Step by Step Guide to Running the Generic Demo
Introduction
The best way to evaluate a software system is to actually use it for a
while. Unfortunately you can't evaluate Schedule Builder by scheduling your own
people until we set up an application database that defines your
employees, shifts, assignments and practices. So as a first step we offer a generic Schedule Builder Demo
Application that prospective users can download, install and run for on
their own for the purpose of evaluating Schedule
Builder Release 3.
Our demo is a fully functional application that you run on the same
software as an end user application. The demo database is loaded with
employees, assignments, shift definitions, etc. of a fictitious
organization. The assignments are generic, defined to be easily
understood and related to your particular organization's own job assignments
and your scheduling practices in general.
Running our demo application you are able to actually create, save, edit and
analyze schedules for the fictitious organization. In the process you
should gain
an understanding of how the software could work for you.
- The Generic Demo database includes definitions of 130+ employees
working in six different scheduling units.
- The employees are divided among six scheduling units.
There are four "production" units which have requirements for two levels
of technicians plus a lead person and operate seven days a week during
both the day and evening shifts.
A fifth production unit covers the overnight shift seven days a week.
The coverage requirements for the night shift vary based on an external
dataset specifying "Orders on Hand", so it serves as a model for census
driven hospital units and a variety of similar needs.
The sixth scheduling unit is an administration group; it is staffed
only on weekdays and only during the day. This is a very simple and
straightforward example and thus very easy to follow and experiment with.
- The Generic Demo application is based on a four week scheduling period. When you
first open the demo database you will find completed and published
schedules for two of those four week periods,
and partially completed schedules for a third. You will also see a few entries
prescheduled if you look out into future periods. The demo is fully
functional, you may edit the existing schedules complete the partial schedules, and
or create entire new schedules
for up to a year in the future.
- Running the Generic Demo you have the ability to "Log ON"
using any of
seven User IDs, each with different authority for viewing and
editing.
Three of those User IDs are the principle schedulers for
this organization. The others User IDs include the backup scheduler's,
management and an anonymous "Guest" user ID which is set up to allow anyone
in the organization to have restricted View Only access to published
schedules. Because it s a demo application
you can click on the [?] button of the Log On screen and see a list of all
User IDs and their passwords.
The different sections of this Step by Step Guide contain detailed descriptions for how
the three principle schedulers use Schedule Builder to accomplish various
tasks in different ways.
Section 1 takes you through the process
of drafting a new schedule and adjusting assignment coverage levels
"manually", but with the help of a few tools you are not likely to find in
other scheduling products.
Section 2 then takes you through
completion of that schedule using three successively more automated
"Leveling" controls to make your coverage adjustments. In the process
you will add a second scheduling group to the Worksheet and learn how cross
qualified employees are shared. Section 3
drafts and completes a schedule for two other scheduling groups using the
full power of Schedule Builder's automation capabilities. This
literally requires only a few mouse clicks on your part to accomplish.
Section 4 illustrates how a central
scheduling office takes draft schedules prepared by unit supervisors and
produces a facility wide final schedule, using authority for sharing
cross qualified employees that the individual supervisors are not granted.
Section 5 illustrates how Schedule
Builder handles scheduling in groups with census driven (or any external
data driven) coverage requirements. It also illustrates the use of
limited self scheduling and availability codes. Part time and casual
employees have individual User IDs to log on to the system and indicate
when they can (or want to) work. The scheduler then uses automated
Leveling Controls to fill out schedules using their availability to meet
the census driven needs.
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