Strategic Workforce Planning

Keep your workforce, skills, and costs in sync with business objectives

Adapt quickly, manage costs, and drive sustainable growth with Dayforce Strategic Workforce Planning.

Overview

Take the guesswork out of workforce planning

When data is locked in spreadsheets, leaders can’t see the full picture – and small gaps in staffing or budgets can lead to costly mistakes. Dayforce Strategic Workforce Planning turns data into clear insights so you can plan for change, forecast costs, and adapt as needed so you can always lead with confidence.
Tackle weeks of planning in minutes

Get faster insights and a clear view of your workforce – without messy spreadsheets or manual cleanup. With AI-powered automation, everything comes together in one place.

Plan smarter, act faster

Make it quick and easy for teams to model changes, forecast skills and costs, and run “what-if” scenarios, turning insights into clear, confident plans that drive results.

Keep leaders aligned and accountable

Unite HR, finance, and business leaders with a shared view of workforce plans tied to key goals and results so they can lead with confidence and speed.

What's Included

Smarter org design. Faster decisions. Stronger alignment.

With Dayforce, strategic workforce planning is clear, practical, and built for what's next.
AI Insights

Optimize your structure with a clear view of layers and costs.

Issue resolution

Identify and address issues like misaligned spans of control or costly layers with clear tips to guide you.

Scenario planning

Use AI to test different org scenarios, then use natural language prompts to design the ideal organizational structure that fits your needs however often they change.

Aligned stakeholders

Export plans to slides with ready-to-use templates, making every presentation clear, polished and ready to support faster, more responsive decisions.

Stay in-sync

Keep employee records current so organizational plans and operational data always match.

AI coaching

Get AI-powered recommendations to refine scenarios, making designs more efficient and aligned with your business goals​.

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Frequently asked questions

What is strategic workforce planning?

Strategic workforce planning helps you match people, skills, and budgets to your goals so your business can adapt and grow. 

When it’s done right, strategic workforce planning gives your people the support they need to succeed, no matter what challenges come their way.
What business situations require workforce planning software?

Strategic workforce planning is especially valuable in these five scenarios: 

  1. 1. Workforce restructuring
  2. 2. Reshaping your organization for long-term health and stability
  3. 3. Understanding how AI, people, and agents work best together
  4. 4. Mergers, acquisitions, or divestitures
  5. 5. Executing a growth plan
How important is data in strategic workforce planning?

Data is the foundation of effective organizational design, workforce planning, M&A, and strategic decision making. Leaders have always struggled to bring data together – especially unstructured data from different systems. That made it hard for HR, Finance, and Operations leaders to collaborate. Planning slowed down because teams had to spend time cleaning, combining, and validating data. Having workforce and financial 

data together allows more accurate scenario planning. Details like skills, locations, tasks, time, development plans, salaries, benefits, and overhead give leaders a clear picture of workforce costs.
What is continuous planning and how is it informed by analytics?

Continuous planning means adapting as business conditions change – not just once a year. Successful organizations stay agile, updating and optimizing their plans whenever there’s a major shift. Predictive analytics send alerts when workforce or market conditions start to shift, so leaders know when it’s time to act.
What is the connection between scenario planning and financial forecasting?

What-if scenarios – like adding or removing roles – can quickly turn into detailed financial forecasts. Dashboards bring scenarios to life, while role-based access allows teams to collaborate securely. Leaders can export plans with ready-to-use templates, making it easier to move quickly on decisions.

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