2023 Autumn Community Conference (Virtual)

Measures of Success for Scheduling

Scheduling is much more than creating shifts and therefore the success criteria for shift design is much more than schedule fit. This module will explore the key responsibilities of a scheduler and how a holistic view is required to set measures of success. Learning outcomes include:
 - What does good look like? Understand the importance of scheduling and the key responsibilities, including key characteristics of good and bad schedules.
 - Define your purpose. Understand how schedules support your business strategy and its importance to customer and employee satisfaction
 - Schedule fit & other measures. Introduction to different ways of measuring scheduling fit and how these can be incorporated into a more holistic framework of success measures.

Introduction to Scheduling (with lessons from the best in class)

This module provides an introductory understanding of:
 - the fundamental inputs and outputs of the scheduling processes.
 - the role of scheduling within the planning cycle 
 - the characteristics of best in class scheduling teams as evidenced through The Forum's standards benchmarking programme

How to drive engagement though shift review

Shift reviews deliver many benefits to many areas of the business
 - Performance - Improved customer experience
 - Attrition, Absence - Reduced stress of busy peaks and boredom of quiet times
 - Employee Engagement - Flexibility to meet lifestyles of your teams

Understand the key principles which will drive engagement across your organisation, face the fear of shift patterns and bring a united, collaborative approach to making change possible

Intro to Advanced Vol & Flex Balancing Mathematics

Understand the benefits of taking a more in-depth view into the volatility of your supply and demand, and flexibility requirements.
 - Understand the value of further analysis.
 - Learn analysis techniques to measure variance
 - Translate this into a practical output for flexibility

Advanced Vol & Flex Balancing Strategies

Develop your flexibility offering with deeper analysis of your supply and demand, driving a workforce strategy.
 - Understand the scale of volatility
 - Engage your stakeholders with advanced analysis
 - Use this to drive decisions and develop a workforce strategy

Understanding the Flexibility Toolkit

Once you have determined the volatility of your volumes you can start to think of ways to manage this through scheduling. The flexibility toolkit contains 18 options that you can use in your business. Learning outcomes include:
 - What are the flexibility options and which can be combined? 
 - Pros and cons of each method and case study examples of how they’ve been implemented.
 - Understanding how different tool kit options can be used strategically and tactical

The Strategy Pyramid

Before setting targets and goals it is important that these are aligned to strategies that support your organisational goals. In this module;
 - Understand your organisational goals
 - See how to balance your strategies
 - Learn how to align the right metrics and targets to your strategies

Intro to The Planning Cycle

Learn the role planning plays in implementing your strategic objectives.  Understand the importance of your role and how you can help others.
 - Understand how the strategic objective is implemented into a forecasting, scheduling and real-time plan.
 - Learn about the importance of effective data checkpoints, change governance and hand-overs
 - Play a part in driving continuous improvement and become the nerve-centre of the business

Understanding your Volatility & Flexibility

The basis of a best practice scheduling strategy is a clear understanding of the volatility of workload and the amount of flexibility to need and can afford.  This module introduces you to theoretical models and calculations to understand your flexibility need.  Learning outcomes include:
 - What does volatility & flexibility mean and the importance of defining these for your business.
 - How to calculate the volatility of demand and amount of flexibility available
 - Understanding different flexibility needs based on different starting positions, e.g. annually and daily, compared to average, compared to budget

Planning For Wellbeing

This module introduces the broader concept of planning for wellbeing and ways to support your colleagues. Understanding these key considerations will help you to create a workforce strategy with wellbeing at the heart. 
 - What is wellbeing and why this is important?
 - The 5-key steps for wellbeing
 - Our responsibility as Planners to ensure we support wellbeing

Predictability of Events

A chance to practice assessing the predictability of events through a classic exercise from The Forum to help you hone your skills in forecasting ad hoc events.

Scheduling & Flexibility Toolkit

One you have determined the volatility of your volumes you can start to think of ways to manage this through scheduling. The flexibility toolkit contains 18 options that you can use in your business. Learning outcomes include:
 - What are the flexibility options and which can be combined? 
 - Pros and cons of each method and case study examples of how they’ve been implemented.
 - Understanding how different tool kit options can be used strategically and tactical

Workforce Strategy

Your workforce strategy delivers your strategic objectives, however this too often is an afterthought after budgets have been agreed. This module explores the importance of a fully costed operating model.

 - Linking the shifts that are worked to the business strategy
 - Benchmark your current approach against the maturity model
 - Have clear next steps to improve your workforce strategy