Maatsoftware · 2026
Shift Planning Tool
Scheduling software for night-shift teams in a Belgian prison, built by someone who works those nights.
The problem
Night rosters in a prison are a puzzle of posts, people, leave, illness and rules that live in the heads of a few experienced officers. Paper and spreadsheets did the job, barely, and every change meant phone calls. The tool had to fit an existing rhythm, not impose a new one.
What we built
One screen per night: who is on which post, who is absent and why, and a pinned note for the things that matter tonight. The coming nights sit underneath as a strip, with understaffing flagged before it becomes a problem. Team leaders plan; officers see their own nights and can request swaps; everything is logged.
Because the tool lives inside the walls, the interface was designed for tired eyes at four in the morning: high contrast, large type, nothing that needs a manual.
Why it matters to the studio
This is where our software habits were formed: build for real people under real constraints, test on the night shift, and never ship anything that fails silently. Names and rosters in this case study are blurred; the environment is closed and the people in it deserve their privacy.
Een team is als een fiets: als iemand niet trapt, voelt iedereen het.