Building the missing operational view that helps keep rail services moving
CDS connected planned duty information with live clock-ins so operations could see a staffing gap before it became a service problem.
A meaningful result, with the client identity kept private.
The organisation is described by sector and business type so the operational context remains clear without implying permission to use its name or brand.
- Organisation
- A regional passenger rail operator
- Operational need
- Know whether people required for a duty had actually arrived, with time to intervene
- CDS role
- Solution design, custom development and workforce-data integration
- Result
- A dependable operational attendance view used for five years
The problem behind the project.
A roster can show that a duty is covered while the real operation tells a different story. If a required employee has not clocked in, finding out at the point of departure leaves little or no time to respond.
The workforce platform contained the underlying schedule and attendance information, but the rail operations team needed those signals brought together in a purpose-built view. It had to answer a practical question quickly: who is due, who is present and where is action needed now?
The requirement sat between standard product capability and operational reality. It called for workforce-management knowledge, integration capability and custom development in the same team.
Specialists around one client outcome.
CDS designed an attendance board around the operating decision, not around the structure of the source data. The solution compared planned duties with current clock-ins and presented exceptions in a clear shared view.
- 01
Define the decision window
CDS worked backwards from the intervention the operations team needed to make and the time available before duty.
- 02
Connect plan and reality
Scheduled duty information and live attendance events were brought together so the system could identify a likely non-arrival.
- 03
Surface exceptions early
The board highlighted the people and duties needing attention, including a warning around 15 minutes before the planned start.
- 04
Build for daily use
The interface focused on fast operational interpretation and dependable running, rather than adding another complex reporting process.
What changed for the organisation.
Earlier intervention
Operations gained a practical warning window in which to contact the employee or arrange alternative cover.
Shared operational truth
Teams could work from one view of planned duty and actual attendance instead of reconciling separate sources manually.
Proven durability
The solution remained in operational use for five years, demonstrating that it solved a persistent daily need.
Sector relevance
The same gap was later recognised elsewhere in passenger transport, showing that the design addressed a repeatable operational problem.
The value came from joining skills that are often kept apart.
A functional consultancy alone could describe the attendance rule. A development team alone could build a screen. CDS combined workforce-process understanding, UKG data knowledge, integration and product thinking to create something operations could actually use.
The result was not another retrospective report. It was an operational signal delivered while there was still time to act.
- Custom development
- Real-time integration
- Operational dashboards
- Transport workforce expertise