IRIS has launched a staff planning system allowing practices to maximize their resources.

It gives better visibility of the entire work load and calculates the staff hours required to complete those jobs.

Launched this autumn, IRIS Staff Planning is a new addition to the IRIS Practice Management suite

There is no need to enter data into the staff planning module as full integration with IRIS Practice Management ensures that all client details are easily accessible and all outstanding jobs are automatically lifted from the accounts production and tax systems when they are ready for processing, the company said.

The new module has been designed to be highly visual with colour coding that allows users to quickly distinguish between chargeable jobs and holidays, maximising efficiency. Planners can select jobs and plan which staff member(s) will be allocated the work. A filter mechanism allows the user to pick from staff that are free, from those that report to a particular department, partner or manager or from those that have the relevant skill set for the job.

Ros Bedford-Smith, product manager for the IRIS Practice Management suite, said: 'Listening to our customers’ requests is very much to the fore in all aspects of our product development and this is demonstrated in our new IRIS Staff Planning module.

'Accountants have told us that they want a simple system that will allow them to maximise both time and resources and IRIS Staff Planning does exactly that. It is possible to tell at a glance what every member of the team is working on, one accountant is even considering installing a plasma screen so the team can easily see and work towards a common goal.'