SmartRoster

SmartRoster is a comprehensive activity scheduler that is meant to assist in managing large groups of individuals. The application can create custom events and allows binding persons, families or groups to certain roles and activities.

Possible uses for this resource include managing business or club meetings, charity events or conferences. These things being said, the tool is best-suited for managing large church parishes and their corresponding voluntary activities.

The resource comes with numerous features, which means that the GUI can become quite cluttered, especially when all necessary parameters have been defined. Newcomers will not find the interface very friendly, as there are dozens of menu items. Fortunately, some of them are linked to simple functions (e.g. show exceptions).

The somewhat 'hostile' interface is, however, not due to any major design flaws. The resource is quite thorough and the schedules created are very detailed. While the GUI might have been sacrificed, functionality has clearly been gained.

Essentially, the program allows one to define all relevant factors in scheduling activities. This includes the persons or groups involved, their corresponding roles, as well as the actual dates involved. Once parameters have been defined, the resulting report features the layout of a calendar.

Absences and exceptions can be created, and the program can even take into account individual role preferences, when generating schedules. After the final touches have been made, the output schedule can be saved to PDF format, which allows quick dissemination of the project.

SmartRoster is a detailed activities scheduler that can be useful for anyone in the business of managing human resources for various events.