Scenario Modeling
Headcount scenario modeling, without touching the live org
A scenario is a sandboxed overlay on the live org. Re-parent teams, add or close positions, move a seat to a different cost center, then Compare the result against the live org before anyone raises a requisition.
A Kinnect scenario canvas for the demo reorg Data & ML rebalance, Option A: ML Platform group: org cards with lead, filled versus open bar and headcount, a MOVED badge, a new dashed ML Platform org, a dragged card mid-move and the Change Summary button
Definition
What is headcount scenario modeling?
Headcount scenario modeling is drafting a change to the org as an overlay on the live one, so which orgs move, which seats are added, moved or closed, and what each option costs are visible before anything changes in the HRIS. In Kinnect the overlay is a scenario and the live org is Base.
- An overlay, not a copyA scenario starts from the live org or duplicates an existing plan. Live Kinnect data and your HRIS stay untouched.
- Every reorg verbRe-parent, rename, dissolve or add an org. Add, move, edit or close a position. Change a seat's cost center.
- Compared before it is decidedCompare a scenario against Base, the live org, or against another scenario, on seats and annualized base pay.
A draft scenario canvas: an org wearing a MOVED badge, a new dashed ML Platform org and a card mid-drag, drawn over the live org
Budget impact before you commit
The cost of the reorg, on one table, before anyone opens a requisition
This is the table an FP&A partner brings to the reorg conversation, computed from the same positions the budget already tracks.
- Added and total base payAnnualized to USD per year: salary as-is, hourly times a standard work-year, converted at cached FX rates, closed positions excluded.
- Seats added and closedOrg count, positions, open positions, seats added and closed, and the orgs and cost centers affected.
- Then the diffsPer organization, per cost center and per position, so the summary traces to the seat that moved it.
The Compare scenarios screen: Scenario A set to Base (live org), Scenario B set to Option A: ML Platform group, the summary metrics with deltas, 4 orgs differ and 2 cost centers affected
What you can change in a draft
Every reorg verb, on the canvas or in the Detail panel
- Orgs, on the canvasDrag an org onto a new parent and it wears a MOVED badge. Right-click to rename, remove, dissolve or add a sub-org.
- Positions, in the Detail panelAdd a seat with the Hiring Tracker's request form, move it between orgs, edit attributes and compensation, or mark it Closing.
- A funding change is a cost center moveMove a position's cost center inside the scenario. It lands under Positions reassigned and in the per-cost-center diff.
The Move position modal for a Senior Engineering Manager: an Organization selector set to ML Platform, currently Foundation Models, a Cost center selector set to CC Platform, currently CC Data & ML, and Cancel and Move buttons
See it live
See a scenario built end to end
Tell us about a reorg you are weighing. We will draft one like it as a scenario on demo data, Compare it against the org and export the change list.
- Thirty minutes
- Demo data, shaped by your requirements
- No obligation
A Kinnect position request at the approval step, with the approver's required comment recorded against the decision
Change Summary
Every edit, tracked and grouped
The Change Summary panel is the scenario's ledger, and the source of the exported change list.
- Eight groups, named as the product names themAdditions, Positions added, moved, reassigned and closed, Moved, Renamed and Dissolved.
- Stays open when the canvas locksIn review and Approved make the canvas read-only. The Change Summary stays readable, so the plan can be read back.
- Export change list from the panelOne button downloads every change as a CSV: the handoff to your HRIS.
The Change Summary panel listing 8 changes grouped as Additions, Positions added, Positions moved, Positions reassigned, Moved and Renamed, with an Export change list button
The lifecycle
Draft, In review, Approved, Archived
- Only drafts are editableDrag, rename, add, move and close, then Submit for review. In review can go Back to draft or be Archived.
- Approved locks the recordName and description lock and the scenario becomes the record of what was decided. Archived keeps it, not deletes it.
- A status, not a routing engineKinnect runs no approver chain on scenarios. Approvals with routing and cost context live in the Inbox and Headcount Governance.
The Scenarios list: Data & ML rebalance Option A and Option B marked Draft, Sunset Coordinators marked In review, each with a description, created date and Open link, plus a New scenario tile
Concrete use cases
The reorgs people actually model
Position and cost center identifiers are from the Atlune AI demo tenant.
Over budget
A cost center over budget
CC Data & ML carries POS-190001, a Principal Software Engineer at $480K that Finance flags as over budget. Two scenarios decide it: fund a new ML Platform group, or redistribute within existing orgs.
Kinnect for Finance and FP&ASunset
A sunset
Dissolve an org whose lead has left and whose seats are all filled elsewhere. The dissolution and every position move show in the Change Summary before anyone acts.
See Organizational DesignFreeze
A hiring freeze in one function
Close the open seats in a single org and Compare against the live org to see the base pay you are not adding.
The CFO's guide to budget enforcementSpin-out
A spin-out
Add a sub-org, move the seats into it, then Compare added and total base pay against a scenario that keeps the seats where they are.
A strategic workforce planning framework
Export change list, the handoff
Kinnect does not write a scenario back to your HRIS
It gives you the exact change list and keeps the live org clean until your HRIS says otherwise.
- A CSV of every changeEvery org moved, renamed or dissolved, every position added, moved, reassigned or closed.
- You execute it in your HRISWorkday, Oracle HCM Cloud, SAP SuccessFactors, UKG Pro, ADP or Dayforce. The live tree in Kinnect updates when the HRIS does.
- Positions still go through governanceOnce a scenario is Approved, its seats are requested in the Hiring Tracker and approved in the Inbox like any other request.
The Request position modal opened from an org inside a scenario: job title, time type, manager, planned hire date, company and cost center fields, the planned-headcount warning and a Submit Request button
Questions about headcount scenario modeling
What is headcount scenario modeling?
Drafting a change to the org as an overlay on the live one, so you can see which orgs move, which seats are added, moved or closed, and what each option costs before anything changes in the HRIS. In Kinnect the overlay is a scenario and the live org is Base.
What is a scenario in Kinnect?
An overlay on the live org where you draft a reorg: re-parent or dissolve orgs, add, move, edit or close positions, and change a position's cost center. Live data is untouched until you export the change list and apply it in your HRIS.
Does a scenario change live data?
No. Nothing in a scenario modifies live Kinnect data or your HRIS. The handoff is Export change list, a CSV you execute in your HRIS, and the live tree in Kinnect updates when the HRIS does.
Scenario modeling vs workforce planning: what is the difference?
Workforce planning sets the plan: how many seats, where, at what cost, over a horizon. Scenario modeling tests one specific change against that plan, a reorg, a sunset or a spin-out, compared on seats and base pay; Kinnect scenarios are the second, overlays on the live org compared against Base or against each other.
Can I compare two options for the same reorg?
Yes. Compare puts two scenarios side by side, or one scenario against the live org, and shows org count, positions, open positions, seats added and closed, and base pay added and total, annualized to USD per year across currencies.
How is base pay calculated in Compare?
Annualized to USD per year: salary as-is, hourly times a standard work-year, converted at cached FX rates, with closed positions excluded. Mixed-currency orgs compare on one number, and Compare says so on the page.
What does "In review" mean?
A status on the scenario's lifecycle (Draft, In review, Approved, Archived). Drafts are editable; anything else is read-only with the Change Summary still available. It records where a plan stands; it is not an approval routing engine.
Does Kinnect push the reorg into Workday or another HRIS?
No. Export change list gives you the CSV of every change; you execute it in Workday, Oracle HCM Cloud, SAP SuccessFactors, UKG Pro, ADP or Dayforce. Positions the reorg needs are then requested and approved in Kinnect like any other position.
Who can see or edit a scenario?
Anyone who can reach the Organizations page today; scenarios are shared workspaces. Name drafts clearly and archive what is no longer in play.
Model the reorg, compare the cost, then decide.
A demo builds a scenario on demo data end to end: draft, edit, Change Summary, Compare and the exported change list.