Our Work

Proof, from the inside.

A look at how we turn contested, spreadsheet-bound headcount planning into a controlled, transparent and repeatable management capability.

Case study 01

Turning headcount planning from a spreadsheet exercise into a management capability

The challenge

A global business was running its headcount planning across disconnected spreadsheets, local assumptions and multiple versions of the truth. Finance, HR and business leaders were spending too much time reconciling the baseline, challenging inconsistent role requests and explaining variances after decisions had already been made.

What we did

We redesigned the planning process around a single agreed baseline, clearer demand capture and a more disciplined approach to fully loaded cost. The work brought together Finance, HR and business stakeholders to define what needed to be planned, who owned each decision, and how roles should move from budget request to approval and tracking.

The outcome

The organisation moved towards a more controlled, transparent and repeatable planning process. Finance spent less time reconciling numbers and more time advising the business on trade-offs, timing and investment decisions. The result was not just a cleaner plan, but a stronger management rhythm around workforce decisions.

Case study 02

Building cost visibility into workforce decisions before commitments are made

The challenge

Leaders were making hiring decisions without a complete view of the true cost impact. Salaries were visible, but benefits, taxes, country-level assumptions, phasing, start dates and next-year run-rate effects were often calculated late, manually or outside the core planning process.

What we did

We helped create a more robust cost model that made the full cost of a role visible earlier in the decision process. This included defining the right cost components, clarifying assumptions by country and role type, and embedding annualisation logic so leaders could see the future cost of decisions before approving them.

The outcome

Workforce decisions became more commercially grounded. Leaders could compare scenarios with greater confidence, understand the cost of timing decisions, and avoid approving roles without seeing the full-year and future-year impact. The process gave Finance a stronger basis to challenge, advise and support investment choices.

Case study 03

Connecting planning, approval and hiring into one controlled loop

The challenge

The organisation treated workforce planning and hiring approval as separate processes. Roles could be budgeted in one place, approved through another route and tracked elsewhere once recruitment began. This created gaps between what was planned, what was approved and what was ultimately hired.

What we did

We mapped the end-to-end position lifecycle, from budgeted role to approved position, requisition and hire. We clarified ownership across Finance, HR, Talent and business leaders, then defined the approval logic, governance checkpoints and tracking requirements needed to keep hiring aligned to the plan.

The outcome

The business gained a clearer view of how headcount decisions moved through the organisation. Approval governance became easier to manage, deviations from plan became more visible, and the process created a stronger audit trail from planning decision to hiring action.

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