HRForecast smartPlan

HRForecast smartPlan is a strategic workforce planning tool for organizations translating business strategy into multi-year workforce needs and actions. It is best suited to larger employers coordinating scenarios across planning units; its main appeal is linking scenario modeling to gap-closing measures and workforce monitoring. Organizations should weigh custom pricing and separately purchased onboarding or consulting against that planning scope.

Overview

smartPlan is designed to turn business scenarios into future workforce capacity plans. It combines scenario planning, gap analysis, market context and monitoring of actual workforce levels and costs against targets. The intended customer is a company with more than 1,000 employees, so smaller organizations may find its enterprise orientation a poor fit.

The Enterprise (Scenario Planning) edition supports one or multiple scenarios and planning units, with unlimited planning attributes, driver models, gap-closing measure tracking and two-way integration with HCM or related tools. Administrators and users can be assigned Owner, Editor or Viewer rights across planning units, a useful distinction for organizations that need to control who changes plans versus who reviews them.

Key features

Scenario planning and gap analysis

Driver models let planners represent business scenarios and estimate the workforce capacity each requires. The product also identifies workforce gaps and offers automated proposals for addressing them. That pairing is valuable when workforce plans need to move from forecasting to action; organizations seeking compensation planning or budget variance tracking should look elsewhere, since smartPlan does not cover either.

Market context and monitoring

Global macroeconomic and labor-market data help planners consider how jobs, skills and market trends may shift. The May 2026 release describes comparing uploaded actual FTE counts and workforce costs with planned targets, adding a way to monitor execution rather than treating the plan as a one-time forecast.

Integration, service and data protection

Direct, two-way integration with HCM or related tools is supported in the Enterprise edition, which can reduce the separation between workforce planning and connected systems. HRForecast warrants 98% availability for documented core features under its Master Service and Subscription Agreement. The license includes Help Center access, email application support and regular virtual consulting meetings within stated limits; onboarding support and strategy or process consulting workshops cost extra.

The documentation says smartWork applies GDPR-aligned data deletion rules and removes backup data within 30 days after profile deletion. This is a specific deletion commitment, not a substitute for checking the full service agreement against an organization’s own requirements.

Pricing

Enterprise (Scenario Planning) edition

Custom pricing. HRForecast provides an offer on request. The edition includes planning for one or multiple scenarios and units, unlimited planning attributes, driver models, gap-closing measure tracking and direct two-way HCM or related-tool integration. It is the relevant option for organizations that need the full scenario-planning workflow and connected-system support. The paid license does not include onboarding or strategy and process consulting workshops, which must be purchased separately.

No lower-priced smartPlan tier is described, so there is no published cheaper plan to compare on features or limits. Support meetings have stated limits, but the number is not given; prospective buyers should clarify those limits and the separate service costs when requesting an offer.

Platforms

smartPlan is available on web, Android and iOS. The documented planning workflow spans scenarios and planning units, while mobile availability may suit users who need access beyond a desktop browser.

Who it's for

smartPlan is best for large employers building multi-year workforce plans from business scenarios, identifying gaps and tracking progress against planned FTE and cost targets. It is a stronger fit where global labor-market context and two-way HCM integration matter. It is not the right choice for teams whose central need is compensation planning or budget variance tracking, or for smaller companies outside its stated intended customer profile.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Planning connects to action: scenario modeling, gap analysis and gap-closing measure tracking support a workflow beyond headcount projection alone.
• Broader planning context: global economic and labor-market data help frame expected job and skill changes.
• Enterprise coordination: multiple planning units, differentiated access rights and two-way HCM integration address cross-team planning needs.
• Plan monitoring: uploaded actual FTE and cost data can be compared with targets, helping organizations follow execution.

Cons

• Custom pricing: buyers cannot compare a stated subscription price before requesting an offer.
• Services can add cost: onboarding and strategy or process consulting workshops sit outside the license fee.
• Not a compensation or budget variance tool: organizations needing either capability will need another product or workflow.
• Large-company focus: the intended customer profile is companies with more than 1,000 employees, making it less suited to smaller employers.

Alternatives

Compare workforce planning software if you want to consider the wider category. Arrange is worth considering for a browser-based freemium option: its free plan offers one browser-local plan, two scenarios, editable canvas and grid, benchmark rates in seven currencies and watermarked PowerPoint output. Pave Market Data is a better fit when the priority is benchmark data rather than workforce scenario planning: its free Market Data Lite plan covers U.S. and one additional market for startups with 1–200 employees, while Market Data Pro offers global benchmarks at custom pricing.

Bridgit, PeopleCoral OrgStudio, beqom PaySuite, Farseer, INOP Strategic Workforce Planning and Nakisa Capital Projects Suite are other paid alternatives to compare.

Verdict

Choose HRForecast smartPlan if your organization needs multi-year workforce scenarios that connect capacity forecasts with gap-closing actions and progress monitoring. Its combination of market context, planning-unit controls and enterprise integrations is compelling for large employers. Look elsewhere if you need compensation planning, budget variance tracking, a published price or a plan aimed at smaller companies.