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The Future of Planning

Human Resources Planning Framework

Enabling Strategic Workforce Agility with SDG’s Expertise and Technology Integration

The SDG Human Resources Planning Accelerator

Human Resources Planning (HRP) has become a cornerstone of organisational resilience and long-term success. Amid rapid technological evolution, workforce shifts, and global uncertainty, companies must adopt a proactive and integrated approach to workforce management.

Leveraging over three decades of experience in enterprise planning and performance optimisation, SDG is introducing its Human Resources Planning Framework - a proprietary accelerator, powered by Board, that combines proven methodologies, HR analytics, and advanced platform capabilities to drive strategic workforce readiness.

Our HR Framework is designed to help clients forecast talent needs, bridge skill gaps, manage workforce costs, and align HR strategy with business goals. It provides an integrated, future-proof solution to elevate HR from operational support to strategic enabler - empowering agility, optimising human capital, and strengthening organisational competitiveness.

Why Strategic HR Planning is a Business Imperative

Organisations are navigating an era marked by talent scarcity, demographic shifts, hybrid work models, and continuous disruption. Traditional HR processes, often reactive and disconnected from business strategy, are insufficient to meet these modern challenges.

Without robust HR planning, companies face:

  • High Turnover and Talent Drain: Loss of institutional knowledge and increased hiring costs.
  • Workforce Imbalances: Overstaffing in declining areas and understaffing in strategic functions.
  • Operational Inefficiencies: Misalignment between capacity and demand, underutilised talent.
  • Decentralised and misaligned information: Loss of information and resources caused by inefficient process unification efforts.
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Strategic Human Resources Planning is no longer a luxury - it is a necessity for organisations to anticipate change, respond to disruption, and build a resilient, future-ready workforce.
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Main Features

SDG’s Human Resources Planning Framework integrates advanced modeling, predictive analytics, and collaborative workflows to ensure organizations are equipped to meet workforce demands proactively. Key features include:

Integrated Workforce Forecasting
  • Analyse historical workforce trends and align future talent needs with business objectives.
  • Simulate hiring, attrition, retirement, and internal mobility to forecast capacity gaps and surpluses.
  • Enable strategic headcount planning by role, region, and function.
Cost Forecasting & Financial impact
  • Labor Cost Calculation and Simulation: Accurately calculates and simulates the financial impact of all compensation components, including salaries, bonuses, overtime, and the cost of benefits (insurance, pensions, etc.).
  • Agile Forecasting and Financial Alignment: Quickly projects future labor costs and translates their financial impact directly into accounting terms, streamlining budget planning and financial decision-making.
  • Dynamic Scenario Modeling: Flexibly models different cost scenarios based on variable parameters and assumptions (e.g., changes in inflation, salary increases, or restructuring), helping the company prepare for various financial futures.
Scenario Planning and Risk Mitigation
  • Model various workforce scenarios (e.g., M&A, downsizing, market expansion) to assess impact.
  • Quantify risks such as knowledge loss, retention challenges, and compliance exposure.
  • Support agile workforce decisions based on changing economic, technological, or regulatory conditions.
Industry-Specific Adaptability
  • Manufacturing: Plan for plant-level labor capacity, seasonal demand fluctuations, and multi-shift optimisation.
  • Financial Services: Align workforce with customer-facing digital transformation and compliance needs.
  • Healthcare: Balance clinical staffing needs with cost-efficiency and patient care quality.
  • Retail: Model workforce demand by store, region, and channel, accounting for seasonality and promotions.
  • Technology: Support talent pipeline planning for fast-paced product cycles and innovation goals.
Intelligent Talent Analytics
  • AI/ML Algorithms: Predict attrition, internal mobility likelihood, and high-potential talent trajectories.
  • Workforce Segmentation: Cluster roles and employees by value contribution and strategic importance.
  • Diversity & Inclusion Tracking: Ensure equitable growth strategies and compliance with ESG mandates.
Strategic Alignment & System Integration
  • S&OP/IBP Integration: Align people planning with operational and financial planning processes.
  • ERP/HRIS Integration: Seamless data flow with systems like SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, or Oracle HCM.
  • Budget Synchronization: Link workforce plans with financial models to control costs and optimize ROI.

Platform Enablement

Building on Robust Technology with SDG

Our HRP Framework is designed to be deployed on leading platforms like Board, ensuring end-to-end integration, scalability, and user adoption. Through the power of in-memory analytics, role-based workflows, and real-time simulations, the platform delivers:

 

  • Collaborative Planning: Involve HR, Finance, and Operations in unified planning cycles.
  • Dynamic Dashboards: Real-time insights on workforce KPIs—headcount, attrition, engagement, and cost-per-hire.
  • Advanced Analytics Integration: Use Python, R, or integrated ML engines for sophisticated talent forecasting and optimization.
  • Data Consistency: Maintain a single source of truth across HR, finance, and operations.
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Value to the Client

Turning Workforce Planning into a Strategic Asset

Deploying the SDG Human Resources Planning Framework means transforming your workforce into a source of competitive advantage. Key benefits include:

Workforce Resilience and Agility
  • Anticipate talent needs and proactively address gaps.
  • Respond swiftly to change through scenario planning and risk mitigation.
  • Build internal capabilities aligned with strategic priorities.
Operational and Financial Efficiency
  • Reduce cost overruns from overstaffing or inefficient recruitment.
  • Improve productivity through better role allocation and development plans.
  • Align workforce plans with financial constraints and business goals.
Strategic Visibility and Governance
  • Enable leadership with a comprehensive view of workforce risks and opportunities.
  • Strengthen compliance, transparency, and accountability across HR processes.
  • Support strategic initiatives such as digital transformation, globalization, and sustainability.
EU-compliant ESG metrics
  • Automatically calculate key indicators to measure your social impact.
  • Easily generate CSRD-compliant reports that are fully aligned with European regulations.
  • Define and monitor your targets to improve your company's reputation and attract new talent.

Download the White Paper

Find Out More about SDG HR Planning framework.

  1. Don't hesitate to request a quick meeting with our experts to explore demo and full functionalities of the solution