Transcript Part-Time Campus Scheduling Software

Part-Time Campus
Scheduling Software
Nick Confer
Ryan Kenkel
Chris Hirstein
Dan Roth
Jeremy 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.
Literature Review:
Other Campus Scheduling Methods
• 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
• 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