This article explains how to set up and launch a cycle via the Planning Cycles tab in the Planning area, and also 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 and it requires the subscription to Personio Core + Workforce Planning app.

Grant access rights

As a Personio Administrator, you can grant access to the Planning Cycles tab in the Planning area for other employees to be involved in workforce planning.

Access must be granted via Access rights > Configurations > Planning > Workforce Planning.

Employees with:

• Edit rights can set up, launch and close planning cycles via the Planning Cycles tab.
  
  
• View rights can only view the planning cycles through the Planning Cycles tab.

Note
Employees can only see other employee's attributes via the Planning Cycles tab if they have access to them via Employee profile. For example, if a manager cannot see the employee's team via Employee profile, they also won't be able to see the employee's team via 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. Give the cycle a name.
         Example: Company-wide workforce 2025.
   
   
3. Enter a due date for all the plan owners to submit their headcount plan proposals. The due date is included in the email and Inbox notification sent to plan owners when the cycle is launched.
         Example: 1st December 2024. 
   
   
4. Enter the fiscal period during which the plan is relevant.
        Example: 1st January 2025 — 21st December 2025.
   
   
5. Select a plan owner. These are the employees responsible for submitting the headcount plan proposals (usually Supervisors, Directors, or Executives). Add as many plan owners as needed.
        Example: Lauren Smith, Director of Marketing.
   
   
6. Configure the approval chain. These are the employees responsible for reviewing and approving the proposed headcount plans. Add as many reviewers as needed, and also a final approver.
        Example: Jane Doe, Vice-president of Marketing. 
        Example: John Smith, CMO.
   
   
7. Click Next to access the draft and get an overview of all the plan's configuration. 
   
   
8. 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.