System and method of schedule optimization for long-range staff planning

1. A system of determining long-range staff planning, comprising:

a database comprising data representing one or more employees and one or more sites;

a computer coupled with the database and comprising one or more processors and one or more memory units to execute instructions to:

determine a baseline measurement of labor demand over a time period of the one or more employees at the one or more sites;

modify the baseline measurement of the labor demand over the time period based on one or more constraints that allow the one or more employees to work additional roles at the one or more sites and including one or more simulated employees that represent potentially hired employees;

determine working times and job assignments for the one or more employees and the one or more simulated employees based on the modified baseline measurement of the labor demand;

identify one or more cross-training suggestions for the one or more sites by selecting at least one cross-training suggestions of the one or more cross-training suggestions that minimize penalties associated with the working times and the job assignments for the one or more employees and the one or more simulated employees; and

store the determined working times and job assignments in the database for the one or more employees at the one or more sites; and

one or more mobile communication devices, wherein at least one of the one or more mobile communication devices is associated with an employee of the one or more employees identified in the at least one cross-training suggestion, and the at least one of the one or more mobile communication devices associated with the employee of the one or more employees identified in the at least one cross-training suggestion receives a query comprising a request to retrain for the role identified in the at least one cross-training suggestion.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the computer further executes instructions to:

identify one or more hiring suggestions for the one or more sites by selecting at least one hiring suggestion of the one or more hiring suggestions that minimize penalties associated with the working times and the job assignments for the one or more employees and the one or more simulated employees.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one cross-training suggestion comprises a role that requires additional coverage in the long-range staff plan and one or more employees who are assigned a job which indicates that the one or more employees may be cross-trained in the role that requires additional coverage.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the at least one hiring suggestion comprises a job based on the one or more simulated employees, a starting availability, a minimally required schedule, and a shift strategy.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the computer further executes instructions to:

display, on a display associated with the computer, the at least one hiring suggestion and the at least one cross-training suggestion in an order of priority, wherein the highest priority is associated with a lowest calculated penalty.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the computer automatically updates the long-range staff plan based, at least in part, on receiving confirmation from the at least one or more mobile communication devices that the employee will retrain for the role indicated in the query.

7. A computer-implemented method of determining a long-range staff plan, comprising:

determining, by a computer coupled with a database, the computer comprising one or more processors and one or more memory units, and the database comprising data representing one or more employees and one or more sites, a baseline measurement of labor demand over a time period of the one or more employees at the one or more sites;

modifying, by the computer, the baseline measurement of the labor demand over the time period based on one or more constraints that allow the one or more employees to work additional roles at the one or more sites and including one or more simulated employees that represent potentially hired employees;

determining, by the computer, working times and job assignments for the one or more employees and the one or more simulated employees based on the modified baseline measurement of the labor demand;

identifying, by the computer, one or more cross-training suggestions for the one or more sites by selecting at least one cross-training suggestions of the one or more cross-training suggestions that minimize penalties associated with the working times and the job assignments for the one or more employees and the one or more simulated employees;

storing, by the computer, the determined working times and job assignments in the database for the one or more employees at the one or more sites;

receiving, by one or more mobile communication devices, wherein at least one of the one or more mobile communication devices is associated with an employee of the one or more employees identified in the at least one cross-training suggestion, and the at least one of the one or more mobile communication devices associated with the employee of the one or more employees identified in the at least one cross-training suggestion, a query comprising a request to retrain for the role identified in the at least one cross-training suggestion.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:

identifying, by the computer, one or more hiring suggestions for the one or more sites by selecting at least one hiring suggestion of the one or more hiring suggestions that minimize the calculated penalties associated with the working times and the job assignments for the one or more employees and the one or more simulated employees.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the at least one cross-training suggestion comprises a role that requires additional coverage in the long-range staff plan and one or more employees who are assigned a job which indicates that the one or more employees may be cross-trained in the role that requires additional coverage.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one hiring suggestion comprises a job based on the one or more simulated employees, a starting availability, a minimally required schedule, and a shift strategy.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

displaying, on a display associated with the computer, the at least one hiring suggestion and the at least one cross-training suggestion in an order of priority, wherein the highest priority is associated with a lowest calculated penalty.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

automatically updating, by the computer, the long-range staff plan based, at least in part, on receiving confirmation from the at least one or more mobile communication devices that the employee will retrain for the role indicated in the query.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising software, the software when executed configured to:

determine a baseline measurement of labor demand over a time period of one or more employees at one or more sites;

modify the baseline measurement of the labor demand over the time period based on one or more constraints that allow the one or more employees to work additional roles at the one or more sites and including one or more simulated employees that represent potentially hired employees;

determine working times and job assignments for the one or more employees and the one or more simulated employees based on the modified baseline measurement of the labor demand;

identify one or more cross-training suggestions for the one or more sites by selecting at least one cross-training suggestions of the one or more cross-training suggestions that minimize penalties associated with the working times and the job assignments for the one or more employees and the one or more simulated employees;

store the determined working times and job assignments in a database for the one or more employees at the one or more sites; and

receive, by one or more mobile communication devices, wherein at least one of the one or more mobile communication devices is associated with an employee of the one or more employees identified in the at least one cross-training suggestion, and the at least one of the one or more mobile communication devices associated with the employee of the one or more employees identified in the at least one cross-training suggestion, a query comprising a request to retrain for the role identified in the at least one cross-training suggestion.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the software is further configured to:

identify one or more hiring suggestions for the one or more sites by selecting at least one hiring suggestion of the one or more hiring suggestions that minimize penalties associated with the working times and the job assignments for the one or more employees and the one or more simulated employees.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the at least one cross-training suggestion comprises a role that requires additional coverage in the long-range staff plan and one or more employees who are assigned a job which indicates that the one or more employees may be cross-trained in the role that requires additional coverage.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the at least one hiring suggestion comprises a job based on the one or more simulated employees, a starting availability, a minimally required schedule, and a shift strategy.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the software is further configured to:

display, on a display associated with the computer, the at least one hiring suggestion and the at least one cross-training suggestion in an order of priority, wherein the highest priority is associated with a lowest calculated penalty.