SAP Workforce Planning

What Is SAP Workforce Planning?

Companies that want to better anticipate staffing needs — be they through organizational change, growth, or seasonal impact — use workforce planning. The process of workforce planning brings a data-driven approach to forecasting workforce requirements and strives to ensure a company is optimizing its hiring and training. Technology also plays a role in workforce planning, and SAP Workforce Planning is offered in the cloud-based SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Planning module.

Good workforce planning typically includes analysis of the following:

Available talent
Forecasted talent needs
Gaps between what is forecasted and what is available
Determination of how to fill talent gaps.

Filling talent gaps goes beyond simply hiring full-time workers. It can also include part-time or seasonal labor or contract work. The solution to workforce deficits may be inside the company already and achieved through training and promotion from within.

SAP Workforce Planning with SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Planning is one option for SAP customers, but it’s not the only option available. For example, vendors such as Alight offer pre-packaged workforce planning solutions. SAP partners like IBM and Accenture help companies implement workforce planning processes and technologies.

What Is SAP Workforce Planning?

Good workforce planning typically includes analysis of the following:

Available talent
Forecasted talent needs
Gaps between what is forecasted and what is available
Determination of how to fill talent gaps.

Key Considerations for SAP Workforce Planning

Data-driven workforce planning is still a strategic advantage. While it may seem like every company is engaging in HR best practices that include workforce planning, the truth is workforce planning and analytics tools are among the lowest adoption of HR software types, according to data from our recent HR technology research. Implementing a workforce planning process can give your organization a competitive edge.
Bring HR together with finance and the business for workforce planning. Workforce planning is at its best when all relevant sources of insight and information are brought to the table. Finance can provide critical data on budget and forecasted company performance. Business executives drive the direction of the organization that will ultimately create staffing needs. Combine business and finance with HR’s insight for the best workforce planning outcomes.
Define your workforce planning requirements. Determining the goals of your workforce planning program before undertaking the actual analysis will help drive more effective results. Figure out which departments and skill sets are most likely to need planning assistance. Additionally, identify specific time frames for planning — are you looking at the next year or beyond?

Maintain Data Integrity by Implementing Profit Center Planning in the New General Ledger

Published: 15/April/2008

Reading time: 8 mins

Find out how to implement profit center planning in the new General Ledger and how to transfer planning data from Cost Center Accounting and Profitability Analysis to profit centers. Key Concept For SAP ERP 5.0 and 6.0, SAP integrated Profit Center Accounting into the new General Ledger (new G/L), so the profit center planning functionality...…
Best Practices for Implementing Sales and Operations Planning

Published: 29/March/2013

Reading time: 14 mins

The sales and operations planning (S&OP) process can bring about substantial improvements in the way a company manages its supply chain. Learn the building blocks of the S&OP process, what it needs in terms of technology, and how this is supported in different SAP solutions. Key Concept Sales and operations planning (S&OP) is the process...…
- SAP APO
Meeting Demand with a Constrained Supply Using Product Allocation in SAP APO Global ATP

Published: 09/March/2016

Reading time: 22 mins

Learn the process flow of how product allocation can be used in SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) Global available-to-promise (Global ATP) to meet customer requirements by managing the supply of scarce products. The system can perform availability checks in conjunction with product allocation checks. Key Concept Availability checks, also known as available-to-promise (ATP),...…
Learn How to Configure the Quick View Panel in the Search Lane and Workforce Viewer of HR Renewal 1.0 Feature Pack 4

Published: 10/April/2015

Reading time: 21 mins

Learn how to configure standard and custom infotype field information in the Workforce Viewer and quick view panel of the search lane functionalities of HR Renewal 1.0. Key Concept The Workforce Viewer is one of the new features released with HR Renewal 1.0 Feature Pack 4. The Workforce Viewer gives users an easy to use...…
- SAP APO
Manage Lifecycle Planning in SAP APO

Published: 18/May/2016

Reading time: 13 mins

Learn how lifecycle planning can be configured in SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) to forecast a new product, manage the introduction of the new product (phase-in), phase out the old product being replaced, and integrate it with forecasting techniques. Follow a step-by-step procedure to configure and run the associated master data objects, run...…
7 Steps to Configure Fiscal Weeks Right the First Time in SAP APO

Published: 23/July/2009

Reading time: 13 mins

Learn how to avoid common errors in defining fiscal weeks when creating them in SAP ERP Central Component and then importing them to SAP Advanced Planning & Optimization. Examine the touch points of using the time bucket of fiscal week for the planning area, planning books, and supply network planning. Key Concept You can carry...…
Bring Cash Forecasting into FI – You Can Do It in a Day

Published: 15/October/2002

Reading time: 22 mins

Many sites do not initially implement the cash forecasting capability of Treasury’s Cash Management module. Configuring it retroactively is easy to do and requires little knowledge of the Treasury module. The cash-forecast functionality within Treasury’s Cash Management module provides the ability to track potential cash all along the pipeline from sale to order fulfillment...…
Design a Quote Request Process Using Product Costing Components

Published: 29/November/2012

Reading time: 23 mins

Learn how to use product costing and internal orders to create a system that can meet all the basic requirements for developing a quote request. Key Concept The quote request process can start with an external customer request or an internal product simulation exercise. Multiple departments become involved to develop or review this process. As...…
Exploit Demand Planning to Forecast Dependent Requirements in SAP APO

Published: 20/October/2015

Reading time: 12 mins

Learn the process flow of an SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (APO) forecast with bills of material (BOM). Follow a step-by-step procedure to release a forecast and interpret the results. Key Concept Demand Planning (DP) in SAP Advanced Planning and Optimization (SAP APO) helps to generate forecasts based on historical values. Forecasting is generally done...…
- SAP Financial Planning
SEM vs. R/3 for Financial Statement Planning

Published: 15/November/2003

Reading time: 11 mins

Very few organizations have not performed some variation of financial statement planning at one time or another. These plans are usually produced to fulfill legal statutes or regulatory filings, so much time is often put into their accuracy. Private-sector organizations often engage in this type of activity on a weekly basis. The process involves the...…