 |
| Search |
|
|
UmpireHockey.com
is published by
Cris Maloney.
|
|
Products & Gear
This is a review of web-based assigning technology, The Arbiter, from a company that has built a strong following (with nearly 20 years of service) for its software product. The web breaks the limitations of any disc-based predecessor. The question is, does this assigning technology give us an advantage or should we bring out a card?
The Arbiter is designed to help ensure that appropriately skilled umpires are assigned to the right game (with the right partner) and to make sure each umpire in an organization is given a fair quantity of games, which in turn helps with mentoring and retention.
A main opportunity presented by a web-based system over a PC-based software system, a paper-based system, or a "MacGyver'ed" electronic system (perhaps a combination of Excel and Access), is that a web-based solution can allow everyone involved with the assigning process (umpires, coaches, athletic directors, umpire manager, and the assignor) to seamlessly contribute to it's overall success. Of course, it is possible to build a web product that falls short of providing for intelligent collaboration.
The Arbiter performs above and beyond the ordinary in this critical area. For example, not only does the Arbiter provide the opportunity for athletic directors, umpires, and assignors to contribute to the assigning process, it also provides the flexibility needed by organizations that do not believe in a strength-in-numbers approach.
The Arbiter allows an organization to create one or more 'accounts' with assigning privileges. That way, one person might deal with varsity and sub-varsity level competitions while another person assigns for youth games. Or, an organization might use this feature to give "next year's" assignor time to train on the system before the start of competitions.
The Arbiter also allows for the creation of an unlimited number of umpire accounts so, the umpires can log in, block days that they can't officiate, distances that they're not willing to drive, and accept assignments online.
The organization can decide whether or not to grant this type of access and can pick and choose different permissions to allow. For example, an umpire can be allowed to log in to view their assignments but the organization doesn't have to allow for a process in which the umpire is 'accepting' games.
UMPIRES
Umpires, if granted permission by their organization, can log in --- at anytime, day or night from any place on the planet --- to interact with the Arbiter.
An umpire begins by providing the system with basic information (name, address, phone, etc) and their officiating preferences.
The umpires can tell the system which teams they would like not to officiate for and can, if they want to, limit such a block to times when the team(s) in question is home or away. An umpire can also block games at certain sites and games with particular umpires.
And, umpires can indicate how far they're willing to drive and what days they can't work. Alternately, umpire access to some of these options can be turned off within the Arbiter.
Once game schedules are entered, if the umpires have permission, the umpires sign in to review game assignments and then can accept or reject assignments if the organization allows the umpires to accept or reject games after scheduling is complete. Regardless of how this permission is set, umpires cannot turn back games without speaking directly with the assignor.
Certainly a handy feature for umpires is that the Arbiter has built in links to mapping services so directions to game sites are always just a click away.
The integration of driving directions provided by the web-based mapping service is great and many systems might leave it at that.
The designers of the Arbiter apparently realize that while umpires going to 'local' games can typically get themselves to a school without much trouble, the difficulty arises when the umpire doesn't know exactly where the competition field is (or has been moved to since last season).
Fortunately, the Arbiter allows for the inclusion of a note with explicit directions to a competition site. For example, "Park behind the big building on the left, walk down the path that's near the blue water fountain (not the rusty one), go up the hill and you'll see the field."
This feature alone can save umpires time and reduce their pre-game stress level.
NOTE: The contact information and preferences for the umpires never has to be re-entered. New assignor, no problem. All the data the new assignor needs is already available in one place!
ATHLETIC DIRECTORS
The Arbiter provides many services that athletic directors will appreciate having at their fingertips -- for FREE.
Athletic directors (or coaches) can sign in and provide the system with their home game schedule. This means that the athletic director has complete control over the accuracy of the home game schedule being used by the assignor.
The athletic directors can also sign in and enter their preferences. This can include how far they are willing to allow an umpire to travel to one of their games. The ability to set travel limits is important to athletic directors who want to control their exposure to paying what they would consider high mileage fees.
The umpire blocking feature allows athletic directors to indicate which umpires they don't want officiating their teams. There are many reasons an athletic director might want to block a specific umpire but some assigning organizations don't allow athletic directors to block umpires. The Arbiter provides this feature as an option that the organization's policies can dictate be turned on or off.
It would be best if this blocking feature were enhanced to allow the athletic director to add notes as to why the umpire is being blocked. Is the umpire related to one of the players? Is the umpire the team's previous coach? Does the umpire's spouse work in the athletic director's office?
Another enhancement here would be if the athletic director were asked to indicate when the block should automatically expire, with perhaps a limit of two years at a time. Of course, most organizations will want to maintain the ability to override any blocks.
THE ORGANIZATION
The Arbiter will help most organizations facilitate their assigning responsibilities while improving the service they provide their members and athletic directors.
To ensure the organization has the most appropriate officiating crew assigned to any given competition, the organization can numerically rank their umpires.
This, for example, ensures that the umpires with the highest rankings are assigned priority games (rivalries) and that all new umpires are given a strong partner.
Another advantage to an organization is how the system helps if the organization's assignor gets sick, goes on vacation, or quits. The system is so easy to use and learn -- and it will be familiar to umpires using the system to set their preferences and review and/or accept assignments -- that a new assignor should be able to step in and use the system without missing a beat. And, organizations can have multiple assignors who are already well practiced in use of the system should the primary assignor become unavailable.
While it is true that end-of-season reports can be generated by the Arbiter to help an organization assess the job the organization has done...Did everyone get enough games? Was every high priority game given our top umpires? Were weak umpires assigned with a strong partner who could help mentor the weaker umpire? Were all the games covered? Did umpire X actually get assigned to school Y five times in a row? ...they're almost not needed for two reasons:- The Arbiter is designed to help protect an organization from failing in such critical service areas in the first place.
- An organization can create an oversight account that allows someone to review assignments, blocks, and other information of concern to the organization.
If all of that were not enough, the Arbiter can also be used to track game fees and other payment variables. Payroll components can generate invoices, predict season earnings (an umpire can be given a statement that tells him how much he will earn this season), print checks, and even generate 1099's.
ASSIGNING
After all of the game information and preferences has been entered into the Arbiter, the system can automatically assign the games and then the assignor can go in and tweak the system's assignments if necessary. Alternately, the assignor can make a few assignments manually, for example to give the organization's president that special game she's always wanted, and then run the automatic assigning process.
Of course, if able to meet the requirements/policies of the organization (which the Arbiter is set to by the organization to automatically meet), an assignor can make all of the assignments manually.
As the graphic above illustrates, when the assignor is finished making game assignments, the system will automatically send out an e-mail to all of the affected umpires notifying them that they have game assignments.
This not only saves the assignor a huge amount of time, it saves the assignor (or the organization) money that would otherwise have to be spend on postage or telephone calls.
With the efficiencies displayed by the system, it seems clear that one could manage game assignments for an entire state or region with the Arbiter. According to the system's publisher, one customer is using the Arbiter to assign about 1,800 umpires, referees and officials.
WISH LIST
There are several areas where the system would do well improving features involved with blocks.
One opportunity for improvement would be a setting to allow (or force) blocks to automatically expire. Another would be for a person setting a block to explain why the block is being set.
Organizations will want to printout a list of all blocks for all umpires so the ability to printout a summary report for all umpires at one time would be helpful. As it is now, the system's block report must be done for each umpire, one umpire at a time.
It might be reasonable to block a pair of umpires. That is to say, either umpire might be fine calling a game at school X, but perhaps they shouldn't be scheduled at school X to call a game together.
PRICE
The annual pricing is $6.00 per year per user.
CONCLUSION
The availability of the Arbiter on the web marks one of those watershed moments in sports. It simply doesn't matter how you're assigning now -- or getting games now -- from this moment forward you should be using the web version of the Arbiter.
TO ORDER
If you like what you read and would like to begin using The Arbiter now as an assigner, umpire, or athletic director, please click here.
If you would like to submit a product to be reviewed by UmpireHockey.com, click here.
NEW BOOK: To read the table of contents from the new officiating book How to Umpire Field Hockey book by Cristopher Maloney, and to purchase it, click here.
Copyright © 2002-
UmpireHockey.com
Top of Page
|
|
|
Products & Gear
Latest Headlines
|
|
