12 Workforce Planning Tools to Effectively Optimize Your Workforce

Managing a team across locations is tough, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. The right workforce planning tools can make all the difference, giving you the insights to allocate resources where they’re needed most.

To stay ahead, you need to know exactly how your team is performing and where your efforts should go.

Without the right data, you’ll end up making costly mistakes (think: overstaffing, missing out on essential roles, and so on).

Workforce planning tools let you dig into the details and help you plan more effectively. Naturally, you’ll make more informed decisions that support your long-term goals. But with so many options out there, how do you know which one is best for your organization?

In this guide, we’ve narrowed down the 12 best workforce planning tools for 2025 to help you optimize your planning process and ensure your team is set up for success.

What Are Workforce Planning Tools?

Workforce planning software helps companies manage their teams’ schedules and resources optimally by:

• Assessing the current skills in your team
• Identifying skills-talent gaps
• Preparing for upcoming risks that could impact your workforce
• Planning for the future

Essentially, the software tells you how many people you need for each task and helps assign the right employees to the right projects. They’re especially useful for managing remote teams, where direct oversight isn’t always possible. 

Key Features to Look For in Workforce Planning Tools 

Here are some key features to consider when evaluating workforce planning tools for your organization:

• Scalability and Customization: Make sure the tool can grow with your team. If you start small but plan to expand, you need a tool that lets you add features and users easily. This way, it fits your needs now and in the future.
• Seamless Integration with HR and Payroll Systems: Look for a tool that connects smoothly with what you already use. If your workforce planning software can link up with your HR and payroll systems, it saves time and keeps everything organized. No one wants to deal with double entries or mismatched data.
• Advanced Analytics and Reporting Capabilities: Choose a tool that gives you clear insights into your workforce. You want to see things like employee performance, project timelines, and resource allocation in simple reports. This helps you make smarter decisions quickly. Utilizing workforce planning analytics enables organizations to analyze and report on key HR metrics, aligning HR strategies with business goals and addressing the need for flexible and comprehensive planning solutions.
• Real-Time Collaboration Features: Find a tool that lets your team work together, no matter where they are. Features like shared dashboards and instant updates keep everyone informed and aligned, which is key for successful projects.
• AI and Automation for Enhanced Planning: Look for tools that use AI to make your planning easier. Automation can help with scheduling and resource allocation, taking some of the manual work off your plate. This means your team can focus more on strategy and less on busy work.

12 Best Workforce Planning Tools You Should Know About

Below are the top 12 workforce planning software solutions for 2025, each designed to help you manage and optimize your workforce effectively. These options represent the best workforce planning tool choices available, tailored to various business settings to enhance operational efficiency and minimize administrative burdens.

1. Nifty

Nifty is a solid choice for workforce planning. Used strategically, it allows teams to juggle projects and tasks. Understanding workforce capacity is crucial, and Nifty helps manage staff resources effectively. Its simple design means both managers and team members can easily see how things are going, who’s doing what, and when things need to be done.

With Nifty, you can quickly assign tasks based on who’s available and what skills they have. If a deadline is approaching, you can check in with just a few clicks and make sure everyone’s on track.

Key features:

• Goal Setting: Nifty makes it easy to set and track your team’s goals. You can specify target dates, define metrics, and attach relevant tasks to each goal. For instance, if your objective is to launch a new product, you can detail the timeline, assign team members, and monitor progress all in one spot.
• Milestones: The milestones feature uses Gantt charts to break your larger goals into bite-sized tasks. This gives you a clear visual overview of all your projects, helping you keep an eye on deadlines and priorities. You’ll be able to see at a glance what’s due soon and what still needs attention.
• Task Alerts: Nifty helps you stay on track by sending alerts for task assignments and deadlines. You can customize your notification preferences to ensure you never miss an important deadline. For example, if a team member has a key report due next week, Nifty will remind them ahead of time.
• Comments Feature: Communication is simple with Nifty’s comments feature. You can tag teammates directly in discussions about tasks, making it easy to ask questions or provide updates. Just use the @mention function, and your colleague will get a notification right away, ensuring everyone stays connected and informed.
• Centralized Management: With Nifty, you can manage all aspects of your workforce planning in one place. From setting goals to tracking progress and communicating with your team, everything is streamlined, so you can focus on getting things done.
• Nifty Orbit AI: This smart feature makes project management easier by automating important tasks. Here’s how it helps you:
• Automate Projects: Just describe the workflow you want, and Orbit AI will set up the project for you.
• Generate Documents: Need a contract or a product spec? Orbit AI can create these documents automatically for your projects.
• Create Smart Tasks: The AI can generate task descriptions, due dates, and assign team members right from your chats. This saves you time on dreaded paperwork.

Pricing:

• Free: $0
• Personal: $7/user/month, billed yearly
• Pro: $10/user/month, billed yearly
• Business: $16/user/month, billed yearly
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Ratings:

• G2: 4.7/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5

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2. ClickUp

What really sets ClickUp apart is its ability to adapt to your team’s needs. Strategic workforce planning tools are essential for HR professionals to analyze current and future workforce needs, and ClickUp excels in this area. You can customize everything—from dashboard layouts to settings—ensuring that the software works for you, not the other way around. This flexibility helps streamline workflows and keeps your team operating at its best.

Key features:

• Efficient project structuring with a work breakdown structure
• Centralized task management for tasks and resources
• Over 15 different views to visualize projects
• Ready-made templates like the ClickUp Workforce Action Template for quick planning

Pros:

• Highly customizable reports
• Offers time estimates on important tasks
• Well-organized hierarchy with a Workspace level that can be broken down into Spaces, Folders, Lists, Tasks, and Subtasks

Cons:

• Mobile app is not as robust as the desktop version
• Complex user interface

Pricing:

• Free forever: $0
• Unlimited: $7//user/month, billed yearly
• Business: $12//user/month, billed yearly
• Enterprise: Custom Pricing

Ratings:

• G2: 4.7/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5

3. Runn 

Runn helps you to connect the dots between workforce management and project forecasting. The workforce planning process is a systematic and ongoing approach that organizations must adopt to align their workforce with their strategic objectives. Its dashboard offers real-time insights into your company’s performance and profitability. The platform clarifies each person’s role in the project and ensures both full-time staff and freelancers understand their responsibilities with full confidence and transparency.

Key features:

• People Planner helps compare team capacity with confirmed workloads
• Real-time reports allow for easy planning, tracking, and forecasting insights
• Capacity insights help identify areas that are at capacity and forecast future staffing needs
• Automated utilization insights for understanding how well the team is working and how to make the most of task assignments

Pros:

• Excellent forecasting capabilities with access to real-time project data and workforce information
• One-click insights into potential skill gaps and resourcing requirements

Cons:

• Some users report that certain reports and permission settings are not fully available.
• Planning for product development can be a struggle for some users

Pricing:

• Free: $0 (for up to 5 people)
• Pro: $8/person/month, billed annually
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Ratings:

• G2: 4.5/5
• Capterra: 4.8/5

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4. Monday.com

Monday.com empowers organizations to easily adapt to changes, whether it’s a sudden shift in project priorities or the need to manage team capacities across departments. Business leaders can leverage these tools to develop effective organizational strategies and optimize resource allocation. With customizable templates and dashboards, teams can visualize their workloads and track progress in real time.

Key features:

• Workflow Builder helps create customized workflows using intuitive blocks that automate tasks
• Ready-to-use templates for project management, HR processes, etc.
• Over 27 different work views, such as Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and timelines
• Integrations with over 200 third-party apps

Pros:

• Intuitive interface that promotes easy adoption
• Strong collaboration features enhance team communication
• Flexible reporting and visualization options

Cons:

• Some advanced features may require additional learning
• Pricing can be higher compared to other tools for smaller teams

Pricing:

• Free (up to 2 seats): $0
• Basic: $9/seat/month, billed annually
• Standard: $12/seat/month, billed annually
• Pro: $19/seat/month, billed annually
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Ratings:

• G2: 4.7/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5

Monday.com is a good tool, but it’s expensive.
Nifty is Free

5. SAP SuccessFactors

SAP SuccessFactors Workforce Analytics and Planning enables you to take control of your workforce strategy. A compensation and benefits analysis can also be conducted to ensure competitive pay scales and effective talent management. You can also model the competencies your organization requires to support future growth and ensure the right talent is in place to meet long-term goals.

Key features:

• Labor Forecasting helps predict staffing needs to control labor costs based on future demand
• Shift Scheduling helps plan employee shifts based on availability and notifies them automatically
• Time & Attendance Tracking feature tracks work hours through built-in features
• Absence & Leave Management allows management of PTO and leave requests

Pros:

• Helps engage in succession planning by identify top performers
• Workforce Analytics helps evaluate and improve employee management
• Mobile Shift Scheduling helps monitor shifts on the go with real time notifications

Cons:

• No free trial
• Does not offer transparent pricing

Pricing: Custom pricing, contact the team

Ratings:

• G2: 3.9/5
• Capterra: NA

6. Anaplan

Anaplan is a powerful tool for workforce planning that gives teams a clear view of all the moving parts within their business. Understanding internal and external factors is crucial for effective scenario planning and workforce management. Its hyperblock technology allows teams to run detailed workforce planning scenario and ensures decisions are well-rounded and based on the full picture.

Key features:

• Scenario planning enables in-depth analysis and “what-if” scenarios to assess the impact of decisions
• Forecasting delivers predictive insights into future market trends, sales costs, and industry movements
• Compensation plan modeling evaluates how adjustments in employee performance metrics can influence financial results

Pros:

• Advanced modeling capabilities for sophisticated scenario-building are highly praised by users
• Multi-device access allows use on desktops, web browsers, and select iOS and Android devices

Cons:

• Users often struggle without proper training or support despite being low-code
• Users also report challenges in creating effective custom workflows

Pricing: Contact the team

Ratings:

• G2: 4.6/5
• Capterra: 4.3/5

7. Oracle HCM Cloud

Oracle HCM Cloud integrates diverse HR functions, such as recruitment, payroll, performance management, and workforce planning, into a unified platform. It helps organizations understand the required future workforce by identifying necessary capabilities that align with organizational goals.

Key features:

• Workforce scheduling allows managers to create and publish work schedules for teams while providing real-time visibility into absences, holidays, and clock information
• Employee-driven self-scheduling empowers workers to manage their own schedules by claiming, withdrawing from, or swapping shifts based on set criteria like seniority
• Workforce Labor Optimization, an optional add-on, uses AI to generate optimized schedules that managers can review and adjust

Pros:

• Intuitive interface that simplifies navigation
• Robust reporting capabilities for insightful data analysis and decision-making
• Simplified configuration processes and streamlined workflows for quick setup

Cons:

• Performance can slow down, particularly when multiple users access the software simultaneously
• Regular updates may lead to occasional technical glitches and disruptions

Pricing: Custom pricing

Ratings:

• G2: 3.5/5
• Capterra: 4/5

8. Float

Float helps you make informed workforce planning decisions. It is an essential tool for preparing your future workforce by analyzing current capabilities and predicting skill gaps. The tool provides a clear dashboard view, showing project phases alongside budget information. You can easily determine who is the best fit for specific tasks by reviewing team member profiles.

Key features:

• Allocate work based on team skills and availability
• Make real-time adjustments to schedules with simple drag-and-drop functionality
• Set and monitor budgets based on estimated hours and compare them with actual spending
• Track hours worked to assess project progress and budget adherence easily

Pros:

• Ability to adjust schedules on the fly
• Updates happen dynamically
• Built-in time tracking to visualize performance with straightforward reports

Cons:

• Limited integrations with popular project management tools

Pricing:

• Starter: $6/person/month, billed annually
• Pro: $10/person/month, billed annually
• Enterprise: Custom pricing

Ratings:

• G2: 4.2/5
• Capterra: 4.5/5

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9. ADP Workforce Now

With its strong focus on compliance and employee engagement, ADP Workforce Now helps organizations manage their workforce effectively while ensuring they meet regulatory requirements. It stands out among different workforce planning tools by offering comprehensive solutions for labor forecasting and aligning workforce allocation with business goals.

Key features:

• Time and Attendance Tracking offers tools to monitor employee hours, manage schedules, and track attendance
• Talent Management facilitates recruiting, onboarding, and performance tracking
• Employee Self-Service allows employees to access their information, manage benefits, and submit requests

Pros:

• User-friendly and comprehensive
• Easy reporting features allow for custom report creation and editing
• Reliable payroll processing ensures efficiency and accuracy

Cons:

• Occasional login issues and difficulties with password resets
• Confusing login platforms when switching between different ADP software

Pricing: Custom pricing

Ratings:

• G2: 4.1/5
• Capterra: 4.4/5

10. BambooHR

BambooHR excels in key areas like managing employee data, tracking time off, conducting performance reviews, and facilitating hiring, onboarding, and offboarding. Workday Adaptive Planning is another powerful workforce planning tool that simplifies complex strategies by integrating data, providing deep insights for forecasting, and supporting scenario modeling. This software is great for smaller businesses with tight budgets as it offers a rich set of functionalities.

Key features:

• Centralized employee data management
• Streamlined Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to manage job postings and candidate communications
• Time-Off Management automates the approval of leave requests and keeps accurate attendance records
• Employee self-service and comprehensive reporting

Pros:

• Covers essential processes like onboarding, performance management, and applicant tracking
• Highly customizable applicant tracking system lets you build ideal employee profiles
• Knowledgeable support team available to assist with system use and provide training resources

Cons:

• Lack of transparent pricing can make budgeting challenging
• Some advanced functionalities rely on external systems, which may complicate operations

Pricing: Custom pricing, contact the team

Ratings:

• G2: 4.4/5
• Capterra: 4.6/5

11. Planful

Planful empowers organizations to enhance workforce planning through seamless collaboration. Users can effortlessly create models and explore what-if scenarios while reporting on key outcomes.

This platform fosters teamwork across departments, connecting financial and operational data to identify talent gaps and project personnel costs. With Planful, teams can optimize headcount and streamline strategic workforce planning processes. 

Key features:

• Headcount Forecasting helps teams predict staffing needs 
• Employee Cost Management enables tracking of labor costs 
• Compensation Management simplifies salary calculations and adjustments based on location and other factors
• Task Management keeps teams organized by tracking assignments and responsibilities within the platform

Pros:

• Seamless integration with ERP systems
• Fast information processing and easy transition to the Excel add-in
• Supportive staff and customer service team focused on helping users adopt the product easily

Cons:

• Knowledge transfer for Dynamic Planning can be improved
• Training for Spotlight in PowerPoint needs enhancement

Pricing: NA

Ratings:

• G2: 4.3/5
• Capterra: 4.2/5

12. Smartsheet

Smartsheet is a versatile workforce planning tool that combines the simplicity of spreadsheets with advanced collaboration capabilities. It helps teams manage projects, tasks, and processes effectively, irrespective of the complexity.

Key features:

• Grid Interface and Work Views along with dynamic views such as Gantt charts and calendars to visualize project timelines and tasks
• Automated Calculations simplify data collection by automating calculations across multiple sheets
• Strong Reporting Features that can be easily exported to Excel or Google Sheets for further analysis

Pros:

• Intuitive design makes it simple for users to navigate and leverage its features
• Collaborative Scheduling helps team members to work on tasks simultaneously and get automatic reminders 
• Its Excel-like format allows users to easily manage large datasets without a steep learning curve

Cons:

• Basic spreadsheet functions, like merging cells, are not present
• Advanced Excel users miss features like Visual Basic, which would help automate tasks and enhance customization

Pricing:

• Pro: $9/member/​​month, billed yearly (1-10 members)
• Business: $19/member/​​month, billed yearly (3+ members)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing (10+ members)
• Advanced Work Management: Custom pricing

Ratings:

• G2: 4.4/5
• Capterra: 4.5/5

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How to Choose the Right Workforce Planning Tool for Your Organization?

Choosing the best workforce planning tool can make a big difference for your team. Here’s a straightforward approach to help you decide.

Assess Your Business Needs (And Priorities)

Start by understanding what your organization truly needs. Think about your team size, specific challenges, and which features will help you the most. This will keep your search focused.

Check for Ease of Use

The best software is intuitive and simple to navigate so your team can get started quickly without getting bogged down by trivial details.

Weigh Cost Against Value

Consider both the price and the benefits of the software. A more expensive option might save you time or money in the long run, so evaluate what each tool brings to the table.

Think – Will the Tool Be Able to Cater to Your Organization’s Size and Scope?

Different businesses have different requirements. If you’re a smaller organization, you might want something budget-friendly and easy to use. On the other hand, larger companies often require more advanced features that can grow along with them.

Look into Vendor Support and Reviews

Don’t skip the research! Look at customer reviews to see what others are saying. Also, consider how responsive the vendor is when issues arise. Hearing from real users can give you a clearer picture of how well a tool works in everyday situations.

4 Best Practices for Implementing Workforce Planning Tools

Here are the top four best practices to ensure a successful implementation of strategic workforce planning tools in your organization:

1. Match Planning to Your Goals

First, take some time to identify what your organization really wants to achieve. If your focus is on finishing projects more quickly, look for a workforce planning tool that helps you put the right people on those projects.

2. Get Everyone Involved Early

Bring in department heads and team leaders from the beginning. Talk with them about the tool and how it can help. When they see their input matters, they’ll be more likely to support it.

3. Offer Hands-On Training and Support

Make sure to provide practical training for different team members. For instance, set up sessions for HR on how to use the data features and help managers understand how to allocate resources effectively. 

4. Regularly Check In and Adjust

Set up monthly meetings to review how the tool is working. Gather feedback through simple surveys and informal chats to understand how users feel. Use their input to make improvements and ensure the tool continues to meet your needs.

Try Nifty: A Strategic Workforce Planning Software

Ready to elevate your project management game? With Nifty’s cutting-edge workforce planning software, you can eliminate uncertainty in resourcing. Our platform enables you to leverage real-time data analytics to optimize scheduling, enhance collaboration, and drive productivity.

In an environment of tighter deadlines and shrinking teams, Nifty streamlines the planning process, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: delivering exceptional results.

Don’t leave your project success to chance—sign up for Nifty today and transform your approach to workforce planning! Experience the efficiency and clarity that come with data-driven decisions.

Sign up now and utilize your team’s full potential!