Using Schedule All

This article provides a guide on how to use the Schedule All feature in BigChange. 

The Schedule All feature of BigChange enables you to Schedule multiple unallocated jobs at the same time, in an optimised way. Scheduling unallocated jobs is the primary use case for this feature, applying defined job constraints, resource availability, intelligent routing to an optimised schedule, without compromising jobs already scheduled.

When using this feature, you can preview the optimised schedule before proceeding, which includes details of the allocated resources, job timings, travel distances and routes. There is also a visual map view of the proposed routes. Finally, jobs that couldn’t be optimised will also be highlighted, including explanatory details.

Does your navigation menu bar look like this?  Read our Support article about changes we are making, New BigChange Navigation Bar.

Whats New! We are excited to announce the introduction time slots: As a scheduler, it is now possible to schedule multiple routes within a time slot, such as morning or afternoon appointments/slots.

How to use the Schedule All feature

To use the Schedule All feature, select “Schedule” from the top menu, followed by “Display” from the side menu. Scroll down and select the “More” icon, followed by “Schedule all jobs”. 

Complete the fields in the “Schedule all jobs” form. 

Please note - the Contact field is mandatory, and will be used as a start location for resources, should these have not been set in the Admin Settings.

You can also filter the unscheduled jobs by the following: 

• Specific group of Resources or you can multi select serveral resources simultaneously.
  
• Resource skills or vehicle attributes
• Time period 

Please note - If you select both resource 'Group' and multi select 'Resources', jobs will only be allocated to Resources within the group you have selected.

You will notice some text on the Schedule all jobs window to alert you to the number of jobs you are about to pass for optimisation. 

Select “Create optimised Schedule”.

You may be presented with an on-screen notification, informing you that some jobs couldn’t be optimised.

The jobs that couldn’t be optimised will be listed, including the reason why. To dismiss this notification, select “Close”.

Should you wish, you can view the individual jobs that couldn’t be optimised. To do this, select the link icon for the relevant job.

Should you wish to proceed, after reviewing the jobs that couldn’t be optimised, select “Create optimised schedule”.

You will be presented with a daily preview, listing all the relevant resources, the number of jobs, planned times and distances. A visual of the routes will also be displayed on the map view.

By selecting the next arrow, adjacent to the date at the top of the preview, you can view the proposed schedule for other dates set across the original optimisation period.

By selecting an individual resource, you will be able to view the full details of their jobs and route. Jobs that were already scheduled, and therefore unable to be optimised, will be highlighted in this view.

To view the jobs that a route couldn’t be created for, select “View”.

Please note - if a job is already scheduled, assigned to a resource, including a location and start and end time, it will not be changed by Schedule All optimisation.

Should you wish to proceed, after reviewing the optimisation preview, including the resource, jobs and route details, select “Save”. You will then be presented with a pop-up to checking for the final time, you wish to proceed. Select “Yes”.

The jobs will now be visible on the Schedule. 

Please note - the job activity tab will not update to include a Scheduled Job status line.

Time Slots

BigChange's time slot feature allows users to schedule jobs more efficiently by targeting specific times of the day. This feature provides greater control over job distribution and ensures an even workload across all resources.

Understanding Time Slots

• Time slots allow users to schedule jobs for specific periods: AM, PM, or late evening.
• The system considers the starting location (Home, Previous Job, or Default) and the job following the time slot to optimise routes. (see image below)

• This feature helps distribute jobs evenly among resources, preventing workload concentration on a few individuals.

Selecting a Time Slot

• Navigate to the Schedule > (Side menu) Display > List.
• Filter the required job or multi select using the tickbox to the left of each job.
• Select the Selected jobs (x) link or icon.
• Select Schedule All from list of options.
• Fill in the form and select the Use custom time slot tickbox to bring up the From and To fields. (For example for an AM slot you would enter 08:00 in the From and 12:00 in the To fields.
• The scheduler will look for the resources who have space in the mornings only.

The "From" and "To" date fields located above the Contact field specify the period during which the custom time slots will be active. For instance, if you have several jobs that need to be attended to in a morning, but any morning within a 2-week span will suffice, you would use the "Date From" and "To" fields to define this time frame. The custom time slots would then indicate the specific times during this period when the jobs must be attended to. (Refer to the image below for an example.)

Optimising Routes

• The system will automatically pick up the correct starting location based on the selected time slot.
• It will also consider the job following the time slot to ensure the most efficient route for the resource.
• This optimisation helps in reducing travel time and increasing productivity.

Benefits of Using Time Slots

• Ensures an even distribution of jobs across all resources.
• Provides greater control over the scheduling process.
• Enhances route efficiency, saving time and resources.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does Schedule All work?

The Schedule All feature analyses all your unallocated jobs and attempts to schedule them against the availability of your resources in the most efficient way, taking into consideration specific constraints set against the individual jobs.

Calculating on a day-by-day basis, it will attempt to create an optimum route for your resources, to fulfil as many jobs as possible. For resources with a fixed start location for example, Schedule All will return the resource to their original start location, within their working hours.

Not all constraints are included within the optimisation process. Current exclusions are “Contact Access hours” and resource “Max. travel distance for a job”. Optimisation also does not currently support multi way point jobs, scheduling from the map view, and routes cannot be edited after optimisation.

Will using Schedule All affect Jobs already scheduled?

No. Jobs that are already scheduled will not be changed by the Schedule All feature. Jobs may be added to a newly created route however, all the job details, including the resource, date, start and end time and location will remain unchanged.

Do you have any examples or scenarios where Schedule All is best used?

Schedule All is ideal for resources who either start work from either the office, or their home address each day, and do not stay away overnight.

Example scenario:

You have just imported a a high volume of PPM jobs with due dates at the end of the month, you can use Schedule All to allocate jobs to your resources based on setting the “to” and “from” dates for the month."