Skip to main content

Use Cube tables for strategic headcount planning

  • Updated

No matter your industry, strategic headcount planning is crucial for managing personnel costs and ensuring adequate staffing across departments. Cube offers a powerful solution that bridges the gap between your HRIS, such as BambooHR or ADP, and headcount planning templates in spreadsheets. This allows HR, finance, and other teams to plan for different scenarios and make informed personnel decisions quickly, right within their own models.

Create your headcount data table

Cube's core strength lies in its ability to sync your source data and drivers directly into familiar spreadsheet environments for reporting and planning. Whether you're using Excel, Google Sheets, or other spreadsheet applications on Mac or PC, Cube provides seamless connectivity to your headcount data.

The process starts with a spreadsheet template containing fields relevant to your headcount plan. Use the suggested fields below or our template to get started quickly. 

  • Hire/Termination Dates
  • Employee Status
  • Department
  • Employee ID
  • Employee Name
  • Role/Title
  • Annual Salary
  • Bonus %
  • Commission
  • Benefits
  • 401k %
  • Employee Location

Overview of headcount planning in Cube with tables.png

You can populate these fields in your spreadsheets by manually exporting data out of your HRIS and pasting it into your headcount planning template. Or, you can speak with your Cube Account Manager to learn more about how to automate the flow of this data directly from an HRIS connection into Cube.

Whichever you populate those fields, the next step is to create a table from the data:

  1. In the Cube Spreadsheet experience, click Create Table from Range.
    Tables in spreadsheet add-on.png
  2. Define table details:
    • Name: Enter a descriptive table name, such as “Headcount Data.”
    • Select range: Highlight the columns and rows containing your headcount data, including headers.
    • Save to Scenario: Select scenarios to associate with the table (e.g,. Forecast and Forecast v2).
    • Permissions: Choose whether this table should be private (visible to Admin user types and those with permissions to manage all tables) or shared with all Cube users.
      Define headcount table details.png
  3. Click Create table to finalize.
  4. Click Review to confirm data types and formatting for each column of the table. 
    Finalize Headcount data table.png
  5. Finally, click Save.

Learn more about how to build a table.

Connect your headcount data table to your planning range

After your HRIS data is attached to a table in your spreadsheet, connect your spreadsheet to a Cube range to use the combined data for planning. 

  1. Highlight the relevant headcount planning cells in your spreadsheet, including your monthly forecast outputs.
    Highlight headcount table and Cube range.png
  2. Under Build in the Cube spreadsheet experience, click Select and then Select Range.
    Build Cube range including the headcount table.png
  3. Highlight headers of any columns containing attribute-level details you wish to drill into later.
    Highlight for attributes in headcount table.png
  4. Under Publish in the Cube spreadsheet experience, click Set attributes, then Mark for attributes.
    Set attributes when publishing.png

You have now successfully created a publishable range for Headcount Planning! Let’s dig into how to use it.

Modeling Scenarios and Forecasts

With your HRIS data connected to Cube, leverage hybrid modeling capabilities for unlimited headcount planning scenarios:

  • Build detailed staffing plans using calculations of compensation, benefits, and taxes based on employee start dates and departure dates.
  • Create departmental headcount models that align with revenue forecasts and financial targets, with dynamic adjustments for the timing of new hires.
  • Run "what-if" scenarios to evaluate the financial impacts of different hiring strategies, including role prioritization and timeline optimization.

Example: Planning for new hires

Let’s say that you want to run a what-if scenario on hiring three new sales reps throughout the year.

  1. Starting with a baseline forecast in Cube, use Cube’s Duplicate Scenarios feature to create a copy called Forecast v2.
  2. Save the Headcount Planning data table to both scenarios by selecting each scenario from the Tables section of the Cube Spreadsheet App and then clicking Update Data.
  3. Now you can begin modeling for your new hires. Insert three new rows and fill out the employee information as needed.

    Copy and paste the information from an existing employee into these 5 new rows to carry over any formulas used to calculate salaries, taxes, benefits, etc. Then, update the New Hire’s details as needed.

    Insert rows for new hires.png
  4. Review your planning template to ensure that the three new employees’ expenses are flowing throughout your model. If not, modify the formulas within your planning cells to capture the New Hire dates, Annual Salaries, and other information accurately.
    Review model for new hire planning cells.png
  5. Highlight the rows and columns containing your Headcount Data table information and click Reselect Range to tell Cube where to find the full view of the table.
    Reselect range to include new hires for headcount table.png
  6. Select Forecast v2 from the Scenario dropdown and click Update Data to save the changes to the Headcount Planning table.
    Save changes in Headcount table to Forecast V2.png
  7. Confirm that Forecast v2 is selected on your planning template, and then click Publish Data to commit the change to Cube.
    Select forecast v2 on your planning template.png
  8. Fetch a variance analysis report to compare Forecast and Forecast v2, and see the impact that hiring three new sales reps has.
    Fetch forecast v2 to variance analysis tab.png

Revert what-if scenario changes

If you'd like to revert these changes and continue using your Forecast V2 scenario for planning, fetch the Pipeline Planning table details back for the Forecast scenario and re-publish into the Forecast v2 scenario. See detailed instructions below:

  1. Switch the scenario in your pipeline planning template back to Forecast and click Fetch Table.
  2. Confirm the removal of the three new sales reps rows and ensure the data in your headcount planning template reflects this change.
    Confirm removal of the three new hire rows.png
  3. You should also see three blank rows at the bottom of your Headcount Data table. Feel free to reselect your table range to exclude those three blank rows, or leave them in for future planning needs.
  4. Select Forecast v2 from the Scenario dropdown and click Update Data to save the Pipeline Planning table.
  5. Confirm that Forecast v2 is selected on your planning template, and then click Publish Data to save to Cube.
  6. Fetch Forecast and Forecast v2 to ensure your variance report ties out.

 

This approach's flexibility allows you to quickly model different scenarios without complex coding. You can make on-the-fly adjustments during meetings when stakeholders ask questions like "What happens if we give raises to 10 more employees this quarter?" without needing to spend hours recalculating forecasts.

By implementing Cube for your headcount planning needs, you can transform static HRIS data into dynamic forecasts that support agile decision-making and more accurate personnel expense projections. The ability to quickly adjust and compare scenarios empowers teams to respond confidently to changing conditions and opportunities.

 

Related articles

On this page:

    Cube Planning, Inc.