Labor Management & Planning Elements
Configuration of the system's labor management and planning features is accomplished through the following:
System Configuration/Labor Management Configuration
- Configuring Labor so that divisions, departments, and jobs are consistent with those used at your property.
- Establishing labor standards for each task that accounts for fixed tasks, variable tasks, guest demand patterns, and management availability.
- Establishing Key Business Indicators (KBIs) that let you develop staffing standards for unique property circumstances.
- Revising standards based on changing work circumstances or guest demand patterns.
- Printing the Job Class Configuration Report containing all the information used to configure Labor Standards in LMS.
Labor Management Features
Carefully manage labor resources, using the labor management and planning features, by performing the following weekly tasks:
- Generating forecasted hours based on forecasted volumes.
- Entering scheduled hours for each department.
- Entering training hours.
- Entering actual staff hours for each department.
- Generating standard hours based on actual volumes.
System Reports/Labor Management Reports
After configuring Labor and supplying the appropriate data, you can generate the necessary reports for managing and analyzing labor performance:
- Print department level planning and operating reports.
- Print property-wide summaries for comparing:
- Forecasted Hours and Scheduled Hours.
- Actual Hours and Standard Hours (day, period to date, and month to date).
- Actual Dollars and Standard Dollars (day, period to date, and month to date).
- Weekly and Daily variances from established standards.
System Reports/Preview Labor Management and Planning Reports
After configuring Labor, and supplying the appropriate data, you can do the following:
- Preview the Weekly Planning Report.
- Preview the Forecast/Schedule Report.
- Preview the Daily Operating Report.
Configuring LMS
After LMS has been installed, it has to be custom configured to meet the specific needs of your property or organization. The custom configuration process can be complex. It might take several weeks to custom configure a large property or casino. For example, labor standards (which are the basis for determining how long it takes to perform tasks associated with a specific job) must be established for each job classification and entered into the system. To develop accurate labor standards, a study is often performed that records the time currently required to perform a specific task, and how long the task should take. Other information specific to your property or organization that should be defined and entered into LMS includes:
- Key Business Indicators (KBIs)
- The number of rooms
- The size and type of revenue centers
- Departmental, pay code, pay period, and general accounting information
- How LMS will interface with other software programs installed onsite
A system administrator will be assigned at your property to operate and manage LMS. The system administrator is responsible for collecting and entering data, producing statistical forecasts, and generating required reports. The system administrator will also maintain the system and monitor its' performance. Your system administrator serves as your primary point of contact for technical and operational questions related to LMS.
A custom configuration can be as simple as 20 KBIs and 40 job classes for small properties, or as complex as 400 KBIs with 1,000 job classes for large resorts, casinos, or theme parks. It's important to remember that the more information you gather and enter, the more accurate LMS becomes.
LMS is a powerful tool that can provide vital information essential for management decisions. But, it is only as good as the information it has access to. In general, accurate, timely information leads to positive results. So, it's important to enter accurate information during configuration. Afterwards, update your information and enter new information on a regular basis.