Inputs to collect first
- Current headcount by team, role and location, taken from the employee master list.
- Business plan for the year: expected volumes, new sites, new products or services.
- Exits in the last 12 months by team, so you can estimate replacement hiring.
- Average time to hire for each role family, from approved requisition to joining.
- Budget guardrail for people cost: [₹ amount or percentage of revenue].
Step 1: workload-based requirement
For each team, pick one workload driver that really moves the work (orders handled, tickets closed, patients seen, units produced, hours billed). Then work out the people needed.
Base requirement = monthly volume of the driver ÷ output one person can deliver in a month.
Adjusted requirement = base requirement ÷ (1 − absence and leave allowance). Write the allowance as a share of working days, for example [ ] per cent.
| Team or role | Workload driver | Monthly volume | Output per person per month | Base requirement | Adjusted requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Team 1] | [Driver] | ||||
| [Team 2] | [Driver] | ||||
| [Team 3] | [Driver] | ||||
| [Team 4] | [Driver] |
Step 2: adjust for exits, lead time and ramp-up
- Expected exits in the year: [number] per team, based on last year's pattern and what you know has changed.
- Hiring lead time: [number] weeks for [role family]. Start the requisition that many weeks before the seat is needed.
- Ramp-up: a new joiner reaches full output after [number] weeks, so plan for the overlap rather than assuming day-one productivity.
- Internal moves and promotions that will open a seat elsewhere.
- Roles you can cover with training, role redesign or process change instead of hiring.
Step 3: the plan by team
| Team | Current headcount | Planned exits | Required headcount | Gap to hire | Hire by (quarter) | Budget (₹) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Team 1] | ||||||
| [Team 2] | ||||||
| [Team 3] | ||||||
| Total |
Approval and review
If the plan involves reducing roles, changing shifts or moving staff between sites, check with your legal adviser before you announce anything.
- Plan owner: [Name and title]. Approved by: [Finance head] and [Business head] on [Date].
- Each hire still goes through a job requisition against this plan. Anything outside the plan needs a separate approval.
- Review every quarter: actual headcount against plan, open requisitions and the reasons for any gap.
- Record the assumptions behind each number so the next plan starts from them rather than from memory.
A starting point, not legal advice. Check the final wording against your contracts and the rules of your state, and have a qualified professional review it before you issue it.