A discussion of the pros and cons of running a 'timetabling team':
Overview and Benefits:
Although the task of scheduling is a solitary one in most schools, if you can then it's certainly wise to form a 'timetabling team' of some kind, and to get colleagues involved in the timetabling process to some degree ... both from the point of view of the school having successors for the post, and to stimulate professional development for colleagues in this important part of running a school. It can also help when compromises need to be found, and when you wish to discuss with colleagues the effects of the timetable on staff and students. However, you should be aware of the restrictions and decide the best way forward for your school:
Restrictions:
By the nature of the task there are some restrictions on how the people involved can act "as a team", and you must avoid the problem of "too many cooks". It may be helpful to distinguish between 'timetabling', the overall process lasting several months ... and 'scheduling', the period of intense problem-solving & jigsaw-fitting.
The 'scheduling' work may be 'shared' by maybe 1-2 people working together on the schedule ... in a kind of shift work. But it is not logically possible for 2 or more people to be working independently on the same schedule at the same time... as you wouldn't make decision 'A' if you knew that a colleague was simultaneously taking decision 'B'. All parts of the timetable are inter-related.
For example, you might find one User trying to schedule class 7A on Monday-1 for Maths while another User is trying to schedule that class/period with History, etc., ... and of course each single placement on a schedule then has a knock-on effect on every other item yet to be placed, so the sequence of placements is important.
A variation on this is the case of a Senior School and a separate Junior School - if you are in this position, see the article on senior/junior timetables, at: Senior and Junior timetables
Possible ways to do give access to more than one person:
1 Install TimeTabler on your network:
If (for example) you have 3 people in your team, then although all 3 people can have copies of TimeTabler on their laptops for trial runs and tests [and the Licence allows for this], when it comes to the real thing you need just one set of data and one version of TimeTabler using that data ... one way to do this is to install TimeTabler centrally on your network.
-- For details on installing TimeTabler on a network so that more than one person can access it, see: Installing on a Network
2 I like method 1, but I don't have a school network:
Then you can use Method 3 below ... using a method of your choosing to store the TimeTabler Backup file, so you can transfer it between you - eg: by email, Dropbox, and other cloud-storage methods.
Create a Backup file using 'File->TT-Backup', and Restore it using 'File->TT-Restore' ... and use whatever method suits, to transfer the file between you.
3 Work on separate computers, and transfer data between them
User-1 and user-2 can install TimeTabler on each of their laptops (or desktops). User-1 does their work, then performs a Backup on a memory-stick [see page viii in the Manual, and one of the HelpMovies] and passes the Backup file to user-2 who restores it. (We say "memory-stick" here, but you can use email, Dropbox, etc if you prefer - for details, search on "dropbox" or see the 'Related Articles' below).
(Alternatively you can work from home using something like GoToMyPC, but again no timetabling software can be truly multi-user, ie. only one instance of TimeTabler can be running on the core data at any one time.)
4 Work in 'parallel universes':
The alternative (but in our experience, rarely used) approach would be to enter the basic data and activities [section B, C, D in the Manual] jointly ... and then for the 2-3-4 people to separately work in their own universes, in parallel ... and then at the end decide which is the best timetable to apply. We can't recall any school in recent times that has done it this way, but certainly some individual timetablers (working alone) produce more than one schedule and then present the alternatives to the senior management team with the pros & cons of each version. However, in terms of efficiency, you need to ask yourself if it would be better to put all the effort into perfecting one schedule ?
But if you do follow this approach, then it is easy to do in TimeTabler. You can install more than one copy of TimeTabler on separate computers. And you can create as many Schedules as you like in any given copy of TimeTabler. And then there are many features to help you investigate as many "What if..?" scenarios / tests as you like, going down (and returning to) separate forks in the path. These features include the cloning of Batches and Schedules, linking and unlinking of slightly different Batches of activities on/off the Schedule, etc.
You can then compare the resultant timetables by, for example, running the 'Quality Optimiser', which will score each timetable and warn you of the different possible quality issues in each.
5 Shadowing:
Two timetablers can also, of course, simply work in the one room, looking at the one copy of TimeTabler. This is a good way for a younger or less-experienced timetabler to 'shadow' a more experienced colleague, with a view to taking-over the timetabling duties in a future year.
There are, of course, many knock-on benefits to this approach; being able to brain-storm and discuss ideas out-loud, having a 'second pair of eyes' to spot mistakes or flawed logic, and a wider knowledge of the school and of colleagues, etc.
Further thoughts:
Working at home as well as at work:
If one of you wants to work on the timetable at home in the evening then you can do a Backup on a memory-stick [see page viii in the Manual, and one of the HelpMovies] and take that home, install it on a home machine, do more work, and then copy the new data to a memory-stick and take that revised data back to school in the morning, ... but no-one else can sensibly work further until that revised data has been Restored, else you will end up in different universes! (We say "memory-stick" here, but you can use email, Dropbox, etc if you prefer - for details, search on "dropbox" ).
(Alternatively you can work from home using something like GoToMyPC, but again remember that no timetabling software can be truly multi-user, ie. only one instance of TimeTabler can be running on the core data at any one time.)
Founding a Timetabling Support Group:
If there is interest in your area, it can also be beneficial to set-up a 'Timetabling Support Group', where timetablers from different schools support and encourage each other, share best practice, compare curricula, etc.
Tips: If you do work as a group of timetablers, a good way to schedule is to:
-- arrange for the Class Timetable Screen to appear on an interactive White-Board so that all can see it, and/or
-- export draft copies of your work so far, for colleagues to review; TimeTabler will export to Excel, HTML, printouts, PDFs, etc.
Working in an Options Team
Timetabling for 2 Schools
Using Dropbox
By the TimeTabler Team