Part-Time CampusScheduling Software

Nick ConferRyan KenkelChris HirsteinDan RothJeremy Cook

Introduction

• Why do businesses need automated scheduling software?

– Scheduling a large amount of employees at once can be a time consuming and difficult task.

– Scheduling by hand can produce errors that scheduling programs would omit.

Capstone Client (IAT Services)• Quick Facts

– Over 100 Employees

– All sites part-time employees are students.

– Students typically have scheduling problems because of classes, social events, etc.

– The Computing Sites is a multi-location work environment that employees students in multiple positions

– The Computing Sites already has an online scheduling management system that handles timesheets, clock in/out and unclaimed shifts called the Computing Sites Information System (CSIS).

Capstone Client (IAT Services)• Why do they need automated scheduling software?

– Scheduling over 100 student employees through a Paper/Excel based system is time consuming and has created several scheduling errors in the past

– The process takes so much time and effort that the computing sites has had to hire a Scheduler Coordinator Support just to schedule other students employees in the past.

– Current scheduling method does not account for things such as seniority and work performance.

Availability Submitted in Sharepoint

Survey Data Dumped to Excel File

Excel Data is Organized for Easier Use and Schedule is Created.

Literature Review: Application Design & Functionality

• Has been shift in the focus of what the user would like to find on the site to what the owner would like to display

• Users are more concerned with web site attractiveness than functionality

• Have to be able to grab users attention before they will even begin using the features of the web site

• More and more designers today are incorporating user feedback within their site to further development

Literature Review: Other Campus Scheduling Methods

• Information Technology Service (ITS) at Grinnell College in Iowa– Gather all employees for long meeting

where everyone is scheduled on an overhead

– Has not put together automated scheduling system

– After schedule is created however, they have an online system to:

• Manage timesheet and clock in/out• Get list of sub requests for shifts• Get news on ongoing events

Literature Review: Other Campus Scheduling Methods• University of Wyoming Computing Labs

– Went from paper scheduling, to an Excel/Pagemaker scheduling system

– Built an online ASP/Access scheduling management system for after schedule was created.

– College found commercial product called ScheduleSource, which also handled automated scheduling.

– Scheduling employees now takes significantly less time and money.

• Texas A&M University’s department of Computing & Information Services (CIS)

– Built in house automated scheduling software.

• Employees can specify max and min hours, which days they’d like to work, and which shifts they prefer through a high, medium, low ranking system.

• Online management system for after schedule is created to handle timesheets, clock in/out, unclaimed shifts, etc.

Literature Review: Other Campus Scheduling Methods

Literature Review: Other Campus Scheduling Methods

• Texas A&M University’s department of Computing & Information Services (CIS)

Literature Review: Genetic Algorithms

• Used to create schedules for nursing staff.

• Based on hard and soft constraints

• Hard constraints (ex. Working 40hrs max)

• Soft constraints (ex. Preferred days off)

Capstone Scheduling System (Goals)

• Web-based hassle-free availability submission

• Error checking built into every step of the availability and scheduling process

• Factors in seniority, work performance and early submission to give scheduling edges.

• Automatically creates schedule based on employee availability and shifts that need to be filled (set up by scheduler in system).

• Integrate Schedule into CSIS• Integrate login with the Kerbos Server.

Project Constraints• Different employee positions have

different minimum hour requirements and prevent some employees from being scheduled for certain types of shifts.

• System must be easy to use to reduce training time for large part-time employee staff and scheduler.

• Must be compatible with the CSIS scheduling management system and its constraints.

Development of Software• PHP

• ADOdb Database Abstraction Library for PHP

– Build with Oracle Database

– Use some existing data views from IATS CSIS data

– Switch databases with ease using the ADOdb

• Bengal Webspace