Labor Forecasting and Schedule Optimization

Dash Execution Service Upgrade

Workbrain's Dash Execution service, which is responsible for Schedule Optimization functionality, has been enhanced to simplify new installations (and upgrades) by providing choices that are clear and tightly-limited, eliminating common problems and maintenance issues, and reducing customization effort.

Some enhancements include:

  • Automatic Mosel upgrades, which transmit and compile the latest MOS files on each Dash server for every schedule generation request, regardless of platform or Workbrain version (4.1 or 5.0).
  • Platform independence, where multiple customized-per-operating-system invocation scripts have been replaced by a single, platform-independent JAR file.
  • Dash and Workbrain version support. The Dash version is now configured as a parameter in the dashhost.properties file, Workbrain selects the correct MOS versions to upload to the Dash server, and the new JAR (wbscheduleoptimizer.jar) file supports all Dash versions.
  • Dash exception reporting and troubleshooting. Detailed messages for most exceptions occurring during the optimization process are now transferred back to the application server and can be seen from within the Workbrain application and the associated log files. Dash exceptions and Workbrain exceptions that occur on the Dash server are also logged to separate log files, one for each schedule generation request.
  • ScheduleOptimizerBroker, the new Dash Execution service, uses a generic communication class (ScheduleOptimizerBroker) whether your installation is configured with a single server, remote UNIX server(s), or remote Windows server(s).

LFSO Scheduling Enhancements

The application has undergone the following series of usability enhancements to scheduling functionality:

  • Shift editing enhancements
  • Shift copy enhancements (Intraday and Weekly Schedule views)
  • Intraday usability enhancements
  • Shift offset functionality extension
  • Forecast calculator interface enhancement

New LFSO Intraday Schedule Editor

The LFSO Intraday Schedule Editor was re-design and re-written to improve its usability, performance, and scalability. The old Intraday was a pop-up screen that couldn’t be resized and didn’t print properly on black and white printers. The new Intraday overcomes these challenges and adds several new features designed to make schedule editing quick, easy and intuitive. These new features include:

  • A zoom tool that allows users to zoom into view only a few hours of the day or zoom out to view several days in succession.
  • Group the schedule by department, job or employee plus the schedule can be ungrouped. Coverage data by interval is displayed for each grouping (e.g., department or job coverage).
  • Filter the schedule by certain departments, jobs, activities or employees.
  • Sort schedule by clicking on the columns.
  • Display or hide unassigned shifts, fixed shifts, paid and unpaid shifts.

Clients are strongly encouraged to use the new Intraday at the first opportunity.