Optimizing global workforce planning

You developed a custom application to support complex workforce planning for international projects. What are the key features of this tool, and how does it help companies make their planning more efficient?

Meike: “It’s an operational workforce planning application that allows our client’s planners to schedule staff for projects over the next three months. Planners can create schedules manually within the application, supported by features like job creation, data filtering, and checks. The application shows suitable individuals for each job, ensuring a fair distribution of work. It also includes an algorithmic component that automatically creates schedules, which planners can then manually adjust. Additionally, there is a tactical planning module that enables the client to plan up to a year and a half in advance, helping them predict which skills are needed in which locations and proactively cross-train staff.”

Better insight into workforce deployment

The tool is a significant improvement over the old system, but according to Meike, its benefits extend beyond that. “The client now has better insight into their workforce. Where they used to coordinate staff availability by phone, they now have a central planning overview. This makes it easier for departments to share employees. The bottleneck in one of the client’s processes has also become more visible. Previously, it was mainly in production, but now it often lies in having enough staff. Lastly, it’s become much simpler to calculate and compare different scenarios, such as: can we schedule additional projects? Or: what’s the impact if we cross-train employees to perform other tasks within a project?”

Can you describe the main challenges in workforce planning for the client?

Meike: “In general, we’re dealing with a complex planning problem that involves deploying thousands of employees worldwide for various projects. These employees have different qualifications and must meet a wide range of requirements. One of the biggest challenges is the international aspect: you need to consider the employee’s work-life balance. There are agreements on how long someone can be away from home and how long they must stay in their home country before traveling again. You also want to keep travel costs as low as possible, but that must be balanced with the need to avoid keeping employees away from home for too long. These considerations make for a planning process where many interests must constantly be weighed against each other.”

Weighing thousands of scenarios

Solving such a complex puzzle can’t be done without data analysis, Meike believes. “It’s too complicated to manage everything manually or keep track of it in an Excel sheet. If you try, mistakes are made quickly, which can have far-reaching consequences. Since so much money is involved, the implications of suboptimal planning are significant. The question then becomes: how can you still gain an overview of such a complex situation? Software plays a crucial role in this. It can weigh thousands of scenarios and options against each other based on the company’s business logic and make the best choices.”

Meike: “I think that’s where the strength of our solution lies. We don’t just make the huge amount of data insightful; we also support the planners. We really delve into their way of working. We talked a lot with the planners and asked them what they considered important. What makes a good plan? What factors do they weigh? Based on that input, we built flexibility into the application, allowing different departments to set their own priorities. For one department, work-life balance may be the most important, while another focuses more on cost savings.”

Close collaboration throughout the project

Bringing a project like this to a successful conclusion requires close collaboration, Meike says. “The project team consisted of five people from ORTEC, including a project manager, and six employees from our client. Together we formed one team, and we tried to work on-site as much as possible. We held a joint stand-up every morning where we discussed what we were going to work on that day. That helped us stay aligned. Although not everyone was available full-time, we made sure that the key project days were filled together. It was truly a team effort.”

Did this project involve a lot of change management? Such a large project must have impacted how the organization operates.

Meike: “In large projects like this, you often see a significant change management component. Different departments and levels within the organization may have different interests. Central management wanted more visibility and oversight of processes, while local planners were more hesitant to share their schedules. They had worked for years within their own, clearly defined departments, often keeping staff on standby in case of unexpected events. That had to change. Therefore, alongside the development project, a change management process was set up to bring all departments along in this transition.”

Applying solutions more broadly

That sounds like a promising development. Do you see opportunities to apply this approach more broadly, for example, in other sectors?

Chuck: “While our client’s planning challenges are very specific, you see a similar need to centralize data and make better plans based on that data in many sectors. Replacing Excel and using smart algorithms to weigh different interests is something many companies can benefit from. There’s also potential in linking material planning and workforce planning to better align machine production capacity and employee availability. These kinds of integrations can lead to greater efficiency and better planning outcomes.”