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iTrakForce Position Management

iTrakForce solves the complicated processes associated with engineering and mechanical departments. Allowing track foreman the ability to handle the majority of their business transactions from a handheld device, an IVR, or a web-site provides up to the minute information for track projects, joint facilities, and maintenance gangs.

iTrakForce Bulletin and Assignment System

As an enterprise workforce management software provider specializing in rail crew management and timekeeping solutions, PST is offering iTrakForce to streamline the management of a highly complex workforce, focusing on the Engineering, Mechanical, and Clerical groups for the rail industry.

  • Eliminating inefficiencies and redundancies in processes and systems across functional areas
  • Reducing manual processes performed by clerical staff

iTrakForce will:

  • Reduce Non-Operating Workforce Expenses
    • Overtime
    • Travel Pay Expenses
    • Safety Days Expenses
    • Stay Pay
    • Protection Pay
    • Leave of Absence
  • Improve Workforce Processes
    • Bid and Bump
    • Information Access
    • Job Selection
    • Overtime Solicitation
  • Improve Information Systems
    • Same System for Engineering, Mechanical, and Timekeeping
    • Replace Several Legacy Systems

To meet the business objectives, iTrakForce has highly complex business logic and processes that capture, store, persist, and cache large amounts of transient data. This product is designed to allow many concurrent users to interact with the data through a variety of client technologies while synchronously interfacing with a variety of external systems. To meet these data handling and integration challenges, PST’s iTrakForce employs proven, risk-mitigating, standards-based technologies and enterprise application architecture patterns that ensure seamless technical implementation and significant flexibility for each user level.

The architecture for iTrakForce is built on the Java 2 Enterprise Edition (J2EE) platform using Enterprise Application Architecture Patterns, Enterprise Integration Patterns and Domain-Driven Design.

iTrakForce Components

Employee Information Maintenance

This component includes the creation and maintenance of all employee data such as contact information, seniority, qualifications/restrictions, and work history. This component is designed to accept information from your enterprise-wide data sources as well as a stand-alone, depending upon the specific needs of the customer.

Job Assignment Schedule Maintenance

This component deals with position requirements including schedule (start, end, meal time, rest days, etc.). Other position requirements such as seniority district protection, position qualifications, and other information pertaining to a specific position will be created and maintained in the assignment schedule. This component includes business logic for regular positions, relief positions, and extra board requirements including rotation rules and area of protection. Position history requirements will also be recorded in this area.

Employee Assignment Process

This component includes the entire Bulletin, Bids, Evaluation and Award process. This process will control the method of bulletin and award distribution as well as methods of bidding positions. Also included in this component will be the furlough and recall process, the seniority move (bump) process, as well as various notifications to employees regarding any of the above functions. Self-service options will be readily available as an option for each of these processes.

Filling Vacancies

This component covers the various methods and labor rules to follow in filling short term vacancies and overtime solicitation. It will determine if individual positions are “must fill” or “bankable” and provide a method to present the proper employee to fill the vacant position taking into account seniority, qualifications, geography, and other requirements

Vacation Management

This component describes each of the requirements in handling all facets of employee vacation processing. This process includes establishing a weekly/daily allocation based on geographic coverage, seniority districts, protecting extra boards, etc. The component continues with the bid process for available weeks including the various venues available for system access and then is followed by the evaluation of awards based on varying labor agreement rules at each vacation roster location, finishing with a posting of successful vacation awards. This component also includes providing employees access to open vacation periods (after original roster is posted), bidding on and awarding open positions as they occur throughout the year.

Timekeeping Requirements

This component covers the process of reporting time worked as well as the daily distribution of hours. Several factors are included as part of this process: position rate of pay, overtime rules, penalty payment management, and other elements required to produce the gross pay calculation of each employee per tour of duty. Other features of this component include per diem payments, protection pay, and monthly guarantee pay.

Summary

iTrakForce increases efficiencies, the accuracy of reporting and business decisions, the integrity of computational processes and enhances information accessibility. It provides a high degree of integration, which allows for effective data and functional process interaction to accomplish workforce management and timekeeping office work automation.