Hiring inputs
One queue or skill at a time.
Across 4 classes over the next 26 weeks.
Earliest week productive FTE meets or beats target.
| Class | Start week | Hires | Graduates after drop-out | Fully productive week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Week 3 | 20 | 18.0 | Week 9 |
| Class 2 | Week 4 | 10 | 9.0 | Week 10 |
| Class 3 | Week 11 | 6 | 5.4 | Week 17 |
| Class 4 | Week 18 | 6 | 5.4 | Week 24 |
Hiring on the day you spot the shortfall is already too late: lead time plus training plus nesting means every hire decided today only counts 8 weeks from now, while attrition keeps removing heads every week in between.
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Results are estimates for planning purposes only and should not replace professional workforce management judgment.
The planner simulates your team one week at a time. Each week attrition removes a slice of the productive base, classes move through training and nesting, and graduates join the productive pool. Whenever the projection would stay below target, the model books the earliest class that can still help, sized to close the gap after drop-out and capped at your class size limit.
Step by step
- Weekly attrition = 1 - (1 - annual)^(1/52). Compounding, so 30 percent a year is about 0.68 percent a week, not 30 divided by 52.
- Pipeline length = lead time + training + nesting. A hire decided in week 1 with a 2 week lead, 4 weeks of training and 2 weeks of nesting is fully productive in week 9.
- Graduates = class size × (1 - drop-out). A class of 20 with 10 percent drop-out delivers 18 productive agents.
- Nesting agents count at ramp productivity. At 50 percent, two nesting agents give you one productive FTE.
- Classes are booked greedily. When the projection falls short, the model starts a class as early as the lead time allows, then repeats until the gap is covered.
Using it well
- Set the class cap to what your trainers and training rooms can genuinely handle.
- Be honest about drop-out: use your last few classes, not the best one.
- Run it monthly and re-check the start weeks as real attrition comes in.
- Pair it with the Attrition Rate Calculator to set the attrition input, and the Capacity Planning Calculator to set the target headcount.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I just hire when headcount drops below target?
Because a new hire is not productive on day one. Lead time, training and nesting mean a hire decided today only becomes fully productive weeks later, so the shortfall keeps growing while you wait.
What is class drop-out?
The share of new hires who leave during training or nesting before becoming productive. If 10 percent drop out, a class of 20 only gives you 18 productive agents.
How is weekly attrition calculated?
The annual attrition rate is converted to a weekly rate using the compounding formula 1 - (1 - annual)^(1/52), so a 30 percent annual rate removes about 0.68 percent of heads each week.
What counts as productive FTE during nesting?
Nesting agents handle real contacts but slower than a fully ramped agent. The ramp productivity setting, say 50 percent, counts each nesting agent as half a productive FTE.
Related reading: why a hiring freeze is not a staffing plan and what AI agent assist changes about ramp time.
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