Workforce Planning FAQ

Here are answers to some common questions asked about the Workforce Planning module:

1. Can multiple administrators work on the same plan?

Yes. All administrators can view and edit the plan. There is no check-in/check-out process or assignment workflow.

2. Can I use custom dimensions?

Yes. In addition to dimensions that already exist in your databases, you can create custom dimensions specifically for a workforce plan.

3. Can I use dimensions from another database?

Yes. Workforce Planning is not tied to the dimensions used in a particular budget or profit and loss statement. You can select dimensions from any available database.

4. What happens when I import employee data again?

Employee records are matched using a unique identifier. If an imported employee already exists, the relevant information is updated rather than creating a duplicate employee.

5. Can I see previous values?

Yes. You can view cell history to see when a value was added or changed and the dates on which changes take effect.

6. Do I need to republish after making changes?

Yes. Changes made in a workforce plan are not available elsewhere until the plan is published again.

7. Can I publish only part of a plan?

No, publishing is a full replace so previously published values are overwritten or deleted.

8. Do changes in Workforce Planning automatically update my budget?

No. After making changes, you must publish the workforce plan. The updated workforce data can then be synchronized into the budget.

9. Can I analyze workforce data before using it in a budget?

Yes. Published workforce data is available in a dedicated workforce database for analysis.

10. Which workforce measures are available?

Each measure defined in your plan is published as an individual measure — Salary, Bonus, Commission, and each configured benefit (such as Pension). A Total measure is also published, summing all measures together. See Analyze workforce data in Flex Modes.

11. Can I model employees paid by the hour?

Yes. Use custom properties (Hourly rate and Number of hours) and a static measure with a formula to derive an annualized salary. See Model employees paid by the hour.

12. What happens when I delete an employee — is their history preserved?

No. Deleting an employee removes their record and history from the plan immediately. This action cannot be undone. Once you republish, the deletion also flows through to the Flex Modes database.

13. How are annualized values converted on publish?

The tool spreads each annualized value into daily transactions in the Flex Modes database, using each measure's configured spread method (daily, monthly, or yearly). See Annualized values and spreading.

14. What is the difference between daily, monthly, and yearly spreading?

• Daily spreading distributes each annualized value evenly across the days of the year. Every day has the same amount, but monthly totals vary based on the length of each month.
• Monthly spreading distributes each annualized value evenly across the 12 months. Every month has the same total, but individual daily amounts vary based on the length of the month.
• Yearly spreading puts the entire annualized value on a single day you choose within the year, rather than spreading it across days or months. This suits values that are paid once a year, such as an annual bonus.

15. Can I import changes that take effect on different dates in a single import?

Yes. Export the change timeline to get a file with an effective date column for every recorded change, make your changes in the file, then import it. Each row's own effective date is used, instead of the plan's current As at date. This is also the quickest way to bring a large amount of historical data, such as several years of payroll history, into a plan in one pass. See Import a file with multiple effective dates.