Games and scheduling

As a part of my day job I schedule a staff of about 20 people to work a front desk in a building on campus. Last night one of the workers said, "For some reason I enjoy scheduling for the desk so much better than other things. Its like a game." I was pleased to hear this. My method of scheduling is like a game.

In Fantasy Baseball drafts, managers are given a draft number. Number one picks first, and then everyone else picks in order until the last person, who picks twice. Then everybody else picks in reverse order until number one, who selects twice, and so on. It looks like this: 1,2,3,4,5,5,4,3,2,1,1,2,3,4,5,5,4...

I use the draft method for picking hours on a schedule because it is fair and fun. Every draft number has equal value and participants can plan their "draft" ahead of time by ranking the hours they want according to the likelihood desirable hours will still be open when their turn comes up again.

In addition to using a draft, I draw the entire schedule on a large white board using dry erase markers. When hours are selected I write (in corresponding color) the name of the participant who selected them. The white board provides a visual representation of what hours remain, and in a way is very much like a game board by which participants can plan their next move.

Lastly, I hand out playing cards numbered 1-X according to how many people are participating. The playing cards increases the game feel and gives players a tangible game piece for identification in the process.

The cards also present opportunities for game expansion. Players could trade cards on their turn, or select a new card from a random stack of unchosen cards. Players could have a joker which could give them a special extra move when they need to make a power play for important hours.

Scheduling could easily be mundane, but by applying game mechanics to the scheduling process it has become interesting and, for some, entertaining. Draft style is a very simple mechanism that corresponds perfectly to scheduling. The application of similar mechanics to other lugubrious interpersonal tasks could yield similar results.