CS-04 · Workforce Planning & Headcount Management

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Process Flow Diagram (BPMN)

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L4 Process Steps

Step	Step Name	Role / Swim Lane	System	Input	Output	KPI	Dec?	Exc?
Phase 1 1.1	Extract operational demand forecast from schedule system	Workforce Planning Analyst	Amadeus SkyWORKS	Published 12-month flight schedule, SSIM export	Flight volume and frequency forecast by department	Forecast accuracy ≥90% vs actuals at 6-month horizon	N	N
1.2	Model staffing ratios by role and operational area	Workforce Planning Analyst	SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Planning	Flight frequency forecast, historical headcount-to-output ratios	Staffing ratio model by department (ops, cabin crew, ground handling, corporate)	Ratio deviation ≤5% vs prior year actuals	N	N
1.3	Overlay attrition and turnover projections	HR Analytics Manager	SAP SuccessFactors People Analytics	3-year attrition history, exit survey data, retirement eligibility register	Attrition-adjusted headcount gap model by role and grade	Attrition forecast accuracy ±2pp vs 12-month rolling actuals	N	N
1.4	Assess certification and type rating requirements	Compliance & Regulatory HR Specialist	Jeppesen Crew Management	Current workforce certification register, planned route and fleet expansions	Certification gap analysis covering type ratings, check airmen, and licensed dispatchers	Zero FAA/EASA non-compliance findings at annual audit	Y	Y
Phase 2 2.1	Consolidate departmental headcount requests	HR Business Partner	SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting	Departmental business plans, headcount request forms	Consolidated headcount demand register by department and grade	100% of headcount requests submitted via SuccessFactors (zero shadow-spreadsheet submissions)	N	Y
2.2	Validate requests against approved operational plan	Workforce Planning Manager	SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Planning	Consolidated headcount demand register, approved flight schedule	Validated headcount demand list with business justification scores	Validation cycle completed ≤5 business days from submission close	Y	N
2.3	Run base, upside, and downside scenario models	Workforce Planning Analyst	SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Planning	Validated demand list, three schedule scenarios from Amadeus SkySYM	Three-scenario headcount model with FTE count and loaded cost estimate per scenario	Scenario model delivered ≤10 business days from schedule freeze date	N	N
Phase 3 3.1	Submit headcount plan for financial cost review	HR Finance Controller	SAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/CO)	Three-scenario headcount model with FTE cost estimate	Headcount cost impact loaded into cost-centre budget in SAP CO	Headcount cost submission completed ≤2 weeks before annual budget lock date	N	N
3.2	Obtain finance approval for headcount envelope	CFO / VP Finance	SAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/CO)	Headcount cost model, approved OPEX budget by cost centre	Approved or rejected headcount envelope per department with approved FTE ceiling	Approval decision returned ≤10 business days of submission	Y	Y
3.3	Revise and lock headcount plan per finance decision	HR Business Partner	SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Planning	Finance approval decision with department-level adjustments	Revised and version-locked headcount plan published to all HR Business Partners	Revised plan published within 3 business days of finance approval	N	N
Phase 4 4.1	Create approved position records in HRIS	HR Operations Specialist	SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central	Locked headcount plan with approved FTE ceiling by department	Approved position records in Employee Central with cost centre, grade, org unit, and FTE flag	Position creation within 2 business days of plan lock; 100% data quality pass on mandatory fields	N	N
4.2	Trigger recruitment workflow per approved position	Talent Acquisition Partner	SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting	Approved position records from Employee Central	Job requisitions opened in SuccessFactors Recruiting; JDs published to careers portal	Time-to-open requisition ≤1 business day; 100% of requisitions linked to an approved position record	Y	Y
4.3	Confirm headcount actuals against plan at point of hire	HR Business Partner	SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central	Offer accepted and onboarding record created in Employee Central	Headcount actuals updated; remaining open-position count reconciled to approved ceiling	Headcount actuals vs plan variance ≤3% at each quarter-end	N	N
Phase 5 5.1	Publish monthly headcount actuals vs plan dashboard	HR Analytics Manager	SAP SuccessFactors People Analytics	Live headcount data from Employee Central, open requisition aging report	Monthly headcount dashboard showing actuals vs plan, attrition rate, and open-requisition aging	Dashboard published by Day 5 of each month; plan variance flagged automatically if >5%	N	N
5.2	Conduct mid-year headcount reforecast	Workforce Planning Manager	SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Planning	YTD actuals, updated H2 flight schedule from SkyWORKS, revised attrition forecast	Mid-year headcount reforecast with gap-to-plan analysis and recommended actions	Reforecast submitted ≤15 business days after H1 close; all variances >3% documented with root cause	Y	N
5.3	Escalate critical headcount gaps to executive committee	Chief People Officer	SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Planning	Reforecast gap analysis exceeding ±5% of plan, operational risk register	ExCo escalation report with options: revised hiring authority, freeze, or contractor cover; decision recorded	Escalation report presented within 5 business days of trigger; resolution decision returned ≤10 business days	Y	Y

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Process Attributes

Identification

Process IDCS-04

L1 DomainCorporate Support Functions

L2 ProcessHuman Resources

L3 NameWorkforce Planning & Headcount Management

L4 Steps16 across 5 phases

Decision Gates6 (all with iteration loops)

Exceptions5 documented

Swim Lanes (Roles)

Workforce Planning Analyst

HR Analytics Manager

Compliance & Regulatory HR Specialist

HR Business Partner

Workforce Planning Manager

HR Finance Controller

CFO / VP Finance

HR Operations Specialist

Talent Acquisition Partner

Chief People Officer

Systems & Tools

Amadeus SkyWORKSSAP SuccessFactors Workforce PlanningSAP SuccessFactors People AnalyticsJeppesen Crew ManagementSAP SuccessFactors RecruitingSAP S/4HANA Finance (FI/CO)SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central

Key Performance Indicators

Extract operational demand forecast from schedule systemForecast accuracy ≥90% vs actuals at 6-month horizon

Model staffing ratios by role and operational areaRatio deviation ≤5% vs prior year actuals

Overlay attrition and turnover projectionsAttrition forecast accuracy ±2pp vs 12-month rolling actuals

Assess certification and type rating requirementsZero FAA/EASA non-compliance findings at annual audit

Consolidate departmental headcount requests100% of headcount requests submitted via SuccessFactors (zero shadow-spreadsheet submissions)

Validate requests against approved operational planValidation cycle completed ≤5 business days from submission close

Run base, upside, and downside scenario modelsScenario model delivered ≤10 business days from schedule freeze date

Submit headcount plan for financial cost reviewHeadcount cost submission completed ≤2 weeks before annual budget lock date

Airline-Specific Risks & Pain Points

Schedule changes in SkyWORKS are not auto-pushed to HR systems; manual re-extract required after each revision cycle, causing stale inputs to the workforce model

FAR Part 117 duty-time limits constrain crew FTE ratios and are not natively modelled in SuccessFactors; manual adjustments required for each schedule scenario

Pilot attrition is volatile due to competitor hiring campaigns and Boeing MAX delivery schedule; SuccessFactors demographic model does not ingest external labour market signals

737 MAX type rating lead times of 9–12 months create long procurement cycles; late identification of gaps forces expensive contractor or wet-lease cover

Ground operations departments routinely bypass SuccessFactors and submit requests by email, causing reconciliation delays of 3–5 business days

Schedule volatility during irregular operations invalidates demand validation within weeks of submission; no automated re-trigger exists in SuccessFactors when SkyWORKS schedule changes

Inputs / Outputs

Primary InputPublished 12-month flight schedule, SSIM export

Primary OutputExCo escalation report with options: revised hiring authority, freeze, or contractor cover; decision recorded

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