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Headcount Planning Guide

Determine the right number of jobs and positions required to achieve organizational goals while adhering to budget constraints.

  • Headcount planning has a lot of moving parts, and it is unclear who is responsible for leading the process.
  • The disconnect between HR and Finance results in a non-holistic approach to data analysis and an incomplete representation of stakeholder priorities.

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Our Advice

Critical Insight

  • The main goal of headcount planning is to determine the right number of jobs and positions required to achieve organizational goals while adhering to budget constraints. Without collaboration between HR and Finance, there are missed opportunities to effectively achieve that goal.
  • HR’s involvement in all the steps of headcount planning aligns stakeholders, brings focus and clarity to the process, and gives a larger perspective to the individual steps.

Impact and Result

Conduct a strategic and effective headcount planning process that incorporates people and the financial perspective, leading to a holistic headcount plan.

Headcount Planning Guide Research & Tools

1. Prepare to draft a headcount plan.

Identify stakeholder responsibilities and gather data to inform the headcount plan.

Headcount Planning Guide Storyboard
Preparation Tool

2. Engage with stakeholders to draft and finalize the headcount plan.

Collaborate with stakeholders to create, evaluate, and submit the headcount plan for approval.

Headcount Planning Tool
Job Analysis Questionnaire

3. Communicate and Iterate the Headcount Plan

Communicate the headcount plan and identify impacts on HR programs .

Standard Internal Communications Plan
TA Headcount Guide
Standard PESTLE Analysis Template
Headcount Planning Guide preview picture

About McLean & Company

McLean & Company is an HR research and advisory firm providing practical solutions to human resources challenges via executable research, tools, diagnostics, and advisory services that have a clear and measurable impact on your business.

What Is a Blueprint?

A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your HR problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

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Speak With An Analyst

Get the help you need in this 3-phase advisory process. You'll receive 7 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.

Guided Implementation 1: Prepare to draft a headcount plan.
  • Call 1: Discuss stakeholder responsibilities in the headcount planning process.
  • Call 2: Gather and review data on organizational goals, strategy, and workforce costs.

Guided Implementation 2: Engage with stakeholders to draft and finalize the headcount plan
  • Call 1: Gather headcount request data from department leaders.
  • Call 2: Evaluate headcount requests.
  • Call 3: Roll up requests to create an organizational level plan that aligns with strategy and budget.

Guided Implementation 3: Communicate and iterate the headcount plan
  • Call 1: Craft a communication plan to share the headcount plan with department leaders.
  • Call 2: b. Identify how the headcount plan impacts other HR programs.

Contributors

  • Jill D’Souza, CPA, CMA, Director of FP&A
  • Enrique Esclusa, Co-founder & Co-CEO, Assemble
  • 2 anonymous contributors

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