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Planning task

Workforce scheduling that meets demand and rules.

Workforce scheduling decides who works which shift, when and where. Optimized means: the plan covers demand in 15-minute steps, keeps working time law, contracts and skills, and shares wishes and unpopular shifts fairly.

Free first call See the use cases

Rules in the model

What the plan keeps, without anyone checking by hand.

DemandDemand curves in 15-minute steps, morning and evening peaks, minimum staffing.

Working timeMaximum hours, breaks, rest periods and consecutive days under working time law and collective agreements.

SkillsRoles, inductions, the share of qualified staff and who can work with whom.

ContractsFull time, part time and mini jobs with their target hours, leave and absences.

FairnessNight shifts, weekends and days off shared fairly, visible to everyone.

From practice

One project, as it actually went.

Project example

Workforce scheduling for childcare centres

Childcare Center Desktop, Australia: software for childcare centres

Task: Rosters in 15-minute steps instead of coarse shifts, with staff ratios, qualifications and short-notice absences.
Collaboration: Three months in two-week sprints, with the customer’s managing director and technical contact.
Result: A planning solution of its own, built into the customer’s existing platform.

Use case as PDF (2 pages)

Typical fields

Logistics centres and parcel services
Healthcare and care homes
Airports and passenger transport
Security services
Hotels and restaurants
Leisure parks, pools and climbing halls

Use cases

Seeing is believing.

Every case plays in your browser: the plan in time-lapse, with KPIs and the comparison to the usual way of planning.

Parcel hub · dock scheduling

Overnight trucks, 12 doors, a sorter for 6,000 parcels per hour and 78 van bays. The morning delivery wave has to leave on time.

Workforce and shiftsWarehousing, terminals and allocation

Shift rostering · 3-shift production

A month of early, late and night shifts with skills, contracts, vacation, rest rules and wishes. Every shift is covered and the work is shared fairly.

Workforce and shifts

Home care · tours and continuity of care

A home care service with 42 clients and 14 carers. One week of tours with morning and evening peaks, split shifts, six pool cars and few different carers per client.

Workforce and shiftsRouting and field service

Staff scheduling by demand · warehouse

54 people, four areas, one day. Shifts start on the quarter hour and follow the forecast workload in goods-in, picking, packing and dispatch.

Workforce and shifts

Operating rooms · weekly scheduling

Eight operating rooms, six specialties, a waiting list of 146 patients, a recovery room and ICU beds. The week is planned ahead and re-planned when emergencies arrive.

Workforce and shiftsWarehousing, terminals and allocation

Call centre · flexible staff scheduling

34 agents and a flex pool on four queues, 20 desks and home office, calls per quarter hour. The staffing follows the forecast, and the plan reacts to an outage and sick calls.

Workforce and shifts

All use cases

Approach

From the first call to value in operation.

Stage 1Clarify
1. UnderstandGoals, terms, rules, data, bottlenecksEntry: Planning Snapshot, Assessment or Strategy
2. AssessPotential, business case, feasibility, risks
DecisionIs it worth it?
Stage 2Build
1. DesignPlanning model, rules, data, interfacesEntry: training or model review
2. PilotReal scenarios, value proven before much is invested
3. Roll outIntegration, training, go-live
DecisionDoes the pilot deliver what it promised?
Stage 3Run
1. StabiliseAccompany the first real planning rounds, sharpen the rulesEntry: support after go-live
2. ImproveWatch the KPIs, take in new requirements
CycleWhen operations change, we adapt the rules and the plan.

Entry points and decisions in detail

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Does this replace our rostering software?

Not necessarily. The optimization can be built into your existing software, or it can propose rosters that your team checks and releases there.

What happens when someone calls in sick?

The plan is recalculated from that moment. Changes for everyone else are kept as small as possible.

Are works agreements taken into account?

Yes. Works agreements and working time rules are hard rules in the model. A plan that breaks them is never issued.

The first step

Where does your planning lose time, capacity or money?

In a free first call we work out which next step is really worth it.

Free first call aware@optazen.com