Method and apparatus for real time automated intelligent self-scheduling

A system for allowing staff members to submit schedule modification requests using a schedule modification interface which indicates information which would be used to determine whether to automatically accept or deny those requests, the system comprising:

• a) a workforce management system;
• b) a computing device associated with a staff member;
• c) a computer, the computer located remotely from the computing device associated with the staff member and configured to perform a set of tasks comprising:
• i) obtaining updated demand information from the workforce management system, wherein the updated demand information comprises, for at least one future time period from a plurality of future time periods covered by a schedule for the staff member, an updated projection of demand for work by the staff member during that future time period, wherein the updated projection of demand for work is more recent than a previous projection of demand for work used to generate the schedule for the staff member, and wherein the plurality of future time periods covered by the schedule for the staff member includes both time periods during which the staff member is scheduled to work and time periods during which the staff member is not scheduled to work, wherein demand for work is demand for work for an employer;
• ii) based on a most recent projection of demand for work by the staff member, determining, for each of one or more future time periods from the plurality of time periods covered by the schedule for the staff member, the future time period's suitability for a schedule change by the staff member, wherein, for each of the one or more future time periods from the plurality of future time periods covered by the schedule for the staff member, determining the future time period's suitability for a schedule change by the staff member comprises:
• I) determining which rules from a set of rules specified by the employer for evaluating potential schedule changes should be applied to evaluate contemporaneous schedule modification requests for the staff member;
• and
• II) applying the rules for evaluating contemporaneous schedule modification requests from the staff member with information corresponding to parameters specified in the rules using a rules engine;
• iii) allowing the staff member to know, in advance of submitting a schedule change request, whether that schedule change request will be automatically accepted or denied by, if an interface request is received from the computing device associated with the staff member, generating a set of data operable to configure the computing device associated with the staff member to present the schedule modification interface, wherein the schedule modification interface indicates suitability of each of the one or more future time periods for a change in the staff member's schedule as determined by the computer based on the most recent projection of demand for work by the staff member;
• iv) if a request for a change to the staff member's schedule is received, automatically processing, by a processor comprised by the computer, the request for the change in the staff member's schedule by performing one or more acts comprising:
• I) based on the suitability for a schedule change, as determined by the computer based on the most recent projection of demand for work by the staff member, of one or more future time periods indicated in the request for the change in the staff member's schedule, determining whether to automatically, by the processor comprised by the computer, accept or deny the request for the change in the staff member's schedule;
• and
• II) when the request for the change in the staff member's schedule is accepted, modifying data used to generate updated demand projections for other staff members to include the requested change in the staff member's schedule;
• v) between receiving the interface request and the request for the change in the staff member's schedule:
• I) obtain updated information corresponding to parameters in the rules specified by the employer for evaluating potential schedule changes;
• II) repeat the step of, for each of the one or more future time periods, determining the future time period's suitability for a schedule change by the staff member using the then most recent projection of demand for work by the staff member and the updated information corresponding to parameters in the rules specified by the employer for evaluating potential schedule changes;
• and
• III) selectively, based on concurrency controls and a most recent determination of the suitability for a change in the staff member's schedule of each of the one or more future time periods, sending interface update data to the remote computing device associated with the staff member, the interface update data operable to update the schedule modification interface to indicate the most recently determined suitability of each of the one or more future time periods for a change in the staff member's schedule.

A method comprising a set of tasks performed by a computer, the set of tasks comprising:

• a) generating a schedule for a staff member, wherein:
• i) the schedule comprises a time span covering a plurality of future time periods;
• ii) the schedule is generated based on demand information comprising, for each future time period from the plurality of future time periods, a projection of demand for work by the staff member during that future time period;
• and
• iii) the schedule comprises a plurality of assignments the staff member is contractually required to perform for an employer;
• b) obtaining updated demand information, wherein the updated demand information comprises, for at least one future time period from the plurality of future time periods, an updated projection of demand for work by the staff member during that future time period;
• c) determining, for each future time period from the plurality of future time periods, that future time period's suitability for a change in the schedule of the staff member based on a most recent projection of demand for work by the staff member during that future time period, wherein, for each of the one or more future time periods from the plurality of future time, determining that future time period's suitability for a schedule change by the staff member comprises:
• i) determining which rules from a set of rules specified by the employer for evaluating potential schedule changes should be applied to evaluate contemporaneous schedule modification requests for the staff member;
• and
• ii) applying the rules for evaluating contemporaneous schedule modification requests from the staff member with information corresponding to parameters specified in the rules using a rules engine;
• d) allowing the staff member to know, in advance of submitting a schedule change request, whether that schedule change request will be automatically accepted or denied by generating, in response to an interface request from the a remote computing device associated with the staff member, a set of data operable to configure the remote computing device associated with the staff member to present a schedule modification interface, wherein:
• i) the schedule modification interface indicates, for each future time period from the plurality of future time periods, that future time period's suitability for a change in the schedule of the staff member as determined by the computer based on the most recent projection of demand for work by the staff member;
• and
• ii) the schedule modification interface is operable by the staff member to request one or more changes in the schedule of the staff member;
• e) receiving, via the schedule modification interface, a request for a change in the schedule of the staff member, wherein the request for the change in the schedule of the staff member indicates one or more future time periods from the plurality of future time periods;
• f) determining whether to automatically accept or deny the request for the change in the schedule of the staff member based on, for each future time period from the one or more future time periods indicated in the request for the change in the schedule of the staff member, that future time period's suitability for a schedule change as determined by the computer based on the most recent projection of demand for work by the staff member;
• and
• g) when the request for the change in the schedule of the staff member is accepted, modifying data used to generate updated demand projections for other staff members to include the requested change in the staff member's schedule;
• wherein the computer is configured with instructions operable to cause it to, between receiving the interface request and the request for the change in the staff member's schedule:
• A) obtain updated information corresponding to parameters in the rules specified by the employer for evaluating potential schedule changes;
• B) repeat the step of, for each of the one or more future time periods, determining that future time period's suitability for a schedule change by the staff member using the then most recent projection of demand for work by the staff member and the updated information corresponding to parameters in the rules specified by the employer for evaluating potential schedule changes;
• and
• C) selectively, based on concurrency controls and a most recent determination of the suitability for a change in the staff member's schedule of each of the one or more future time periods, sending interface update data to the remote computing device associated with the staff member, the interface update data operable to update the schedule modification interface to indicate the most recently determined suitability of each of the one or more future time periods for a change in the staff member's schedule.