Workforce planning — headcount, gaps, and scenarios

TL;DR. Build the quarterly workforce plan — current headcount, attrition assumptions, hiring plan, scenario comparison, cost roll-up that finance can validate. Around 6 hours per quarter saved for the planning lead. Scenario comparison is the killer feature: most teams produce one plan, Cowork makes producing three free.

Job to be done#

Produce the quarterly workforce plan with current headcount, attrition, planned hires, scenario comparison, and a cost roll-up.

Who runs it#

People-ops lead with a finance partner; function head for their own team.

Inputs (inbox/)#

• Current headcount file (HRIS export)
• Attrition assumptions (historical + new)
• Open roles + planned hires
• Comp-band table

Outputs (output/)#

• workforce-plan-[quarter].xlsx — current → planned with monthly view, cost roll-up
• scenarios.xlsx — base / stretch / lean comparison
• narrative.docx — short memo explaining the plan and trade-offs

Prompt seed#

Read /inbox/headcount-current.xlsx, /inbox/comp-bands.xlsx, /inbox/planned-hires.xlsx.
Produce /output/workforce-plan-[quarter].xlsx with:
- Current headcount by function and level
- Monthly view of attrition + hires
- Cost roll-up using comp bands
Then produce /output/scenarios.xlsx comparing base / stretch / lean.
Write /output/narrative.docx explaining the trade-offs in 400 words.
Plan the structure first; ask before applying any assumption not in the inputs.

Quality bar#

• All numbers formula-driven; never pasted as values.
• Assumptions visible in their own tab.
• Narrative names trade-offs, doesn't bury them.
• Common trip-up: rounding errors when summing comp. Force two-decimal precision on totals.

Time saved (typical)#

About 6 hours per quarter for the planning lead.

Upgrade path#

• Connector to HRIS for live headcount.
• A workforce-refresh skill that re-runs against updated assumptions when leadership asks "what if?".

Tinkso's take#

Scenario comparison is the workflow's killer feature. Most teams produce one plan; Cowork makes producing three plans free, which changes how leadership thinks about trade-offs. The conversation moves from "defend the plan" to "choose between three plans" — a much healthier shape.