Create Schedule

Creating a schedule allows you to create a work order that recurs, periodically, over a defined time range. For example, if your property requires a monthly inspection of the HVAC system, you could set up a schedule once that would create a new inspection work order every month. Schedules are often used to schedule preventative maintenance tasks.

Creating a schedule is a multi-step process where you define the work that needs to be done, define the recurrence pattern for the schedule, and then generate the work orders.

Defining the scheduled work order is similar to defining a standard work order. You define the location and type of work to be done and assign it to someone. When defining the scheduled work order, keep in mind that this work order will be created over and over again, so keep the parameters general enough to apply over time.

To define the scheduled work order:

1. Access the Schedule module by clicking the Schedule link at the top of the page.

2. Select the Create Schedule tab.

   The Create Scheduled Activity/Work Order page opens.

3. Specify the following Schedule Details.

   • Property – Select the property where the work will be performed.
   • Location – Select the location within the property where the work will be performed. Location is highly configurable. Your system may display one or more of the following fields:
     • Space/Floor – Select a value to specify that the work will take place on a particular space or floor. Some systems group spaces and floors together and some use separate space and floor values.
     • Zone – Select a value to specify that the work will be done in a particular zone within the property.
     • Tower/Wing – Select a value to specify that the work will be done in a particular tower or wing within the property.
     • Floor – Select a value to specify that the work will be done on a particular floor within the property.
     • Space – Select a value to specify that the work will be done in a particular space within the property. You cannot select a space until after you select a floor.
     • Sub-Space – Select a value to specify that the work will be done in a particular subSpace within the property. You cannot select a subSpace until after you select a space.
   • Type – Select the type of work that will be performed.
   • SubType – Select a value to further define the type of work that will be performed.
   • Priority – Select a value to indicate how important it is to get the work done quickly, for example, High, Medium or Low. SLA calculations are affected by the priority selected. For more information, see SLA Calculations.
   • Room/Cube – Enter a value to indicate the room or cube number where the work will be performed. If an asset is associated with the schedule, this value can be used to identify the location of the asset.
   • Describe the Schedule – Enter a value to describe the type of work that will be done.

4. Specify the following values to indicate Who is requesting this schedule.

   By default, the person creating the schedule is used as the requestor. You can click the Find A Contact button at the top of the page to select a different contact or you can specify values individually. You can click the Get Default Contact link to populate the fields with the information for the default property contact. You can click the Clear Contact Info button to clear the fields.

   • First Name – Enter the first name of the person making the request.
   • Last Name – Enter the last name of the person making the request.
   • Company – Enter the company that the person making the request is associated with.
   • E-mail Address – Enter the email address of the person making the request. This email address will be used for notifications.
   • Phone – Enter the telephone number of the person making the request.
   • Fax – Enter the fax number of the person making the request.
   • Department – Select a value indicating the department the requestor works in.

5. Specify the following Internal Information values, if needed.

   • Specify the user to whom the scheduled work orders will be assigned.

   • Specify the Assigned To user. If you place your cursor over the Automatic link, an information box displays the name of the user to whom this schedule will be assigned, by default. This assignment is based upon a set of rules defined by your system administrator. If you want to override the automatic assignment, you can click the Select link and select a different user.

   • If Crews functionality is enabled, you can select a Crew (for example, Janitorial Staff or Electricians) to assign the schedule to. When you select a crew, the schedule is assigned to the crew leader, by default. You can either accept this assignment or click the Assigned To Select link and select a different member of the crew. Only crew members that have the appropriate security rights to the property and the schedule type and subType are displayed.

     Once you assign a schedule to a crew, it cannot be reassigned to an individual, only to another member of this or another crew.

   • Send Notifications – Select Yes to send notifications whenever a work order is generated from this schedule to the Assigned To user. Typically, for scheduled work, this value is set to No to prevent too many email notifications from being generated.

     If you want to send out individual notifications in proximity to each scheduled work order's start date (instead of when the batch of work orders is generated) you can do so by specifying notifications rules on the Schedule Details page.

   • Follow-Up Alert – Select a value to indicate that an additional notification should be sent out if a scheduled work order is not responded to within the specified amount of time. If you set this value to Automatic, follow-up alerts are sent according to the escalation rules established for the type and subType of work request.
   • Asset – Click the Select link to associate an asset with the schedule. For more information, see Assets.
   • Internal Comments – Enter a value to indicate internal-only comments. Only users with the appropriate security rights can see internal comments.

6. Specify the following Other Options, if needed.

   • Originated From – Select a value indicating where the requests in this schedule originated from, for example, Phone Call or Support Team.
   • Budgeted – Select Yes to indicate that these costs are budgeted against a project.
   • Billable – Select Yes to indicate that the costs associated with these work requests will be billed to a third party.
   • Project – If these requests will be associated with a project, click the Select link to select the project. For more information, see Projects.

7. Click OK.

Once you have defined the work to be done, you can further define schedule details, specify the recurrence pattern, and generate the schedule on the Schedule Details page.