One of the main reasons for HOPS being set up in the first place was rostering. This has now become one of HOPS's strongest features. We are now at the stage where rosters can be automatically constructed based on the Operations Calender and Staffing Templates (for example, if HOPS knows that today is a 'blue timetable day' and on a blue day we need 'two signalmen and a guard', it will automatically add these turns into the roster (when commanded). Users can then be polled for their availability (see above), and when the availability has been collected HOPS has functions for automatically allocating all the turns to users in the most economical way possible. This process used to take hours of laborious shuffling of turns on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway and now takes only 3 clicks! There are also other good rostering functions such as e-mail reminders to staff about their upcoming turns.
Documents can be uploaded by the required personnel to specific days in the calendar (ie special traffic notices or operating instructions). These can then be accessed by those with the necessary permissions.
How much more productively could that time be used?
Heritage Operations Processing Systems was formed to provide administrative and business-management tools specifically designed for use on heritage railways. If HOPS can take the strain out of some of the more onerous tasks then the staff currently carrying out those tasks can be released for other, more enjoyable, more useful railway purposes.
As well as making administrative processes
be there and at what times? Have they got an up-to-date list of contact numbers to contact that person? Have they got details of other staff who could stand in? For most railways that answer is 'no' to most of those. All these things rely on volunteers doing often boring and often unrewarding jobs, circulating endless updates that end up swamping the recipients. HOPS automates these processes so that, without anyone taking any specific contingency action, all the required information is already and always available at the click of a mouse.
The Heritage Operations Processing Project aims to bring computerised solutions for railway ancillary administrative tasks within the easy reach and use of heritage railways.
We believe that HOPS should meet the needs of the subscriber railway, and help them to manage them in a professional manner.
