Imagine this: you have the perfect timetabling software, you know its capabilities inside out, and you’re an experienced user. Your timetables are set, and the system is ready to display personalised schedules. However, as the new term approaches, you suddenly realise that students haven’t been able to see their timetables at all — because they were never added to their groups in the database. The realisation of both the issue and its cause comes often at the worst possible moment. Urgent requests go out to your team, disrupting their work and causing unnecessary stress.
Sound familiar? Many of us have experienced the chaos of a missed task and the frantic rush to fix it. After nearly 20 years in timetabling and spending a few years as Celcat’s Implementation Consultant, I’ve seen countless big and small tasks slip through the cracks for all sorts of reasons. One common challenge in academic timetabling is the over-reliance on a handful of key staff to hold the process together. If these staff miss a critical step — or worse, leave the team and take their expertise with them — the whole process can unravel.
No team or process is perfect, and communication gaps are inevitable. To address these challenges pragmatically, one will need to start with the transparency of process. This is where AI can make a real difference in workflow design – it can help with everything from drafting and refining task lists to creating workflow visuals.
Start by Documenting Your Processes
Bring your team together and start mapping out your processes. Don’t forget to include all the connectors — if one team builds timetables, involve those who manage student records, estates, HR, and other related areas. You’ll quickly see a web of enablers that interact with timetabling.
Begin with the big picture:
- What are your publication commitments? (e.g., annually, each term, four weeks before term start)
- Who are your audiences? (e.g., staff, students, employers, external partners)
- What are the main tasks for a new scheduling cycle? (e.g., setting term dates, updating policies, rolling over databases, collecting data)
At this stage, consult your AI assistant to check if you’ve missed anything.
Break Down the Details and Create a Workflow
Next, drill down into sub-tasks:
- New database (e.g. Request creation, set access controls, manage records)
- Data collection (e.g. Update processes, set deadlines)
- Publication (e.g. Request publication, update parameters)
Once you’ve outlined the tasks, cross-reference them to eliminate duplication and identify opportunities for efficiency. Assign dependencies and timeframes, then ask your AI assistant to generate a workflow. Only after all tasks are mapped should you assign staff, allowing you to keep your team lean and focused.
Leverage AI for Policy and Best Practice
Feed your policies and best practices into your AI assistant and ask it to formulate a plan using the workflow, add checklists and identify potential blockers. You may need to refine this plan several times.
Review it with everyone involved and secure sign-off from directors and heads of school. This ensures buy-in and commitment from all stakeholders.
Continuous Improvement with AI
As you progress through each cycle, review and update the process and feed in updated information — remember, you are the human in the loop, providing oversight. Ask your AI assistant to refine the plan whenever changes occur. After a few cycles, you’ll have a robust, realistic workflow that everyone can follow.
Many institutions now have enterprise AI-powered assistants and are enabled to transform their business processes. All you need is someone to see it through.
If you’re ready to see this transformation in action, join us at the legendary Old Trafford Stadium (Nov 11–12) to witness the next evolution of timetabling. Our AI Agents optimise schedules instantly, prevent costly errors, and handle complexity with ease, all while keeping you in control.
Book now to secure your place.
