Resource Optimiser

Learn about the Resource Optimiser in Maica

What is the Resource Optimiser?

The Resource Optimiser is a tool within the Maica Planner used to identify and fill unfilled Appointments or Shifts using Maica's Optimisation Engine. It consolidates all Appointment and Shift records requiring optimisation into a single screen, allowing users to review, run, and confirm Resource allocations efficiently.

To learn more about how to Maica classifies a record as requiring optimisation, please click here.

The Optimiser evaluates each Appointment or Shift based on a range of customisable inputs such as Resource Availability, Attributes, Workload, Skills, and Participant Preferences and then fills each one with the most suitable Resource.

To learn more about the logic behind Maica's Optimisation Engine, please click here.

Where do I find the Resource Optimiser?

The Resource Optimiser can be accessed directly from the Planner Toolbar, as shown below.

To find it, simply:

1. Open the Planner.

2. Select the Optimiser icon from the toolbar at the top of the screen.

3. The Optimiser panel will open, displaying a list of all unfilled Appointments or Shifts within the date range currently shown in the Planner.

What gets pulled into the Optimiser?

When the Optimiser is opened, it retrieves all records where the required number of Resources does not meet the defined ratio and the Status is Scheduled or Planned. These records are considered unfilled and are therefore eligible for optimisation.

Additionally, the Optimiser will also only consolidate records from the defined Period currently displayed in the Planner at the time it is opened.

In summary,

Included Records:

• Appointments or Shifts where Status is Scheduled or Planned.

• Records where the number of Resources does not meet the Ratio.

• Appointments or Shifts visible within the current Planner date range.

For example, a Shift requiring two staff members but currently assigned only one will appear in the Optimiser until the second Resource is confirmed.

Excluded Records

• Appointments or Shifts marked as Completed or Cancelled.

• Records that already meet the required Resource or Participant Ratio.

• Records outside of the visible Planner date range.

For example, if you have an unfilled Appointment in the following week to the one set in your Planner, that Appointment will not display in the Optimiser.

Optimiser Parts

The Optimiser is made up of a range of different parts, each are described in the table below:

Please note, key parts of the Optimiser are described in further detail below. Please click the Part name to learn more.

No.	Part	Description
1	Resource Pool	Used to create filters to define a smaller, more relevant group of Resources for Optimisation. Only Resources matching the selected pool criteria will be considered when running the Optimiser. (Described further below)
2	Ranking Criteria	Criteria you add adjust Resource scoring. (Described further below)
3	Settings	Provides configuration options for Optimisation behaviour on a per run basis. (Described further below)
4	Status Filters	Allows filtering of Appointments or Shifts within the Optimiser by status, for example showing only Filled or Partially Filled records.
5	Progress Indicator	Shows the number of filled versus total unfilled records (e.g. 0 of 51 filled). Updates automatically during optimisation and provides the ability to pause your run at any stage.
6	Optimisation Trigger	Executes the Optimisation process for selected records based on the current Ranking Criteria, Resource Pool and Settings.
7	Select All	Selects or deselects all records within the list for batch Optimisation or Confirmation.
8	Status Column	Displays the current Status of each Appointment or Shift (e.g. Unfilled, Filled, Partially Filled, or Error).
9	Appointment Column	Shows the Appointment or Shift identifier, including the date and time. Please note, this information is configurable and based on your Appointment Text Format in the Planner Management Settings.
10	Configurable Column	Allows custom configuration to display additional fields such as Location or Participants.
11	Resource Column	Displays current Resources. (Statuses and Resource Pills described further below)
12	Required Badge	Displays the number of Resources required for the Appointment or Shift based on the defined Ratio.
13	Pending Badge	Displays the number of Resources who have been Broadcast too but have not yet responded. Please note, this is a Broadcasting function which is coming soon to Maica.
14	Accepted Badge	Displays the number of Resources who have Accepted the Appointment or Shift but are not yet confirmed.
15	Confirmed Badge	Displays the number of confirmed Resources currently allocated to the Appointment or Shift.
16	Appointment Insights	Provides further and more detailed matching information for each Resource, including matched and unmatched criteria. It also displays all Pending Resources related to the Appointment or Shift. (Described further below)
17	Manual Assignment	Allows manual selection or replacement of Resources from the Appointment or Shift using Maica's Find Resource modal. (Described further below)
18	Undo	Reverts to the last Optimisation for the selected Appointment or Shift.
19	Cancel	Exits the Optimiser without saving any changes made during the current session. A confirmation modal will appear before closing.
20	Confirm	Saves all Optimisation results and applies them to the selected Appointments or Shifts. Once confirmed, a summary screen will display all changes made during the session. Please note, while using the Optimiser, no records are updated in Maica until Confirm is selected. Any changes made prior to confirmation exist only within the Optimiser session.

Please refer to the sections below for further detail on the above described Optimiser parts:

Resource Pool

The Resource Pool is used to define a smaller, more relevant group of Resources for optimisation. Only Resources matching the criteria added to the pool will be considered when running the Optimiser.

To configure the Resource Pool:

1. Click Add Criteria.

2. A new filter row will appear where you can specify the Field, Operator, and Value.

3. Multiple criteria can be added to refine the pool further.

4. Each added criterion is combined with an AND condition, meaning all must be met for a Resource to be included.

Understanding Filter Components

Each criterion is made up of three components:

Component	Description
Field	Defines which field the Optimiser will evaluate. Fields are grouped under Resource or Skill objects. Examples include Resource → Work Type, Resource → Gender, or Skill → Certificate.
Operator	Determines how the value is compared to the field. Common operators include equals, not equal to, contains, and does not contain. The Operator value is refined depending on the selected Field.
Value	The specific value being matched against the field. This may be a picklist option, text entry, or date, depending on the selected field. For example, if Resource → Gender is chosen, available values might be Man or Woman.

Example: Adding the criterion Resource → Work Type equals Full-Time limits the pool to only full-time staff. Adding an additional rule such as Skill → Certificate IV in Disability will further narrow the pool so that only full-time staff who hold that qualification are considered.

The Current Pool count shows how many Resources meet all applied criteria.

The Resource Pool does not impact the order of Resource ranking — only which Resources are included for evaluation.

Ranking Criteria

Unlike the Resource Pool, the Ranking Criteria controls how Resources are scored and prioritised when compared against Appointments or Shifts. It uses the same Add Criteria process as described in the Resource Pool section above, but serves a different function.

While the Resource Pool determines who is eligible to be considered, the Ranking Criteria determines how well those Resources match the Appointment or Shift once they are included.

When Ranking Criteria is applied:

• A Resource must meet at least one of the criteria to be included in the Optimiser run.

• If a Resource meets none of the criteria, they are excluded entirely.

• Resources who meet one or more criteria are included and then ranked based on the number of criteria they satisfy.

• A Resource who meets more criteria will rank higher than a Resource who meets fewer.

Ranking Criteria therefore acts as both:

1. An inclusion rule (must meet at least one), and

2. A prioritisation rule (more matches = stronger candidate).

Example 1:

Criterion: Resource → Gender equals Woman

• Any Resource who identifies as a Woman will be included and receive scoring contribution for this rule.

• Any Resource who does not match this rule receives zero for this criterion and is excluded from automated selection.

Example 2: Two Different Criteria

Criteria added:

1. Resource → Region equals East Metro

2. Resource → Language contains Mandarin

Here is how Resources are treated:

Resource	Matches Region?	Matches Language?	Included?	Relative Ranking
Worker A	✔	✔	✔	Highest (matches both)
Worker B	✔	✖	✔	Medium (matches one)
Worker C	✖	✔	✔	Medium (matches one)
Worker D	✖	✖	✖	Excluded

Key behaviour:

• Worker A ranks highest because they meet two criteria.

• Workers B and C rank below Worker A because they meet only one.

• Worker D is excluded because they meet none.

Removing or changing Ranking Criteria only affects optimisation runs with that criteria applied, it has no impact on previously optimised records.

Optimiser Settings

Matching Score Importance Level

The Matching Score Importance Level determines how much influence each category has on the Resource’s overall matching score. The total of all categories must equal 100%, and each category’s weight can be adjusted manually to prioritise what matters most to your organisation.

The categories are defined below:

Category	Description
Skills	Measures how many of the required Skills a Resource has compared with the total Skills needed.
Availability	Checks whether the Resource has enough Available hours on the relevant day to cover the Appointment or Shift. Any existing usage or unavailability is subtracted from the daily limit, and the remaining time is compared against the requirement. The resulting score is weighted by the Availability percentage.
Workload	Evaluates weekly capacity by comparing the required minutes for the Appointment or Shift plus the Resource’s current scheduled hours against their weekly limit. The result is scaled by the Workload importance percentage.
Attributes	Counts how many requested Attributes a Resource satisfies (for example, gender, language, or experience).
Travel	Scores proximity by comparing the Resource’s distance to the Appointment location against the closest candidate. Resources co-located or nearest to the site receive the highest score, weighted by the Travel importance percentage.

For example, if Attributes and Skills are set to 40% each, and Travel is set to 0%, the Optimiser will focus almost entirely on matching qualities and skill requirements, ignoring distance as a factor.

Please note, weighting does not filter Resources — it influences how strongly each matching criterion affects the total score.

Only use allocated Resources

This Setting restricts Optimisation to Resources who already have a defined relationship with the Participant. Meaning, only Resources who are a Participant Resource to the allocated Participants on the Appointment or Shift will be considered.

Resource Column

The Resources column displays all Resources linked to each Appointment or Shift within the Optimiser. Each Resource is represented by a status indicator (colour and outline) showing their current state in the optimisation or confirmation process. From this column, users can view, update, or manage Resource statuses using the available actions.

Resource Statuses

Each Resource is displayed as a pill with a distinct border colour and style to indicate its current status.

Status	Visual Indicator	Description
Confirmed	Black outline	Indicates that the Resource has been confirmed for the Appointment or Shift. Confirmed Resources will be applied to the record once the Optimiser session is confirmed.
Accepted	Yellow outline	Indicates that the Resource has accepted an allocation but is not yet confirmed. These Resources are awaiting user confirmation. Note, this is a broadcasting function that is coming soon to Maica.
Pending	Blue outline	Shows that a Resource has been requested but has not yet responded. Pending Resources may later accept or decline. Note, this is a broadcasting function that is coming soon to Maica.
Declined	Red outline	Indicates that the Resource declined the allocation. The Resource remains visible until manually removed or withdrawn.
Withdrawn	Greyed out	Represents a Resource that has been withdrawn from the Appointment or Shift.

Available Actions

Each Resource pill includes a dropdown menu providing context-sensitive actions. The available actions depend on the Resource’s current status.

Action	Description	Available When
Confirm	Marks the Resource as confirmed for the Appointment or Shift. Once confirmed, the outline changes to black.	Available for Resources with Pending, Withdrawn, Declined or Accepted status.
Decline	Marks the Resource as having declined the allocation. The outline changes to red.	Available for Resources with Pending, Withdrawn, Confirmed or Accepted status.
Withdraw	Withdraws a previously confirmed or accepted Resource. The pill becomes greyed out.	Available for Resources with Confirmed, Accepted, Pending, or Declined status.
Remove	Removes the Resource from the Appointment or Shift entirely. This deletes the pill from the record within the Optimiser.	Available for all statuses.

Example Scenarios

Scenario	Starting Status	Action Taken	Result
A previously confirmed Resource becomes unavailable.	Confirmed (black)	User selects Withdraw.	Resource becomes Withdrawn (greyed out).
A declined Resource is no longer relevant.	Declined (red)	User selects Remove.	Resource pill is removed from the Appointment.
A previously unavailable Resource becomes available.	Declined (red)	User selects Confirm.	Resource becomes Confirmed and allocated to the Appointment.

Appointment Insights

The Appointment Insights modal is available for each Appointment or Shift, and is better used after the Optimiser has been run. It can be accessed by expanding the record and selecting the Insights icon.

The table below details the fields on each Insight:

Field	Description
Appointment ID and Time	Displays the unique Appointment or Shift identifier and its scheduled start and end time.
Location	Shows the Appointment or Shift location or Note (e.g. The Appointment is happening online).
Pending Resources	This is a Broadcasting function, coming to Maica shortly.
Overall Matching Score	Displays a percentage score showing how closely the Resource matches the Appointment or Shift. The score combines all weighted categories (Availability, Workload, Skills, Attributes, and Travel). Note, you can click the score to see a further breakdown of each category, as well as switch between any Resources allocated to the Appointment or Shift.
Matched Criteria	Lists all conditions where the Resource met the Optimiser’s requirements. Each entry includes a short description explaining the match, for example: Available for scheduled time or Within weekly limit.
Unmatched Criteria	Lists any conditions not met by the Resource, preventing a full match. For example: Skill missing – Certificate IV in Disability or Travel distance exceeds defined range.

Manually Assign Resources

The Manual Assignment function allows users to select or replace Resources for an Appointment or Shift directly within the Optimiser. It provides full control over Resource allocation without rerunning the optimisation process.

Manual Assignment uses the Find Resource modal to display all eligible Resources that meet the Optimiser’s current configuration. Each Resource is shown with a corresponding Overall Matching Score, allowing users to make informed selections based on the same scoring logic used by automated optimisation.

To learn more about the Find Resource modal, please click here.

Please note, opening the Find Resource respects the defined Resource Pool in the Optimiser. Meaning, if you set Resource → Work Type equals Full-Time, then opening the Find Resource modal will only show Full-Time staff.

How Manual Assignment Works

1. Click the Resource Column in the Optimiser to open the Find Resource modal.

2. Review the list of available Resources and their matching scores. These will be ordered by the assigned Resources, followed by the most suitable remaining Resources.

3. Use the Search Bar or Sort By options to locate preferred Resources.

4. Tick the checkbox beside each Resource you wish to assign.

5. Click Confirm to save your selection within the Optimiser session.

6. The Appointment or Shift will display the newly assigned Resource(s) once the modal closes.

Manual Assignment Scenarios

Scenario	Configuration	Action	Outcome
1. Add extra Resource to a fully filled Appointment	Appointment requires 2 Resources and already has 2 confirmed.	You manually select and add an additional Resource.	The new Resource is added as an extra allocation and displayed in the Optimiser. Maica allows you to do so if desired.
2. Replace a confirmed Resource	Appointment has 1 confirmed Resource who is no longer available.	You open Manual Assignment, deselect the current Resource, and select another.	The new Resource replaces the previous one in the Optimiser view. Changes are not applied to the Appointment record until Confirm is selected.
3. Add Resource to a partially filled Appointment	Appointment requires 2 Resources but currently has 1 confirmed.	You select an additional Resource manually.	The Appointment now shows 2 confirmed Resources and the record will be considered fully filled once confirmed.
4. Assign multiple Resources at once	Appointment has no Resources assigned and requires 3.	You manually select three Resources from the list and confirm.	All three Resources are added simultaneously. The record will show as filled once confirmed on the main Optimiser screen.
5. Add Resource who does not meet all criteria	Appointment requires 1 Resource; you select a Resource with a lower Matching Score (e.g. 40%).	The selected Resource is manually confirmed.	The Resource is still accepted. The Optimiser does not prevent manual overrides, allowing assignment even if some criteria are unmet.
6. Cancel without confirming	You open Manual Assignment and select Resources but then choose Cancel.	You cancel the selection.	No changes are saved. The Appointment or Shift remains in its previous state.