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The 2026 MarketScape for Worldwide People Analytics and Performance-Driven Workforce Planning has been published - and SAP has been positioned in the Leaders category.
For organisations already invested in SAP SuccessFactors - or considering where to take their People Analytics and Workforce Planning strategy next - that’s significant.
But we think there is a more important question than where SAP appears on the MarketScape:
What does IDC’s assessment tell us about where People Analytics and Workforce Planning are heading - and what should SAP customers be doing about it?
As an SAP partner specialising in People Analytics, HR Reporting and Strategic Workforce Planning, this is precisely the challenge we work on with SAP SuccessFactors customers at 3n Strategy.
And through SAP’s partner licensing, 3n Strategy can provide complimentary access to the SAP excerpt of the IDC MarketScape.
[Download the complimentary IDC MarketScape]
What is the 2026 MarketScape for Worldwide People Analytics and Performance-Driven Workforce Planning?
The IDC MarketScape assesses vendors based on both their current capabilities and their strategies for meeting future customer needs.
The 2026 assessment covers 12 vendors operating across People Analytics, performance insights and Workforce Planning.
For SAP customers, the headline is clear:
IDC positions SAP as a Leader.
But the detail behind that positioning is much more interesting.
IDC highlights SAP’s ability to bring together People Analytics and Workforce Planning through capabilities including SAP People Intelligence, SAP SuccessFactors, SAP Business Data Cloud and SAP Analytics Cloud.
That reflects a much bigger change taking place in HR technology.
The bigger story: People Analytics and Workforce Planning are converging
For years, organisations have often treated HR reporting, People Analytics and Workforce Planning as separate disciplines.
One team produces reports.
Another analyses workforce trends.
Planning happens periodically - often through spreadsheets, finance processes or disconnected planning tools.
That model is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.
IDC describes organisations moving towards more continuous approaches to workforce planning, where people data, skills, performance and business context can be brought together to inform decisions. It also emphasises that getting there requires a roadmap covering data, strategy and operationalisation.
At 3n Strategy, we believe this distinction is critical.
The future of People Analytics isn't better dashboards. It's better workforce decisions.
Knowing your current headcount is useful.
Understanding why attrition is increasing, where critical skills are emerging, what your organisation will need next and how different workforce scenarios affect business performance is far more valuable.
That is where analytics becomes strategic.
Why SAP People Intelligence matters
One of the most important parts of IDC’s assessment is its discussion of SAP People Intelligence.
IDC describes People Intelligence as "an AI-driven People Analytics and workforce insights solution built on SAP Business Data Cloud". It brings together HR, skills and wider business data to create a unified foundation for insights and AI.
IDC also identifies use cases spanning:
- Workforce composition
- Skills and capability gaps
- Compensation
- Succession and career development
- Recruiting, learning and performance
- Time management
- Onboarding
For existing SAP customers, this represents a potentially significant shift.
The question is no longer simply:
“How do we report on our SuccessFactors data?”
It increasingly becomes:
“How do we create a trusted workforce data foundation that allows HR and business leaders to make better decisions?”
That is a very different objective - and it requires a different approach.
3n Strategy's view: technology alone won't create better People Analytics
This is perhaps the most important takeaway for SAP customers.
SAP being positioned as a Leader doesn't mean every SAP customer will automatically become a leader in People Analytics.
IDC itself identifies challenges around migrating legacy reports, retraining users, changing internal processes, and cleansing, governing and integrating data for People Intelligence. It also notes challenges around reporting complexity and dependency on IT teams.
We see this as an important reality check.
You can implement sophisticated technology and still struggle to answer relatively straightforward workforce questions.
Why?
Because mature People Analytics depends on more than the platform.
It requires organisations to get several things right:
Data. Can people trust the underlying workforce data?
Governance. Are metrics and definitions consistent across the organisation?
Reporting strategy. Do you know which reporting belongs in operational reporting, People Intelligence, SAP Analytics Cloud or other tools?
Business questions. Are you building analytics around decisions leaders actually need to make?
Capability. Can HR use the insights without constantly relying on technical specialists?
Planning. Can insights feed forward into decisions about the workforce you will need — rather than simply explaining the workforce you already have?
This is why we believe the move towards SAP People Intelligence should be treated as more than a technology implementation.
It is an opportunity to rethink the organisation's People Analytics operating model.
Workforce Planning needs to become connected to the business
The other major theme is Workforce Planning.
IDC highlights SAP’s ability to combine workforce analytics with predictive models and planning tools, including scenario modelling, headcount planning, budgets and forecasts through SAP SuccessFactors and SAP Analytics Cloud.
This matters because traditional workforce plans can become outdated remarkably quickly.
People leave.
Skills change.
Strategies change.
Budgets move.
New technologies change the work itself.
A workforce plan created once a year cannot easily respond to those changes.
The goal should therefore be to create a more continuous connection between:
Business strategy → workforce requirements → workforce data → scenarios → decisions → outcomes.
That is when Strategic Workforce Planning becomes genuinely strategic.
What should SAP customers do next?
IDC’s assessment is positive about SAP, but we don't think the takeaway should be “SAP is a Leader, therefore implement everything.”
In fact, IDC makes the point that buyer maturity matters when determining which solution or platform should be deployed first.
We agree.
Before making technology decisions, SAP customers should understand:
- What business questions can't we answer today?
- Which workforce decisions need better evidence?
- How mature is our existing data and reporting environment?
- Where should People Intelligence fit alongside our existing SAP reporting and analytics tools?
- How will analytics connect with Strategic Workforce Planning?
- What foundations do we need before AI can produce trusted workforce insights?
The answers will be different for every organisation.
And that's why interpreting this MarketScape in the context of your existing SAP landscape is arguably more valuable than simply knowing where SAP appears on the chart.
When does IDC recommend considering SAP?
IDC identifies several situations in which organisations should consider SAP.
These include organisations looking to harmonise workforce, skills and business data; use AI to anticipate workforce trends and skills gaps; connect workforce insights with financial and operational data; and move towards skills-based Workforce Planning.
Those ambitions will sound familiar to many HR leaders.
The challenge is moving from the ambition to a practical roadmap.
And that's where 3n Strategy comes in.
Download the 2026 IDC MarketScape from 3n Strategy
3n Strategy specialises in SAP People Analytics, HR Reporting and Strategic Workforce Planning.
We help SAP SuccessFactors customers understand not only what the technology can do, but how to turn their people data into the information, insights and plans required to make better workforce decisions.
Through our relationship with SAP, we're able to provide complimentary access to the SAP excerpt of the 2026 MarketScape for Worldwide People Analytics and Performance-Driven Workforce Planning.
Inside, you can explore IDC’s assessment of:
- SAP’s position in the market
- SAP People Intelligence
- People Analytics capabilities
- Workforce Planning and scenario modelling
- SAP’s strengths and challenges
- When organisations should consider SAP
[Download the complimentary 2026 IDC MarketScape]
And if the report raises questions about your own People Analytics, Reporting or Workforce Planning strategy, talk to 3n Strategy.
We can help you understand what the findings mean for your organisation, where your current SAP landscape fits, and what your next step should be.
