Rostering: Delighting operators with a smooth bid
Series note: A transit scheduler’s work can be complex, involving a certain level of personal creativity paired with an analytical mind. Transit software helps schedulers see the big picture while tackling the intricacies of a transit system. This series outlines the key pieces of the transit scheduling process and how Remix Scheduling addresses each. The first story of our series will begin with the end of the process, rostering: taking daily crew schedules and assembling them into biddable work.
Making any transit service changes, large or small, likely requires changes to the transit schedule. Rostering is the final step of the scheduling process, where daily runs are combined. The outputs of this process, rosters, are eventually presented to operators for bidding before the new transit service can begin.
The Challenge
Rosters can often be a cause for friction between operators and administrators. Many reasons may exist, but it often boils down to differences of opinion on desired outcomes. For example, to maximize efficiency, the finance department might want to adopt a set of rosters with the least overtime. Some operators might want four ten-hour shifts, while others might want to keep their sign-on times throughout the week as consistent as possible. Schedulers managing this process must consider these tradeoffs while prioritizing operator-friendly shifts. Creating efficient, yet oppressively demanding rosters has the potential to increase operator turnover, which already is a challenge throughout the industry.
Visual communication is key
We believe that communicating rosters and the scheduler’s intent shouldn’t be difficult. Rosters are often an operator’s first glimpse into the competing goals of the scheduling process. Similarly, schedulers who have not been operators themselves may have a difficult time conceptualizing their pains. By transforming the user interface, we believe operators can better understand a scheduler’s intent and schedulers can more easily visualize the operator’s perspective, leading to a smoother bid process.
Here’s how it works:
Remix Scheduling is designed to be easy to understand for the new and the experienced scheduler. This design thinking carries across the platform from blocking to runcutting, and now into the rostering user interface.
- Seamlessly take inputs from your runcut: After you’ve completed your blocking (vehicles) and runcut (labor), go ahead and roster. Your previous work in Remix Scheduling sets the foundation for the rostering process.
2. Adjust your settings: After taking a look at your roster, evaluate the outputs and adjust the settings to generate something different.
3. Review, adjust, and you’re ready: Using the rostering interface, you can quickly visualize a summary of each roster and quickly move pieces of work to balance your operator needs.
Describe the big picture, dive into details
Sharing complex processes requires the ability to think and speak at different altitudes, scheduling is the final step in the implementation of a bigger vision. Yet, it’s the specifics that make or break the process.
Remix Scheduling is unique by providing a schedule summary, conveying the vision, while enabling a user to select a specific pieces of work to understand details. Communicating rosters requires a balance of describing the big picture while being able to examine the details deeply.
Next: Runcutting: why exploring every option leads to a better outcome.
In the next post, we’ll discuss the runcutting process in more detail and share tips that could lead to a better outcome.
Want to learn more about Remix Scheduling?
Visit us at www.remix.com
