SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Analytics to SAP Analytics Cloud
- A valid Workforce Analytics account is required
- Add connection by selecting Acquire Data – SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Analytics
- On the New SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Analytics Connection dialog, enter data connection name, Service URL, Workforce Analytics User ID, API Key, upload the certificate file (.pem file) under Private Key, and enter Company ID
- Clicking Create will add the new connection to the list of connections on the Connections screen
- SAP Analytics Cloud Connector for SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Analytics
- Create a connection to WFA connector with SAC
- Create a dimension in SAC
- Create a model in SAC with WFA data
- Create a story in SAC based on WFA data
- This connector only provides a way to include some of the analytical information that were performed in Workforce Analytics in SAC Stories. With this connector, you can access predefined, time-trended HR, and talent metrics from Workforce Analytics without having to build from scratch
- This connector requests the results of a query at the leaf node, performing the aggregations as part of processing the query and building the model. Hence it requires manual re-creation of the hierarchies that have been requested from Workforce Analytics in the SAC model.
- We recommend that you use the connector for requesting small and targeted amounts of data for inclusion in SAC models and stories
Steps to Start with SAP Analytics Cloud Planning – Operational Headcount Planning by Job (Best Practice Content)
- Prepare System for Operational Headcount Planning
- Validate Planner Views
- Identify and Create New Positions to be Added
- Create Headcount & Full-Time Equivalent Plan
- Create Annual Salary & Merit Percentage Plan
- Calculate Costs & Obtain Approvals
- Consolidate Plans & Create Hiring Plan
- Analyze Actual and Plan Headcount and Full-Time Equivalent Plan
- Track and Analyze Actual vs. Plan Headcount and Full-Time Equivalent Plan
Operational Headcount Planning by Job is the process of planning the headcount or full-time equivalents for a twelve months planning horizon. The planning is performed on a job classification level per organizational unit and allows for planning of hires, terminations and transfers-in and transfers-out. In a second step the salary and merit increase per job classification is planned. New positions (i.e. job classifications) together with annual salary can be created in specific locations for planning of new headcount and full-time equivalents.
Three types of comprehensive pre-built analytics stories support the planning activities:
- The analysis of the Plan with e.g. net change and salary-related charts
- Actual & Plan analysis presenting key measures including breakdowns by period
- Actual vs. Plan analysis providing e.g. the calculation of variances
Steps to Start with SAP Analytics Cloud Planning – Operational Planning by Position
- Prepare System for Operational Headcount Planning
- Create Local Guidelines
- Review Cost Data
- Add New Positions, Transfer Positions, Transfer Employees, Terminate Positions
- Adjust Salary
- Review Headcount, Salary and Midpoint
- Review Total Cost
- Analyze Plan, Analyze Actual and Plan, Analyze Actual vs. Plan
Operational Headcount Planning by Position is the process of planning the headcount for a twelve months planning horizon. The planning is performed on a position level per organizational unit and allows for planning of new positions, position transfers, employee transfers and position terminations. Transfers are planned between cost centers of the same organizational units (not across organizational units). In a second step the salary adjustments per position are planned. Local guidelines including merit and benefits are used to calculate total cost. Comprehensive pre-built analytics stories support the planning activities. The solution is designed with planning administrator and planner roles in mind with role-specific launchpads.
Helpful Resources
Learn about current functionality, recent improvements, anticipated road map, and more by clicking the links below:
• SAP Analytics Cloud
• SAP Analytics Cloud Roadmap
• Pre-built Business Content
• SAP Analytics Cloud Community
• Help and Technical Specs
• How to get Support
• SAP Analytics Cloud Webinars
• SAP Hana Journey - SAP Analytics Cloud Blogs
• SAP Community – Workforce Planning contents
• SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Planning (SAP Best Practices)
• Blog on Strategic and Operational Workforce Planning with SAP: Best Practices for SAP SuccessFactors...
• Content Network Release Information Guide: SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Planning (SAP Best Practices...
• Blog – It’s Time for HR and Finance to Be on the Same Page for Workforce Planning
• Leverage LoB and Industry Content for SAP Digital Boardroom & Analytics Cloud
- SAP Managed Tags:
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