Build your pay system · Plan your project

Settle scope, data and responsibility first. The analysis comes second.

Most pay transparency projects stall on questions nobody answered at the start. Four decisions and five phases keep yours moving.

Four scoping questions

Decide which companies in the group are in scope and who reports for each.

Collectively agreed, non-tariff, executives, apprentices – include or exclude each on purpose.

Base, variable, allowances and benefits in kind. The Directive counts all of them.

Minimum compliance, or a pay system you can explain to every employee.

01
Scope and mandate
Project order, sponsor and roles agreed.
02
Data and job inventory
One dataset, gaps prioritised.
03
Job evaluation and groups of equal work
A documented comparison logic.
04
Analyse and decide
A prioritised list of actions, including progression rules.
05
Embed
A process for information requests, an annual reporting cycle, an annual neutrality check.

Phases 2 and 3 run in parallel – the groups of equal work decide which data you need.

Role group	Who	Their job
Steer and decide	Management board; HR project lead	Mandate, budget, sign-offs; scope, pace, escalation
Shape and multiply	Works council, finance, legal; managers, internal communications	Co-determination, data, legal review; translate, listen, keep messages consistent
Understand and ask	Employees	Know what changes, why and when; questions and feedback flow back

Typical ranges for a mid-sized organisation; size, number of entities and data quality move them.

Typically 3–6 months

Check the grading logic, clean the data, validate groups of equal work.

Typically 6–12 months

Close data gaps, complete and harmonise the job architecture.

Typically 9–18 months

Define the evaluation logic, build job architecture and grading.