Personnel resource planning becomes a competitive factor

Staff scheduling is facing growing challenges due to volatile demand, legal requirements and the desire for reliable working hours. What used to be primarily an administrative task is now becoming a strategic success factor. According to Aachen-based software provider Inform, data-based decision support is becoming increasingly important to ensure stability, productivity and competitiveness.

Balancing conflicts

The focus of modern planning is no longer just the duty roster, but the balancing of numerous conflicting objectives: from qualifications and working time models to collective bargaining and rest time regulations. "Workforce management is no longer an administrative side issue," says Thomas Freyland, Head of Workforce Management at Inform. "Anyone planning under complex framework conditions needs tools that support decision-making, make conflicting objectives visible and enable reliable trade-offs."

Optimize planning processes

"Workforce management is no longer a marginal administrative issue," says Thomas Freyland, Head of Workforce Management at Inform. © INFORM GmbH

With its WorkforcePlus software, Inform supports companies in automating and optimizing planning processes. Forecasts, optimized planning proposals and the systematic consideration of rules reduce manual effort by up to 70 percent and improve planning quality at the same time, according to the company.

Practical examples from automotive services, aviation logistics, on-demand mobility and retail show that data-based workforce scheduling creates transparency, significantly shortens planning times and can also manage large, decentralized workforces in line with regulations. At the same time, the perspective of employees is becoming increasingly important: reliable duty rosters and transparent planning are increasingly becoming a factor in employer attractiveness.

A scalable SaaS solution

In terms of technology, workforce management is developing in the direction of cloud-based, integrated and learning systems. "We operate WorkforcePlus as a scalable SaaS solution and integrate it into existing HR, time management and ERP systems," says Freyland. In the future, the trend will be towards AI-native solutions: "AI-native workforce management means that systems learn from past planning, recognize changes early on and proactively support those responsible for planning." This makes strategic workforce planning a prerequisite for remaining capable of acting quickly and reliably in the future.