Bangladeshi student’s rostering app replaces Excel at Victoria University Sydney

Ornob Barua, a Bangladeshi student currently studying at Victoria University Sydney, has developed an app that is officially replacing Microsoft Excel for staff rostering operations at the university.

The app, named Avocadoo, is a rostering and shift management tool designed to reduce the manual workload of scheduling. It is being used by the Student Representative Group (SRG) at Victoria University, streamlining tasks such as shift planning, staff hour tracking, and approval processes.

In an official email, Victoria University Sydney formally recognised Ornob for developing the SRG Roster App, praising his contribution to the university's volunteer community, stating: "This app represents exactly what makes our SRG community so special. Let's honour Ornob's effort by making the most of this fantastic tool!"

Originally from Dhaka, Ornob is pursuing a Bachelor of Information Technology at Victoria University, majoring in Web and Software Development and minoring in Network Management. Although he studied commerce at Notre Dame College, Dhaka, Ornob had developed a strong passion for technology early on.

Arnob describes himself as a self-taught programmer, having built over 50 websites and digital tools for various startups and businesses. Avocadoo is his first major Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) product. "I believe in building solutions that simplify everyday tasks and reduce manual work," he shared, "To think that something I built is replacing Excel at my own university is truly surreal."

According to Ornob, Avocadoo offers several advanced features not typically available in traditional spreadsheets, such as an interactive drag-and-drop calendar for assigning shifts, real-time hours and overtime calculation, PDF and Excel export options, live chat prompts for natural language commands, and role-based interfaces for different users. 

The app is hosted on a virtual private server and built using a combination of Python, JavaScript, PHP, C/C++, HTML, CSS, and React. Ornob also used the Python library Pandas to handle time calculations and automate document generation.

Ornob shared that one of Avocadoo's most unique features is its AI-powered prompt system, which allows users to generate schedules using natural language commands. For example, if a user types "Create a weekly roster for five students with four-hour shifts", the system can automatically assign and arrange the shifts accordingly.

"This smart assistant simplifies the rostering process by understanding user intent, eliminating the need to manually drag and drop or input data," explained Ornob. He is also planning to integrate offline AI logic, enabling automation even without internet access, making the tool smarter and more accessible in diverse environments.

Avocadoo is currently in weekly use at the university and has been met with positive feedback from both staff and students. University officials have noted that the tool has reduced up to 80% of manual work in shift scheduling.

The success of the project has encouraged Ornob to expand Avocadoo globally. He plans to develop more SaaS tools under the brand, such as AvoText and Logic Sheet, with a long-term goal of turning Avocadoo into a global tech company.

"I want to build tools that replace outdated systems and solve real problems," said Ornob. "My dream is to build a top-ranked tech company starting from Bangladesh."