Qualifications User Guide

Qualifications are internal certifications that determine which crew members can fill specific assignment roles on different types of trips. They act as the bridge between your crew’s permanent job titles and the operational functions needed for each trip, ensuring safety compliance while maintaining operational flexibility.

Understanding Qualifications

What are Qualifications?

Qualifications are specific operational internal certifications you create to control who can work in which assignment roles under what circumstances.
Examples include:

• “Advanced Navigation” – Certified for complex route planning and navigation systems
• “Evening Operations” – Authorized to operate vessels during twilight and night hours
• “Shallow Water Specialist” – Qualified to navigate in waters less than 10 feet deep
• “Emergency Response Level 2” – Advanced emergency procedures and first aid certified
• “Multi-Engine Certified” – Trained to operate vessels with multiple engines

How Qualifications Work

When OpSkipper schedules crew for trips, it checks many factors including job titles, qualifications, and assignment roles.

Qualifications are one of several critical checks the system performs. After confirming a crew member is active and their job title makes them eligible for an assignment role, OpSkipper verifies they have the specific qualifications required for that particular trip’s circumstances – considering the tour type, boat, and location.

Only crew members who pass all eligibility checks, including having the required qualifications, can be assigned to that position on that trip. This ensures both operational flexibility and safety compliance

Creating and Managing Qualifications

Accessing Qualifications

Navigate to Admin → Qualifications to view, create, and manage your organization’s qualifications.

Creating a New Qualification

1. Click “New Qualification”
2. Fill in Core Details:
   • Name: A unique, descriptive name (e.g., “Wildlife Photography Tours,” “High-Speed Vessel Operations”)
   • Description: Optional details about what this qualification covers
3. Configure Scopes (Where It Applies):
   • Universal: Leave scopes empty if the qualification applies to all trips
   • Tour Type Specific: Select specific tour types that require this qualification
   • Boat Specific: Limit to particular vessels
   • Location Specific: Restrict to certain marinas or departure points
   • Combined: Use multiple criteria for precise control
4. Set Up Qualification Implications:
   • Define which other qualifications are automatically granted
   • Example: “Master Navigator” automatically grants “Basic Navigation” and “GPS Operations”
   • This prevents having to manually assign multiple related qualifications
5. Choose Assignment Role Eligibility:
   • Select which assignment roles this qualification applies to
   • A qualification can apply to multiple assignment roles
   • Example: “Offshore Navigation” might apply to both “Captain” and “First Mate” assignment roles

Scope Configuration Examples

Universal Qualification

• Name: Basic Safety Training
• Scopes: (none – applies to all trips)
• Assignment Roles: Captain, Mate, Crew

Tour Type Specific

• Name: Wildlife Education Specialist
• Scopes: Tour Type = “Educational Nature Tours”
• Assignment Roles: Guide, Naturalist

Multi-Criteria Scoping

• Name: High-Performance Vessel Operations
• Scopes: Tour Type = “Speed Tours” AND Boat = “Thunder Wave”
• Assignment Roles: Captain, Co-Captain

Qualification Hierarchies

Setting Up Implications

Benefits of Hierarchies

Assigning Qualifications to Crew

Bulk Assignment

1. Select a qualification from the qualifications list
2. Click “Manage Assignments”
3. View three categories:
   • Eligible & Assigned: Crew who have the right job title and already have this qualification
   • Eligible & Not Assigned: Crew who could receive this qualification based on their job title
   • Not Eligible But Assigned: Crew who have the qualification despite their job title (exceptions) example: someone in training prior to being promoted.
4. Make changes by clicking the + or – buttons
5. Save all changes with one batch operation

Individual Assignment

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

• Use clear, descriptive names that indicate the qualification’s purpose
• Include specific details when relevant (e.g., “Shallow Water Navigation” vs. “Navigation”)
• Avoid abbreviations that might be unclear to new staff

Scope Strategy

• Start Broad: Begin with universal qualifications for common requirements
• Add Specificity: Create tour-type or boat-specific qualifications as needed
• Regular Review: Periodically audit scopes to ensure they match operational reality

Hierarchy Planning

• Map Dependencies: Identify which qualifications naturally build on others
• Avoid Circular References: Don’t create implications that loop back on themselves
• Document Rationale: Keep notes on why certain implications exist

Assignment Management

• Regular Audits: Review qualification assignments periodically
• Training Records: Use qualifications to track internal training completion
• Exception Handling: Use “Not Eligible But Assigned” category sparingly and document reasons

Troubleshooting Common Issues

“No Available Crew for Assignment Role”

Problem: Scheduling system can’t find qualified crew for a trip
Solutions:

1. Check if anyone has the required qualification
2. Verify the qualification’s scope settings match the trip requirements
3. Ensure the qualification is linked to the correct assignment roles
4. Consider if job title eligibility is too restrictive

“Qualification Not Applying to Expected Trips”

Problem: Crew with qualifications aren’t being considered for certain trips
Solutions:

1. Review scope settings – they might be too specific
2. Check if the trip’s tour type, boat, or location matches the qualification scope
3. Verify the assignment role configuration

“Too Many Manual Assignments Needed”

Problem: Constantly having to manually assign related qualifications
Solutions:

1. Set up qualification implications for commonly grouped certifications
2. Review if job title eligibility could be broader
3. Consider creating umbrella qualifications that imply multiple specific ones

Integration with Scheduling

How Scheduling Uses Qualifications

Qualifications are one of several critical checks the system performs. After confirming a crew member is active and their job title makes them eligible
for an assignment role, OpSkipper verifies they have the specific qualifications required for that particular trip’s circumstances – considering the
tour type, boat, and location.

Only crew members who pass all eligibility checks, including having the required qualifications, can be assigned to that position on that trip. This
ensures both operational flexibility and safety compliance.

Position Matching Bonuses

In the scheduling settings, you can configure bonus points to optimize assignments based on how well a crew member’s job title aligns with the assignment role they’re filling. These bonuses are applied through Position Matching, where you define which job titles should receive extra scheduling priority for specific assignment roles. For example, you might award bonus points when someone with a “Senior Naturalist” job title fills a
“Nature Guide” assignment role.

Remember: Qualifications are your safety net – they ensure that only properly trained and authorized crew members are assigned to critical operational functions, regardless of scheduling optimization or operational pressures. Position matching bonuses help optimize crew selection among qualified candidates, but qualifications always come first as the non-negotiable safety requirement.