Labor planning software — in the Excel you already have
PULSE turns your volume forecast and roster into a clear go/no-go staffing verdict — then, after the shift, explains exactly why you hit or missed (volume vs. productivity) on a one-page report you can forward to leadership.
Most floor managers plan labor in a sheet that shows numbers but can't tell them whether they're actually covered — and after a rough shift, can't say whether the miss was volume or productivity. So you find out you're short mid-shift, and you defend the plan from memory.
Scheduled headcount isn't the same as who'll show — or what the work actually needs.
One variance number can't separate light volume from a slow shift. So you fix the wrong thing.
You rebuild a summary by hand for every stand-up, and narrate the story from memory.
How it works — Basic is the flagship
Wage, throughput, attendance, thresholds. Nothing hardcoded — PULSE adapts to your operation.
Enter today's forecast and roster; PULSE returns a go/no-go verdict with the exact headroom.
Update start / mid / end headcount as the shift changes.
Type end-of-shift actuals in a single spot. Every report reads from it.
PULSE builds the one-page report — why you hit or missed, and the cost. Add your note, export.
Start here. Switch on more when you're ready — same file, no upgrade to buy.
The verdict
PULSE compares who'll actually show (your roster × attendance) against what the work needs (volume ÷ rate) and gives you a clear COVERED or SHORT — with the exact headroom, before the shift starts.
The explanation
After the shift, PULSE splits every miss into volume-driven vs. rate-driven, and the dollars behind each. In this example a 20.7-hour miss breaks down into 13.0 from light volume and 7.7 from rate — $519 of cost leakage, attributed automatically. Stop guessing; fix the right thing.
The report
Plan vs. actual, %-to-plan, leakage, and your own narrative — on a single print-ready page you forward to leadership in seconds. The number and the story, together.
Grows with you — a learning curve, not a paywall
Every copy of PULSE is the full engine. You start in Basic and grow into the rest at your own pace — when the daily loop is second nature, switch on the next level with the included Morph Guide. One price. Nothing missing.
Ships on by default
Master the daily loop: set up once, get a go/no-go verdict on Pre-Shift, and review the one-page end-of-shift report. Eight focused tabs — nothing to distract you.
Feature flag: Horizon Planning
Once the daily loop is second nature, switch on the forward view: 7-day and 12-week staffing outlook, plus hiring signals when a gap is real.
Feature flag: Next Day Plan
Add a forward next-day planning cadence with a lock and shift handoff — and PULSE begins building multi-day history and trends.
Hourly Flow + all analysis
The complete system: hour-by-hour tracking with live capacity, and the deep Measure / Explain / Improve sheets — variance bridge, week-over-week, trends.
Each level is already in your file — turning it on is a documented, ten-second step (PULSE is macro-free, so it's safe in any environment).
Warehouse, fulfillment, distribution, and back-of-house teams that plan labor against volume — and can't justify (or wait for) enterprise workforce software. If you plan a shift in Excel today, PULSE replaces the guesswork.
PULSE
Launching PULSE is in final launch prep. Checkout & instant download go live shortly.
Instant download. Plain Excel file. Limited refund policy — if it doesn't work as described, contact us within 14 days.
No. It's a decision-support system delivered in Excel. A template shows numbers; PULSE makes a go/no-go coverage call and automatically attributes any miss to volume or productivity — with the dollars behind each.
No. It's a one-time purchase — a plain .xlsx file. No subscription, no login, no cloud, no add-ins. Your data never leaves your computer.
It works in Excel 2021, Microsoft 365, and Office LTSC. It's macro-free by design, so it runs in locked-down corporate environments where macros are disabled.
That's Basic, the streamlined starting point. The full engine is already in your file. When you're ready, the included Morph Guide walks you through switching on Horizon, Next Day, and Full — no new purchase.
Because PULSE is macro-free (so it's safe anywhere). A formula can't show or hide a tab without macros — so unhiding is a quick, documented manual step. It takes about ten seconds.
Every assumption is configurable to your numbers, but custom formulas, integrations, and bespoke changes aren't included — PULSE is an evergreen product, not a custom-build service.
Walk out with the report already written.
Get PULSE soon