SCHEDULE/PLAN - SOFTWARE FOR DESIGNING EMPLOYEES' WORK SCHEDULES USING LOW COST MICROCOMPUTERS AND PROGRAMMABLE CALCULATORS

• NCJ Number: 60696
• Author(s): A D GILL; N B HELLER; R A KOLDE; W W STENZEL
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 36 pages
• Corporate Author: Institute for Public Program Analysis
• Sale Source: Institute for Public Program Analysis; National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE HANDBOOK SHOWS HOW TO SCHEDULE WORK OF EMPLOYEES IN SERVICES THAT OPERATE MORE THAN 8 HOURS A DAY OR 5 DAYS PER WEEK BY USING PROGRAMMABLE CALCULATORS OR MICROCOMPUTERS.

Abstract

THE DEVELOPMENT OF INEXPENSIVE MICROPROCESSORS HAS MADE POSSIBLE THE APPLICATION OF COMPUTER TECHNIQUES TO COMPLEX WORK SCHEDULES AT A COMPARATIVELY LOW COST TO EMPLOYERS. EXTENDED-HOUR SERVICES INCLUDE PUBLIC AGENCIES SUCH AS POLICE, UTILITIES, AND LIBRARIES, AS WELL AS PRIVATE CONCERNS WHOSE WORKLOAD IS SUBJECT TO CYCLICAL VARIATIONS. THESE EMPLOYERS HAVE SCHEDULING PROBLEMS WHICH AFFECT THEIR OPERATING COSTS, PRODUCTIVITY, MORALE, AND QUALITY OF SERVICES. MANY ORGANIZATIONS CONTINUE TO USE INAPPROPRIATE SCHEDULING METHODS BECAUSE THEY ARE UNAWARE THAT ALTERNATIVE PROCEDURES EXIST OR ARE RELUCTANT TO TRY A NEW APPROACH. MOST EXTENDED-HOUR SERVICES USE ONE OR MORE OF THREE BASIC TYPES OF WORK SCHEDULES: FIXED BRACKET, IN WHICH THE EMPLOYEE HAS THE SAME DAYS OFF EACH WEEK; DUTY CYCLE, IN WHICH EACH EMPLOYEE FOLLOWS THE SAME PATTERN OF ROTATING SHIFTS; AND PROPORTIONAL ROTATING, WHICH ALLOWS AN EMPLOYEE TO WORK A SERIES OF 1-WEEK SCHEDULES. FIGURES ARE USED TO ILLUSTRATE THESE TYPES OF SCHEDULES. THE HANDBOOK DESCRIBES THE SOFTWARE EQUIPMENT AND PROGRAMS THAT CAN BE USED TO ANALYZE STAFFING REQUIREMENTS AND TO DESIGN BOTH FIXED-BRACKET AND DUTY-CYCLE WORK SCHEDULES. OTHER RESOURSES AVAILABLE FROM THE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC PLANNING ANALYSIS (TIPPA) ARE LISTED INCLUDING A HANDBOOK OF MANUAL METHODS USED IN CONSTRUCTING WORK SCHEDULES. OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE FROM THE INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC PLANNING ANALYSIS (TIPPA) ARE LISTED, INCLUDING A HANDBOOK OF METHODS USED IN CONSTRUCTING WORK SCHEDULES AND TRAINING SEMINARS. TIPPA IS ALSO DEVELOPING AND TESTING A SYSTEM THAT WILL ALLOW POLICE DEPARTMENTS TO USE SIMILAR TECHNIQUES TO COMPILE DATA ON FIELD OPERATIONS FOR PLANNING PURPOSES. A SAMPLE MICROCOMPUTER RUN OF A FIXED BRACKET SCHEDULE PROGRAM AND A SAMPLE PRINTOUT FROM A CALCULATOR VERSION WORK SCHEDULE ARE GIVEN IN THE APPENDIXES. (MJM)