TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Preamble
• When to Auto staff
• Common staffing processes
  • Process A
  • Process B
  • Process C
• How to use Staff allocations > Autostaff
• What affects auto staff
  • Teacher Settings
  • Staffing Weights
  • Options
• Analysing auto staff results
  • What to look for
  • What to do
• How to use auto staff during/post construction
  • Magic squares
• Clear Staffing

Preamble

Before timetable construction in the Master grid, ensure all classes can be staffed with the right types of teachers. Auto staff automatically assigns teachers based on data in Teacher data,  Subject teachers and Class data screens, so these must be accurate. This document explains how to use the Auto staff feature.

When to Auto staff

Auto staff can be performed:

1. Prior to timetable construction via Staff allocations > Auto staff

• When performed as part of Ctrl-Q checks, it is also known as 'sample staffing'. This checks that all classes can be staffed, and is required to reach the 'Champagne stage', but it is not necessarily the final allocation.
• Helps assess staff loads, skill sets, class structures and identifies areas of too much or not enough teachers. 
• However, without actually constructing a timetable, it is impossible to determine where there may be timetabling issues and therefore what the final workable staffing solution will be.

2. During/post timetable construction via Master grid > Staffing

• The auto staff function in the Master grid will staff classes already timetabled, as well as any classes that are not yet timetabled.

NOTE
Sample staffing requires a cleared timetable, i.e. no classes in the Master grid, except hard-coded classes.

Common staffing processes

Staffing can be done:

1. Manually in Teachers > Staff Allocations, or, less preferred, in the Classes > Class data screens.
2. Automatically via Teachers > Staff Allocations > Action: Auto staff classes (sample staffing).
3. Using a mix of both.

Process A

1. Run auto staff before timetable construction to confirm there are enough appropriately qualified staff for all classes.
2. Retain the sample staffing result and begin timetabling.
3. Build the timetable, use 'Allow staffing changes' if issues arise. Alternatively, analyse issues, make manual staffing changes and continue with construction.

Process B

1. Run auto staff before timetable construction to confirm there are enough appropriately qualified staff for all classes.
2. Make manual changes in Teachers > Staff allocations to better suit teacher capabilities.
3. Build the timetable, use 'Allow staffing changes' if issues arise. Alternatively, analyse issues, make manual staffing changes and continue with construction.

Process C

1. Run auto staff before timetable construction to confirm there are enough appropriately qualified staff for all classes.
2. Clear all staffing once assured there are enough staff.
3. Construct the timetable, using the Auto staff function in the Master grid.
4. Use the 'Allow staffing changes' feature if issues arise. Alternatively, analyse issues, make manual changes to staffing and continue with construction.
   
   

How to use Staff allocations > Autostaff

1. Go to Teachers > Staff allocations.
2. Click the Filter menu and select the required rotation. Usually, All rotations will be selected.
3. Click Action bar: Auto staff classes (sample staffing).

    4. Click the Auto staff  button (it is not usually necessary to alter any of the weights).

    5. A Results window shows solution quality based on weightings. 

What affects auto staff

The results are affected by Teacher settings in Admin menu, and weights and options selected in the auto staff panel.

Teacher Settings

• Go to Settings > Teachers. The options here should be checked and adjusted before running auto staff.

    Periods teachers can be overloaded

• This is the allowed overloading for initial construction, but it's not the value we expect teachers to actually work above their normal load.
• Allows more optimal splits to be determined post-solution, where the splits are far better done to solve hard clashes, but more often for balancing loads to 'no' or rare cases of overloading only.
• Solely applied for auto staffing, not actively managed, such as preventing overloading with manual changes.
• Only indicated in the Staff allocations > LdLeft field, where overloads are highlighted in orange.

    Splits normally expected

• How many split classes have you normally had in the past? Put the estimated number. 
• Used by Ctrl-Q Quality checks, which will allow staffing to be classified as valid, even if a few classes are left unstaffed. In this case, the remaining number of classes must be less than the expected number of splits, and there must be enough load to cover these unstaffed classes. 
• Basically, it means that unstaffed classes will be treated as 'will be split', just for the purposes of passing Ctrl-Q.

Staffing Weights

• The Auto staffing weights are the same in the Staff allocations F4 screen and the Master Grid F11 screen, and provide control over how the auto staffing is done. 
• Generally, the default weightings will be sufficient for most files.
• In cases of highly restrictive resources, the parameters may be varied slightly. This is quite an advanced area so consult Tes Timetable Specialists for diagnosing issues or resolving staffing problems.
• Weights indicate importance. Increasing one can improve that area at the expense of others. It is the ratio between weights that shapes the solution. Adjusting weights can help reveal underlying issues.
• Important criteria like staff load balancing take precedence over timetable flexibility.

Options

    Fix clashes 

• Unchecked: When doing a sample staffing to check teacher loads. Will not allow classes on the grid to be moved where there are clashes.
• Checked: Allows the grid to move classes around to fix teacher clashes.

    Allow staffing changes

• Auto staffs, and allows any assigned classes to be reassigned to other teachers

    Keep current staffing

• Auto staffs, but keeps any current staffing as is, such as any manual allocations

    Staff from scratch

• Auto staffs, clearing any staffed classes and starting over

Analysing auto staff results

• The system auto staff the file as best as it can. When this process is finished (usually within a minute or so, depending on complexities), the Results window is displayed.
• The ideal outcome is to have every class staffed, with no fallback teachers, and no violation of settings.
• If some classes cannot be staffed, analyse which classes they are and why.

    Example 1: All classes staffed using the preferred teachers.

    Example 2: All classes staffed but using 6 fallback and 5 least preferred teachers.

IMPORTANT
Auto‑staffing results may reveal issues such as limited teacher sets, incorrect loads, problematic line structures, Class data errors, or constraints.

What to look for

These problems will also be highlighted in Teachers > Staff allocations.

• Unassigned classes listed at the bottom of the screen
• Fallback teachers shown with one set of brackets around the class code, e.g. 11ART2
• "If desperate" teachers shown with 2 sets of brackets around the class code, e.g. 10ART1
• Evenly class violations marked with orange 'E', e.g. 12ART
• Overloaded teachers highlighted orange in the LdLeft column. 

TIP
Also investigate poor results in: 
Health Check > Classes > No teachers: list of unstaffed classes
Health Check > Staffing > Fallbacks: fallback or 'if desperate' assignments, and 'evenly' violations
Health Check > Teachers > Overloads

What to do

• Any problems should be resolved with an adjustment to the required data. Teachers > Subject teacher sets may need editing, Teachers > Teacher data > MaxLoad column or Classes > Class data errors or constraints addressed.
• Example for overloaded teachers, the MaxLoad may be edited in Teachers > Teacher data, or Teachers >Allowances reduced.
• If staffing is insufficient, use 'dummy' teachers to represent incoming staff, which can be renamed later without losing their assignments.
• Manual changes can be made to the staffing solution via Teachers > Staff allocations; however, the system is considering many things during the auto staffing process, so it is important that manual changes are carefully examined. Refer to How to: Modify teacher or class allocations.

How to use auto staff during/post construction

1. Go to Grid > Master Grid > Action bar: Staffing > Staffing tab.
2. Select Go (it is not usually necessary to alter any of the weights).
3. A results window will display, as per the sample staffing function.

Magic squares

When using Magic squares with complete flexibility, the sample staffing will be cleared during the magic squares modelling. Select the auto staff function after the ystem has constructed a timetable for some of the years, usually Yr12 – Yr9.

Clear Staffing

The staffing solution may be cleared by going to Grid > Clear timetable >  Save/Backup/Continue > tick: Staff assigned > Clear from timetable;

or via Grid > Master Grid > Actionbar: Staffing > Staffing tab > Clear staffing > Clear staffing of these classes (blank = all) > Clear.