Would a Project Manager be able to do this?

[Vle045]

I know we have some Project Managers here so I am hoping someone can tell me this.  

Would a project Manager be able to facilitate scheduling 10,000 students at 65 sites on various days/times over the course of 3 weeks across an entire state?
I am thinking this person would have to know how to figure out schedules, locations, distance, and also have knowledge of how to set up some sort of spreadsheet or database to deploy that information to each site’s staff to have names, dates, accommodations etc.

Does that encompass the types of things a Project manager might learn?

[rachel83az]

That sounds slightly outside the scope of what a PM regularly does. But it also sounds like something a good PM ought to be able to coordinate.

[Vle045]

Thanks. Just trying to figure out what skillset would be best for that type of project. My first thought was project manager. Maybe large scale event planning. Not sure. But there definitely needs to be strong tech skills with spreadsheets, or something similar. But tech skills alone will miss the mark.

[jg_nuy]

Project management experience would be useful, but it sounds more like you are looking for one of the following:

Event Scheduler: They have experience managing large-scale events, including scheduling attendees, allocating resources across locations, and potentially using software for logistics.
Logistics Coordinator: Their expertise lies in optimizing movement and resources. They can handle the complexities of scheduling students across various sites while considering factors like distance and travel time.

[bjcheung77]

That's too much of a job for just one person, so, the CEO (and/or President) and other chief staff would have upper management staff under their portfolio that would get the job done as a team. What you mentioned would be 65 positions for the 65 sites, it'll be like an executive level for each site as they would have project managers and other management under their portfolio for each site...

[LevelUP]

From ChatGPT:

In addition to a project manager, you might also need:

Scheduling Coordinator: Someone with experience in scheduling large-scale events or activities, who can develop a comprehensive plan and timeline for scheduling all 10,000 students at 65 sites.

Logistics Specialist: This person would focus on coordinating transportation, ensuring that students can get to and from their assigned sites efficiently.

Database Administrator/Software Developer: Depending on the complexity of the scheduling process, you may need someone to develop or manage software systems to automate the scheduling process and handle the large volume of data.

Site Coordinators: Individuals responsible for managing the logistics at each site, including ensuring that facilities are prepared, staff are available, and any necessary equipment or materials are in place.

Communications Manager: Someone to handle communication with students, parents, and staff, providing clear instructions and updates about the scheduling process.

[Vle045]

@LevelUP This actually seems somewhat reasonable. Not really “in the budget” probably. But I wonder how hard it would be to find people with a good combo of those skills.

[bjcheung77]

ChatGPT will give you a rough idea of how it may work for some companies, it's a good resource to build an outline or get a brief intro to what you're looking for, you still need to get the bulk of the info from extra research or resources just to be on the safe side. It's a good starting point though, but I wouldn't count on just using ChatGPT...

[Vle045]

ChatGPT will give you a rough idea of how it may work for some companies, it's a good resource to build an outline or get a brief intro to what you're looking for, you still need to get the bulk of the info from extra research or resources just to be on the safe side.  It's a good starting point though, but I wouldn't count on just using ChatGPT...

I never count on chatGPT unless we are talking about dinner recipes.  It’s been great and figuring out a recipe just by plugging in what I have and then adjusting for what I don’t have.  And it gave me some nice suggestions to step up the veggies for Easter.  Best dang canned green beans I’ve ever had. 

As for my initial question, just really trying to figure out what skillset might best fit that need.  There’s no option for mass hiring. It’s gotta be a skill acquired for a targeted person or two.

[Hotdogman1]

ChatGPT will give you a rough idea of how it may work for some companies, it's a good resource to build an outline or get a brief intro to what you're looking for, you still need to get the bulk of the info from extra research or resources just to be on the safe side.  It's a good starting point though, but I wouldn't count on just using ChatGPT...

I never count on chatGPT unless we are talking about dinner recipes.  It’s been great and figuring out a recipe just by plugging in what I have and then adjusting for what I don’t have.  And it gave me some nice suggestions to step up the veggies for Easter.  Best dang canned green beans I’ve ever had. 

As for my initial question, just really trying to figure out what skillset might best fit that need.  There’s no option for mass hiring. It’s gotta be a skill acquired for a targeted person or two.

It sounds like you need to get a basic scheduling software and a data analyst. We paid less than 4k for our current system at my community college, which I used to manage 8k+ students during finals week for all our campus locations last semester. I used to work at the testing center as an operations specialist, but I was essentially a data analyst with some admin privileges.

I don’t know if this will be applicable to your situation since we start planning for finals from the beginning of the semester, but I guess the process would be similar.
1. Figure out approximately many students are taking exams. The number of students at the start of a semester will be way different towards the end.
2. Figure out site max capacity and type of exams they can support. Some locations do not have printers, so we had to pre-print paper exams. Locations that don’t have computers were set up with laptops.
3. Figure out the exam type (online, paper) and duration.
4. Figure out accommodations (double time, private room, distraction reduced, etc.)

With this information, we open time slots. We do time slots for each test site at ten minutes durations that students can schedule for. Ex) 15 slots at 9:00 am, 10 slots at 9:10, 12 slots at 9:20. We stagger them because having 100 students in the lobby is not productive as it takes time to check students in and provide the required test materials. Additionally, students will be late or go over the time limit while taking paper exams, so we try to avoid hitting max capacity. Students will miss appointments, so I calculate and forecast the amount of no shows based on previous semesters. I deliberately open less slots on the last 4 days to funnel students to schedule during the first 3 days, then open additional slots accordingly. 

With how simple our scheduling software is, it is possible to skip the scheduling software and to do it manually. However, with the required manpower and time, it will probably be cheaper to go the software route. Plus, you will be able to use the software in the future as well. As for skillset, I only used basic-intermediate excel: v-lookup, pivot tables, index/match, some conditional formatting.