Choose a rostering platform for your ANSP

The right evaluation starts with your operation. Choose the tasks that matter, test them with representative data and involve the people who will use the system.

Define the requirements

Bring planners, controllers, operations, HR, IT and employee representatives into the discussion. Identify where the current process takes effort and agree which outcomes matter most.

Consider coverage and qualifications, shift patterns, duty and rest rules, preferences, leave, swaps, sector planning, operational changes and payroll preparation. Specify how each requirement will be assessed rather than relying on a feature name alone.

See the full scope

Ask each supplier to distinguish standard functionality, configuration, integrations and custom development. Review the implementation process, training, maintenance and support alongside the product itself.

Compare costs over the same period and include licence, hosting, deployment, integration and internal staff time. Any estimated savings should use your own baseline and clearly stated assumptions.

Security, access control, data export and deployment responsibilities also need review. Confirm the documents and contractual commitments available for the proposed deployment.

Bring a representative roster

Use the same sample period, demand and rules when comparing shortlisted systems. Include a difficult staffing day, a qualification restriction, a leave request and a change after publication.

Have planners inspect the proposed roster and rule violations. Ask controllers to try the request workflow, HR to review output data and IT to assess the integration and access requirements.

Record the decision

Put the findings together: demonstrated capabilities, gaps, costs and implementation work. Keep proposed development separate and agree how to resolve the remaining questions.

Use the requirements matcher to find potentially relevant capabilities. The vendor questions help structure the checks to make during a demonstration.