Glossary

Agentnoon terminology and definitions

A comprehensive reference of Agentnoon terminology, workforce planning concepts, and common abbreviations.

A

Access Groups

Permissions configuration that controls which employees/positions a user can see based on field values (department, location, etc.). Admins create access groups to restrict data visibility.

Example: "Engineering Team" access group shows only Engineering department employees.

Learn more: Access Groups

Admin

A user with elevated permissions to configure Agentnoon, manage users, upload data, and control system settings. Admins have access to Settings, Data Management, and user configuration features.

Learn more: Admin Overview

Aggregator

In Forecast, the field used to group rows (e.g., Department, Location, Employee Type). Determines how data is summarized in the forecast table.

Example: Aggregating by Department shows one row per department with total headcount/cost.

Learn more: Forecast Overview

Approval Flow

Multi-stage review process where scenarios are submitted for approval by designated approvers (Level 0-3). Ensures workforce planning changes are reviewed before implementation.

Learn more: Configuring Approval Flows

Approval History

Log of all approval/rejection actions on a scenario, including timestamps, approver names, and reasons for rejection.

Attributes

See Fields and Attributes

Auto Mapping

Automatically populates dependent fields when you select certain values. Example: select Pay Grade + Job Family → salary auto-populates from rate card.

Learn more: Auto Mapping

Attrition

The rate at which employees leave the organization (voluntary or involuntary). Modeled in Agentnoon by closing positions or setting termination dates.

B

Before/After/Changes

Three scenario view modes: Before = Main Org baseline, After = scenario final state, Changes = delta.

Learn more: Forecast Navigation

Bench, The

Positions without a manager assigned. Used as a holding area during reorganizations or before final placement.

Broken Hierarchy

Error state where a position's manager doesn't exist or reporting relationships form an invalid loop. Indicated by an orange link icon in the toolbar.

Fix: Assign valid managers or escalate broken positions to org roots.

Budget (Scenario Budget)

Target savings or spending amount set when creating a scenario. The OpEx Panel tracks progress toward this budget.

Learn more: Budget Planning & Tracking

Bulk Operations

Actions performed on multiple positions simultaneously (e.g., bulk close, bulk edit). Available in Directory view by selecting multiple rows.

Learn more: Bulk Operations

C

Card

Visual representation of a position in org chart view. Shows position details (title, name, salary, department, etc.) and employee details (if filled).

Learn more: Key Concepts - Cards

Card Content

Toolbar tool that lets you customize which fields appear on position cards. Control what information is visible in org chart view.

Learn more: Main Org Toolbar

OpEx Panel

Panel showing all modifications in a scenario: additions (green), reductions (red), modifications (blue), with net cost and headcount impact.

Also called: OpEx Panel, Scenario Impacts and Changes

Learn more: Scenario Changes & Impact (OpEx)

Compensation (Total Compensation)

Sum of all pay components (salary, bonus, stock, allowances). In Agentnoon, total compensation = base salary + any additional monetary fields configured.

CSV (Comma-Separated Values)

File format used for data uploads. A spreadsheet exported as a .csv file with columns representing fields and rows representing positions/employees.

Learn more: Data Requirements

D

Data Management

Admin-only feature for uploading CSV files, configuring live integrations, and managing data refresh. Accessible via Main Org toolbar → Data Management button.

Learn more: Data Refresh & Sync

Data Refresh

Process of updating Main Org with latest employee/position data from your HRIS. Can be manual (CSV upload) or automated (live integration).

Learn more: Data Refresh & Sync

DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion)

Employee demographic fields used for analyzing workforce diversity (gender, ethnicity, disability status, etc.). Custom fields in Agentnoon.

Department

Organizational unit grouping (e.g., Engineering, Sales, Marketing). Common aggregator for reporting and forecasting.

Directory

Spreadsheet-style table view of positions/employees. Alternative to org chart view. Useful for filtering, sorting, and bulk operations.

Learn more: Directory Overview

Direct Reports

Positions reporting directly to a manager (not indirect reports). A manager with 5 direct reports has a SOC of 5.

E

Effective Date

Date when a change takes effect in Forecast projections. Used to phase organizational changes over time.

Learn more: Time-Based Planning

Employee

A person filling a position. Employee-specific details (name, hire date, performance rating) are tracked separately from position details (title, salary, department).

Learn more: Position vs Headcount Management

Employee Field

Field that describes the person in a position (e.g., employee name, hire date, performance rating), not the position itself. Appears in white section of position cards.

Export

Download data from Agentnoon in various formats: CSV (for Excel), PowerPoint (for presentations), or Image (PNG/JPEG).

Learn more: Main Org Export

F

Field

Data attribute for positions or employees (e.g., Salary, Department, Title, Location). Fields can be standard (built-in) or custom (user-created).

Learn more: Fields and Attributes Management

Filter

Toolbar tool to narrow down visible positions based on field values (e.g., show only Engineering dept, only San Francisco location).

Logic: AND between categories, OR within categories.

Learn more: Main Org Toolbar

Forecast

Agentnoon module for viewing workforce data over time. Provides pivot table-style visualization of headcount and cost projections (monthly, quarterly, yearly).

Key principle: Forecast is view-only (visualization), not for making changes.

Learn more: Forecast Overview

Formula

Calculated field based on other fields (e.g., Fully Loaded Cost = Salary + Benefits + Taxes).

Learn more: Formulas

FTE (Full-Time Equivalent)

Measure of employee workload. 1.0 FTE = full-time, 0.5 FTE = half-time. Used to calculate total workforce capacity.

Full Org Scenario

Scenario that copies your entire Main Org. Use for company-wide planning (annual hiring plans, budget cuts, reorgs).

Learn more: Creating Scenarios

H

Headcount

Number of employees (people filling positions). Headcount ≠ position count: you may have 100 positions but only 85 filled (15 vacancies).

Learn more: Position vs Headcount Management

Highlight

Toolbar tool to color-code position cards by field values (e.g., highlight by Department → each dept gets a different color).

Learn more: Main Org Toolbar

Hire Date

Date when a future position starts. Controls when the position appears in Forecast projections.

Learn more: Building Headcount Forecasts

HRIS (Human Resources Information System)

Source system for employee data (Workday, BambooHR, ADP, etc.). Agentnoon imports data from your HRIS.

I

IC (Individual Contributor)

Employee without direct reports. Not a manager.

Metric: IC Count = total employees minus managers.

Integration (Live Integration)

Automated connection between your HRIS and Agentnoon. Syncs data automatically on a schedule (hourly, daily, weekly).

Types: SFTP, Workday, REST API

Learn more: Data Refresh & Sync

L

Layers

Number of management levels between CEO and frontline employees. More layers = taller org; fewer = flatter. Example: 5 layers = CEO → VP → Director → Manager → IC.

Level 0/1/2/3 Approvers

Four-tier approval system:

• Level 0: Scenario-specific first approver

• Level 1: Global first approver (all scenarios)

• Level 2: Global second approver (all scenarios)

• Level 3: Scenario-specific final approver

Learn more: Configuring Approval Flows

Live Integration

See Integration

Lock Scenarios Upon Submission

Setting that prevents scenario editing after submission for approval. Ensures approvers review a stable version.

Learn more: Configuring Approval Flows

M

Main Org

Your current organizational structure. View-only—reflects real data from your HRIS. Cannot be edited directly (create scenarios to model changes).

Learn more: Main Org Overview

Manager

Employee with one or more direct reports.

Metric: Manager Count = employees with at least 1 direct report.

Mandatory Field

Field that must be filled when creating a new position. Configured by admins in field settings.

Metrics

System-calculated values displayed throughout Agentnoon (SOC, manager count, IC count, total cost, etc.).

Learn more: Org Metrics & Insights

Monetary Field

Pay component field (Salary, Bonus, Stock, Allowances). Can be displayed as separate columns in Forecast.

N

New Org Scenario

Scenario starting from scratch (no positions copied from Main Org). Use for modeling brand-new teams or business units.

Learn more: Creating Scenarios

O

Open Position

Position without an assigned employee (vacancy). Contributes to position count but not headcount.

Also called: Vacant position

OpEx Panel

Side panel showing scenario budget, cost/headcount impact, and list of changes. Used to submit scenarios for approval.

Full name: Operating Expense Panel, also called "Scenario Impacts and Changes"

Learn more: Budget Planning & Tracking

Org Chart

Visual hierarchy view of your organization showing reporting relationships. Default view in Agentnoon.

Learn more: Main Org Overview

P

Partial Data Upload

CSV upload that updates specific fields without replacing all data. Must include Employee ID to match records.

Learn more: Partial Data Upload

Partial Org Scenario

Scenario that copies only a specific part of Main Org (e.g., just Engineering dept). Use for department-specific planning.

Learn more: Creating Scenarios

Pay Grade

Compensation level or band (e.g., Grade 10, Grade 11). Often used with rate cards to auto-populate salaries.

Position

A role with defined structure and budget (title, department, salary, manager). Position = the role; Employee = the person filling it.

Learn more: Position vs Headcount Management

Position Field

Field that describes the position itself (e.g., Title, Salary, Department), not the employee. Appears in colored section of position cards.

R

Rate Card

Compensation reference table that auto-populates salaries for new positions based on criteria (pay grade, job family, location).

Learn more: Rate Cards / Compensation Bands

Reporting Relationship

Defines who reports to whom, creating the hierarchy in org charts.

RIF (Reduction in Force)

Layoffs or workforce reduction. In Agentnoon, modeled by closing positions in scenarios.

Row Aggregator

See Aggregator

S

Salary

Base annual compensation. Primary field for workforce cost calculations. Does not include bonuses, stock, or other pay components (unless configured as additional monetary fields).

Scenario

Sandbox workspace for modeling organizational changes. Scenarios don't affect Main Org—they're for testing "what-if" alternatives.

Types: Full Org, Partial Org, New Org

Learn more: Scenarios Overview

Scenario Refresh

Feature (in development) to update a scenario with recent Main Org changes. Preserves scenario modifications while incorporating new data.

Learn more: Scenario Refresh

SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol)

Method for live data integration. Your HRIS exports CSV files to SFTP server, Agentnoon pulls them automatically.

Learn more: Importing Data via SFTP

Show Before/After/Changes

See Before/After/Changes

SOC (Span of Control)

Number of direct reports a manager has. Healthy range: 5–10 (context-dependent).

Learn more: Key Concepts - Span of Control

Spotlight

Toolbar tool for conditional formatting. Highlights positions matching specific rules (e.g., SOC > 10, salary > $200K).

Learn more: Main Org Toolbar

SSO (Single Sign-On)

Authentication method using company identity provider (Okta, Azure AD, Google). Users log in with company credentials.

Learn more: Single Sign-On (SSO)

T

Toolbar

Left sidebar with tools for navigating and analyzing org data (Search, Filter, Highlight, Card Content, Views, Export, etc.).

Learn more: Main Org Toolbar

Termination Date

Date when an employee leaves or position is closed. Controls when the position disappears from Forecast projections.

Time Period

In Forecast, the column granularity: Monthly, Quarterly, or Yearly. Determines how cost/headcount data is displayed over time.

Learn more: Forecast Navigation

V

Vacant Position

See Open Position

View

Saved configuration of filters, highlights, and card content for quick reloading.

Learn more: Main Org Toolbar

W

Workforce Hub

Analytics module with pre-built charts and visualizations (headcount by department, cost distribution, SOC analysis, etc.).

Learn more: Chart Navigation

Workforce Planning

Strategic process of designing organizational structure, planning hiring, and forecasting workforce costs. Agentnoon's primary use case.

Workforce Planning vs. Talent Management: Planning focuses on positions and structure; talent management focuses on individual employees and performance.

Common Abbreviations

• CSV - Comma-Separated Values (file format)

• DEI - Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

• FTE - Full-Time Equivalent

• HRIS - Human Resources Information System

• IC - Individual Contributor

• MFA - Multi-Factor Authentication

• OpEx - Operating Expense

• RIF - Reduction in Force

• SFTP - Secure File Transfer Protocol

• SOC - Span of Control

• SSO - Single Sign-On

Industry Workforce Planning Terms

Budget Variance

Difference between planned (forecasted) workforce cost and actual workforce cost.

Burden Rate

Multiplier applied to salary to account for benefits, taxes, and overhead (e.g., 1.3x burden rate means total cost = salary × 1.3).

Compression

Situation where pay gaps between levels are too small (e.g., ICs making more than their managers). Indicates compensation structure issues.

FP&A (Financial Planning & Analysis)

Finance function responsible for budgeting, forecasting, and financial modeling. Often collaborates with HR on workforce planning.

Fully Loaded Cost

Total cost of an employee including salary, benefits, taxes, overhead, and other expenses. May be 1.3-1.5x base salary.

Org Design (Organizational Design)

Process of structuring an organization to align with business strategy. Includes defining teams, reporting relationships, and layers.

Strategic Workforce Planning

Long-term planning (3-5 years) of workforce needs aligned with business strategy. Focuses on what roles are needed, when, and at what cost.

Talent Management

Operational management of individual employees (recruiting, performance, development, retention). Complements strategic workforce planning.