shifty

Rostering is a complex problem in optimising constraints, but since the economy of paid labour ultimately depends on timesheet crunching and downstream payroll processes, roster planning is relegated to a means to an end. Small business operators are left with enterprise scale Human Resource Management systems that they can't afford (neither the time or licensing) or generic solutions not equipped with the flexibility to handle operational quirks unique to each business or industry.

shifty addresses the reality of needing the flexibility to reschedule for unplanned events or planned uncertainties during any stage of the roster cycle. Dynamically analysing primary constraints including staff capacities (available vs expended), legislative compliance and payroll cost tolerance, shifty simplifies the orchestration of viable roster options and establishes an audit trail for resultant informal agreements.

Democratising shift management for business operators, giving time back to pursue the goods and services that drive the core existence of the business.

queQueue

Profit margins in the restaurant business are slim, with insiders indicating that ditching the reservations book can drive a revenue increase of around 35 per cent. Whilst the cult of queueing authenticates the hype surrounding worthy dining experiences, the uncertainty of no-booking policies has the opposite effect of deterring diners who value predictability over the communal anticipation of the meal—understandably so. Done right, queueing is healthy for the dining ecosystem, reservationists included.

¿qué? The quicker a table turns, the shorter the wait for diners in the queue, therefore they have a vested interest to be punctual when a table is ready. Let's incentivise them. queQueue rationalises the efficiencies of physical and virtual queues, motivating diners to proactively swap their spot in the queue if it doesn't look like they will be physically available to be seated, lest they lose the spot (and credibility) altogether. In any community, credibility matters, so diners maintaining a punctual record earn privileges, whether that be swapping queue positions beyond immediate neighbours, joining a queue remotely or pseudo reservations (queQueue juggles queue prioritisation to emulate bookings).

Queueing gamified for the greater good of the dining ecosystem, everyone wins.

Jimmy Wong

Jimmy has served as principal engineer and software architect for leading multi-national technology companies, with considerable experience in engineering governance and regulatory compliance. Most recently, he extended the solution architecture of the Australian Defence Force's Single Information Environment to airborne platforms. Prior to this, he led the localisation of Australia's homeland security modernisation program and represented Australia in successfully syndicating the US Defense Information Assurance Security Accreditation Working Group to pioneer multilateral distributed simulation services. He holds a MEngSc in C4ISREW from the University of New South Wales and a BEng(Hons) in Software Engineering from Curtin University.