Work schedule management is indispensable in a business. Meticulous scheduling is even more important if you have to manage numerous teams and/or employees spread across different sites.
Without a suitable tool, scheduling the work of teams can quickly become a real headache, both for operations managers and HR managers. Employee scheduling software is a valuable asset for smooth project management.
Let’s find out together how Ressource Planning™, the employee scheduling software tool designed for mobile teams, can assist you in your work.
Scheduling management, a key business issue
Managing work schedules is a crucial component of project management. Effective and efficient allocation of resources enables smooth running of workflows.
Good scheduling is defined as “the right person, in the right place, at the right time“. Although the concept may seem simple, it is often not the case in practice.
Constraint-based scheduling, taking into account the availability and skills of each person, task management, identifying the needs of each project… professional scheduling of human resources is as complex as it is essential.
This is why more and more companies are turning to workforce scheduling software. These management tools integrate into your systems to facilitate team scheduling, streamline workflows and increase productivity.
Over time, employee scheduling software has become an indispensable tool for HR and operational teams.
How to best manage team scheduling
To implement a robust employee scheduling process for your teams, there is only one solution: meticulous organization. Prior to allocating work, each person’s availability must be checked. Nothing must be missed here: approved leave requests, training days, medical appointments, compulsory rest periods…
The first key to succeeding in workforce scheduling is to understand that scheduling work hours is inextricably linked to absence planning. You need to have a clear overview of the availability of each employee.
Task management is another vital element in team scheduling. Accurate organization of tasks in the correct time and place enables the requirements of each project to be identified in terms of the workforce and skills.
All you need to do is open the Ressource Planning™ tool to see team absences or availability, the requirements of each project and to allocate employees to each of your projects in just a few clicks.
The last step is to communicate the schedule to all teams.
Workforce scheduling in 4 steps
To create team schedules, 4 distinct steps are required:
- Create or have access to a consolidated schedule of absence and leave, in order to have a clear overview of staff availability
- Input the staffing needs of each project, taking into account the skills required for the work to be undertaken
- Allocate available teams to the various projects, taking into account all requirements
- Communicate the final schedules to the different teams in a timely manner
To support you throughout this process, there are now customized digital tools available such as the employee scheduling software tool Ressource Planning™
Employee scheduling software, an indispensable tool for companies
Employee scheduling software enables efficient and effective management of staff work schedules throughout the project. It is particularly useful for organizations with a high number of employees, working across different sites. The construction sector, which employs a wide variety of workers across different sites, is a good example of this complexity.
Scheduling software enables work hours to be planned, staff leave and absence to be tracked, labor needs to be established, teams to be allocated… and therefore guarantees smooth project management.
Implementing scheduling software above all enables employee scheduling management to be centralized within a single tool. Digital solutions make the information accessible for everyone, at any time.
Digital scheduling management tools, such as Traxxeo, also enable constraint-based scheduling, as well as other time-saving functionalities for the teams in charge of scheduling.
Why choose employee scheduling software? The advantages of going digital
From Excel spreadsheets to Gantt charts and even Google calendar, there are many scheduling management solutions. For professional management, however, using a software tool such as Ressource planning™ offers a number of advantages.
1. See your teams’ schedules at any time
With Traxxeo’s Ressource Planning™, you gain a global view of your teams’ schedules. You can see your employees’ schedules by day, week, month… and organize it in detail.
Whether you prefer to work on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule, the tool can be adapted to your preferences in a click. The various calendar views enable optimal usage in order to simplify the management of resources.
2. Organize and allocate work to your staff
Thanks to these advanced functionalities, Ressource planning™ also enables you to see the requirements of each project, or point of interest (site, maintenance location…).
The dedicated view enables you to plan generic events, according to project requirements. You can then specify the requirement for a worker with particular skills for a given period.
The allocation of staff according to their availability can then be done at a later stage. This allows for greater flexibility in the distribution of teams, while ensuring optimal scheduling and project management.
3. Create constraint-based scheduling smoothly
Without a suitable tool, constraint-based scheduling can soon resemble a mathematical puzzle.
However, within the human resources sphere, constraints are omnipresent: production limit of teams, compensatory rest, mandatory phases… it is vital to take these constraints into account from the start, in order to avoid an unpleasant surprise further down the line.
With the Ressource planning™ software tool, you can easily plan schedules within the relevant constraints which comply with your HR management rules. Learning to use the software is quick and intuitive, thanks to an interface designed with the user in mind.
4. Compare the scheduled to the actual
Managing human resources is not an exact science: between the scheduled and actual work, there will always be a gap, to a greater or lesser extent.
This is entirely normal: our work days will always have unforeseen events, and employee productivity varies constantly.
However, it is important to closely monitor this gap. A significant difference between the planned and achieved work could indicate a major problem. On sites, for example, it is useful to be able to monitor progress regularly in order to take remedial action as soon as possible.
Thanks to digital work time monitoring solutions, it is now possible to closely monitor employees’ work time, even when they are mobile (site or maintenance workers, etc.). A time tracking system such as Digital Timesheets™ enables sophisticated time and activity management and real-time monitoring of work time submissions.
You are thus able to compare the planned work against the actual work undertaken in just a few clicks, thanks to clear interfaces and dashboards, in order to address any gaps without delay. Good reactivity in project management enables optimal operation of workflows, in order to maintain control over your projects.
5. Have access to absence planning to ensure error-free payroll
Good project management also relies on up-to-date absence planning. There is nothing worse than scheduling a worker but to then realize they will be absent on that date.
The same goes for payroll management: when the worked hours are transferred to payroll systems, it is vital to be able to explain any attendance absence for a worker. Were they in training? On authorized absence? This will inevitably have an impact on their pay.
Too often, the reason for absence is not communicated to payroll managers in time. This results in the wrong pay, which generates discontent of the worker and a tense atmosphere among teams.
Ressource planning™ enables you to monitor planned and unauthorized absence, in order to ensure correct pay for everyone.
How to choose employee scheduling software
Whatever your company’s size and sector, there are now specialized scheduling tools available. Free tools are generally used by small organizations or even individuals. Among the paid-for tools, not all offer the same functionalities.
It is vital to choose employee scheduling software that meets your needs. These needs will depend on the size of your company, your business sector, as well as the size and complexity of the projects and teams to be managed.
Finally, the technological skills of your teams must also be taken into account. It is crucial that the selected tool is easy to use for the intended users – otherwise it will not be well received at the outset.
In summary, choose software that is:
- Suitable for your business sector
- Easy to use
- Configurable according to your requirements
- Suitable for your company size
Traxxeo, your scheduling software for sites and maintenance
Traxxeo is a platform for managing mobile resources. It is designed for use in sectors such as construction, energy, maintenance, etc. Its Ressource planning™ solution is the ideal partner for scheduling field teams on sites and maintenance projects.
Its strength: a high-performance platform, made accessible for everyone thanks to its easy-to-use interface. An indispensable asset for operations managers who manage mobile staff.
Simplify your team scheduling management
