Any business that needs to dispatch labor to meet changing daily demands needs a robust and flexible system to ensure the right resources get to the right places, on time. The film industry is one such business.

Tumblewire was contracted to re-engineer the order placement, call availability and crewing system for the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) who are the pre-eminant suppliers of film and television technicians. Following are a series of highlights of this functionality.

Creating orders online:
The order creation module Tumblewire has developed for IATSE uses:

• drop-down lists for department, role, call type, and license requirements
• authenticated autocomplete for technician name, including a verification if that technician has already been assigned to an order
• time-stamped activity log capturing who placed the order and when

The heaviest users of the order creation module will be IATSE’s Call Stewards, however, we are also extending this functionality to keys and production managers so that they can enter orders for their departments online.

Empowering access for technicians:
Technicians will be able to receive their order confirmations on mobile, or securely login to the website and view their profile, orders and work history online. They will also be able to set communication preferences and privacy options.

Powerful crewing algorithm:
The crewing functionality we have developed integrates the complex rule logic that professional Call Stewards employ every day. Prioritization based on seniority, sister status, approved permits, plus name hires, call backs, bumps and asap calls. When filling an order, the list of available technicians is filtered not only by department but licenses and qualifications required specifically for an order (e.g. WHMIS, Forklift, Geni and other certified skillsets).

Each production order can be refined by specifying exact certificates required from candidate technicians. Similarly, when setting up technician profiles, certifications can be added by IATSE administrators once they have confirmed the technician has passed:

• Ensure the team you select has a proven track record designing and implementing web applications, managing host environments, applying usability best practices and ensuring data security
• If your system will be feeding data to or from an existing database, such as a LAN-based MS Access system, make sure they have experience designing efficient data feeds with integrated integrity verification
• Make sure they can deliver on mobile
• Choose the right size of firm: too big and you’ll be buried by expensive process; too small and reliability becomes a serious issue.

Contact Tumblewire and get a proven design team with clientele ranging from start-ups to multinationals. Let us know what you are trying to accomplish and we’ll provide you with a quote and timing for your consideration.