This article explains how to set up and launch a cycle via the Planning Cycles tab in the Planning area. It also covers how to close the cycle once all the headcount plans have been reviewed and approved.

The Planning Cycles tab is one of the three main features in Personio's Workforce Planning journey. You need a subscription to Personio Core Pro.

Grant permissions

When to grant permissions

Grant permissions only when employees need them to perform specific tasks. Here's when to assign or skip access rights:

Grant permissions when employees need to:

• View Planning Cycles they aren’t assigned to as a Plan Owner or Approver.
• Create New Planning Cycles to kickstart new planning processes.
• Edit Existing Planning Cycles to update or adjust ongoing cycles.

Skip granting permissions if employees:

• Are already assigned as a Plan Owner or Approver for the Planning Cycle.

Tip:
Plan Owners and Approvers automatically have access to the cycles they’re assigned to—no extra steps needed!

How to grant permissions

Personio administrators can grant permissions to the Planning Cycles tab to enable involvement in workforce planning. Follow these steps to grant access:

1. Go to Settings.
2. In the Organization section, click Roles & permissions.
3. Select the relevant role.
4. In the Permissions tab, go to  Configurations > Planning > Workforce Planning.
5. Assign the appropriate level of access:
   • View Rights: Allows employees to view planning cycles only.
   • Edit Rights: Allows employees to set up, launch, and close planning cycles.
6. Save your entry.

Note:
Employees can only view others’ attributes in the Planning Cycles tab if they already have access to those attributes in the Employee Profile. Example: If a manager cannot view an employee’s team in the Employee Profile, they will also not see it in the Planning Cycles tab.

Set up and launch a planning cycle 

To set up and launch a planning cycle via the Planning Cycles tab, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Planning > Planning Cycles and click New cycle.
    
2. Fill in the required data and click Next.
         Example:
   1. Cycle name:  Company-wide workforce 2025
   2. Due date: 1 December 2024
   3. Fiscal Period: 1 January — 21 December 2025
3. Select plan owners. These are the employees responsible for submitting the headcount plan proposals (usually Supervisors, Directors, or Executives). Click Next.
4. Set up your approval chain. These are the employees responsible for reviewing and approving the proposed headcount plans. Add as many reviewers as needed, as well as a final approver. Click Next.
5. Optional: Set up position Cost assumptions. Read our article on cost assumptions for detailed instructions.
6. Click Next to access the draft and get an overview of all the plan's configuration. 
7. Launch the cycle for plan owners to be notified and start their headcount proposals. In addition to the plan owners, reviewers and the final approver are notified of the cycle launch.

Note:
You cannot edit the headcount plan's configuration once it’s been launched.

Wait for stakeholders to propose and review

As soon as the cycle is launched, plan owners can go into the cycle and propose a headcount plan.

Plan owners can create new open positions for their teams, but also update or remove existing ones. Once finished, they can submit their plans for review and final approval.

You can view the progress made by plan owners, reviewers, and approvers in the planning cycle's overview, as well as a detailed breakdown in both the Positions and Plans widgets.

You can also see all newly created positions at all times via the Planned positions sub-tab in the planning cycle's overview, so that you do not need to check each headcount plan separately.

Sync the data with the Active Positions tab

Once the headcount plan proposals get approved, you can sync the data with the Active Positions tab in the Planning area.

Syncing position data will apply all changes from the headcount plan proposal, including starting, ending, or modifying positions. This action cannot be undone. 

To do so, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Planning > Planning Cycles and access the relevant planning cycle.
2. Go to the Planned positions tab and select all the position(s) you want to sync.
3. Sync the position data now or schedule it for the effective date. You can unschedule or change the effective date later if needed. 
4. After syncing the position data, all the updates are reflected in the Active Positions tab, and you can view the synced data breakdown in the widget.

Close the planning cycle

Once the position data is synced, you can close the planning cycle.

Closing a planning cycle means that the data from the headcount plan proposals gets locked, and can no longer be synced with the Active Positions tab. This action cannot be undone. 

To do so, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Planning > Planning Cycles and access the relevant planning cycle.
2. Close the cycle. If you scheduled the position data to sync after the close date, it won't sync since the cycle will be closed. You can unschedule and sync the data immediately if needed.