Use separate workforce plans to compare choices, such as hiring in July or October. Compare shows their outcomes side by side.

Before you begin

You need View plans for both plans, plus the relevant financial permissions. Copying and archiving require Manage plans.

Compare alternatives

  1. Open a plan and choose Compare.
  2. Choose another plan in Compare with.
  3. Select Compare.
  4. Read the plan names above the columns. Difference is the second plan’s outcome minus the first.

Plans must cover the same dates and departments. A current comparison also requires completed results on the same official baseline. If either is updating, wait for the current results. Your proposed changes then explain the difference.

Costs cover the included planning period. FTE is measured at period end; do not add FTE balances across months. Missing financial information remains unavailable. Comparing does not change proposals or make anything official.

Keep review evidence

Recorded reviews and applications preserve their original information. Open them from the relevant change on Changes. Use Workforce plan reports when you need a downloadable comparison. A report preserves the figures from that run and has its own expiry date.

Copy a workforce plan

Choose Copy plan from the page actions, give the alternative a distinct name, and wait for preparation. The copy keeps remaining proposed changes and needs its own review and authorized application. Changes already applied or made official elsewhere do not become new work.

If copying stops, follow the status and recovery action. You can edit the copy when preparation finishes.

Archive a workforce plan

Choose Archive plan from the page actions when the plan is finished. The Active and Archived tabs on Plans let you find it later.

Archived plans stop updating and retain their baseline, outcome, changes, and saved reviews. You cannot edit them or apply more changes. Archiving does not undo official changes; use a new effective-dated correction when needed.

Optional practice: compare a 5% raise with a 3% raise

Use prepared practice records.

  1. Copy 2027 pay review and name it 2027 pay review - 3% raise.
  2. Change the copy’s proposed salary to $61,800, a 3% increase on $60,000.
  3. Keep the same January 1 through December 31 dates and 20% benefits estimate.
  4. Wait for both plans, open Compare, and choose the alternative.

The 5% option costs $75,600 for the year. The 3% option costs $74,160, including $12,360 in benefits. Check the column names before interpreting the difference. Archive an unused alternative when finished.

Compare results with excluded changes

Plans with completed, compatible results can be compared even when a proposed change needs review. The comparison names each plan with excluded changes and links to its flagged items. Differences reflect only changes included in each result, so review the exclusions before choosing an option. Earlier saved reports keep the exclusions recorded with their original calculation.