Unit4 FP&A ranks top three on the market for Workforce Planning and Analysis solutions according to Dresner’s newest report
This year, Dresner Advisory Services published their first ever study of the Workforce Planning and Analysis market. We’re very pleased to say Unit4 FP&A has been named as one of the top 3 solutions on the global market – based on a number of criteria across our planning, analytics, technology, deployment, and integration capabilities.
Workforce Planning is the process of analyzing, forecasting, and planning workforce supply and demand, assessing gaps, and determining target talent management interventions to ensure that an organization has the right people, with the right skills, in the right places at the right time to fulfil its mandate and strategic objectives.
Now is the time to link your strategy to your people, and bring strategic workforce planning, organization modelling and operational workforce planning into one place, and in Dresner’s recent report for Workforce planning & analytics you can learn all about the current market trends and priorities, as well as vendor analysis – including the top 3 ranking of Unit4.
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Workforce planning and analysis are increasingly a top priority for finance
Workforce planning is the process of identifying what an organization is going to need from its people in terms of skills and capability, and to identify and plan for the investment this will require in both the short and long term.
It connects strategy to people, and enables different teams to work together towards a common vision. It’s traditionally been the preserve of HR, perhaps with some input from the Finance team as it pertains to salary costs and margin estimations.
But according to Dresner, a plurality now consider workforce planning to be a top priority for their entire organization (even if the perception is that it’s still primarily an HR issue.) Only 13% say they have no plans to adopt workforce planning and analysis tools - and although only 42% currently use them, a further 30% have definite plans to adopt in the next year. This suggests that most businesses are currently either going for a growth spurt or immanently planning to, as interesting workforce planning tools increases linearly with headcount.
It’s already a top priority for 60% of executive leaders (showcasing its strategic importance) and it’s becoming an increasingly important concern for Finance teams. 50%+ of Dresner’s respondents say their Finance functions are already using workforce planning and analysis today. If we factor in the 30% increase expected over the course of the next 12 months, this will quickly rise to over 80%.
The most important capabilities for a workforce planning tool are seen to be:
- Workforce planning per employee
- Organization and vacancy
- Workforce compensation planning and scenario simulation
Ready to learn more?
For the full Dresner analysis of the growing importance of workplace planning – and to learn why Unit4 was ranked as one of the best solutions in the world, ahead of 10 other vendors.
Cloud is a top priority for workforce planning and analysis
One of the most important trends in adoption and usage of workforce planning tools is the prominence of cloud. Over 70% of respondents say multi-tenant SaaS support is critical, very important, or important in deployment. On top of this, more than 60% say that their tools have to be part of their broader EPM suite. Just 20% see on-prem as critical or very important to their deployment.
This trend becomes understandable when we consider the level of data integration required to create coherent, flexible, and accurate workforce plans. HR, Finance, and Operations must work together if a workforce plan is to have any chance of meeting its aims, and this means working together on a unified system with a single source of truth and a shared set of assumptions. Cloud is increasingly seen as the only realistic way to achieve this kind of cross-functional collaboration.
Workforce planning and engagement are among the top priorities for new HR tech adoption
The rapid rise in prominence of workforce planning reflects a shift in HR strategy to prioritize both strategic workforce management and employee experience. According to a recent UNLEASH report, HR Technology Market Report 2023, these are now two of the top areas of investment for HR technology, alongside talent management, skills, learning, and development, and payroll (usually the main “HR headache” for senior leaders.)
