Scheduling with Linked Jobs in BigChange

BigChange simplifies job scheduling and resource allocation, especially with the use of Linked Job Groups. These groups allow you to manage jobs that are interconnected, ensuring they are performed by the same resource and follow consecutively. This article will guide you through creating and managing Linked Job Groups to enhance your scheduling efficiency.

Setting up Linked Jobs

Setting Up New Job Types

• Navigate to: [Top menu] Account settings (icon) → Settings → [side menu] → Schedule → Job types → Add
• Complete a Job type form for each new job type you wish to create.

Setting up a Linked Job Group Template.

• Navigate to: [Top menu] Account settings (icon) → Settings → [side menu] → Schedule → Job Group Template.
• Select Add.
  1. Define the reference number and name for your Job Group Template.
  2. Ensure the checkbox for linked job functionality is ticked.
  3. Decide if all jobs will be carried out at the same site.
  4. Add individual jobs to your Job Group.

Managing & Scheduling Linked Jobs

Navigate to the Schedule.

• Select the Job group template icon to create you linked jobs.

• Fill in the nessasary fields such as Site contact, reference and order number.
  1. Select the group job template from the list.
  2. Select a date and time for the start of the linked jobs.
  3. Select a resource.

• Select the create icon to create ans schedule the jobs.
• The jobs will automatically be created within a group job.
• Linked jobs are marked with a chain symbol on the right so you can see it is part of a linked job.

• Selecting and dragging one job will move the entire linked group.

• Once jobs are linked, they act in unison. 

The red outline around the jobs below shows the group:

When an unscheduled linked job group is dragged onto the schedule, the user is provided with a prompt 'The job you are scheduling is part of a linked group job. Do you want the job or the group job to be scheduled to start at this time?'

Template Documents for Group Jobs

• Use specially created keywords for emails, texts, etc., related to Group Jobs.
• Refer to the Templates and Word Add-in articles for detailed instructions.
• Any key word that starts with Job Group ......

Linked Job Groups at the Same Site

Scheduling at the Same Location

• Linked jobs at the same site do not require additional travel time calculations.
• The start time of the first job determines the schedule for subsequent jobs.

Linked Job Groups at Different Sites

Scheduling at Different Locations

• Only the first checkbox is ticked for job groups at different sites. Leave the 'All jobs within the group at same contac' blank.
• This will reveal a new row called Contact, whereby you an allocated to different sites.
• Travel time is calculated between job sites, affecting the schedule.

Removing a Job from a Linked Group

• Navigate to: Schedule → select the job group → select the Details tab of the group job.
• Untick the 'Jobs in group are linked' box to remove a job from the group.

The jobs will now behave independently.

Applying a Recurrence to a Linked Job Group

A: Simple Recurrences

First, click on the Linked Job Group which you would like to set a recurrence for and then in the sub-menu, open the Detail tab.  Now go to the Recurrence of job group field and click on the Edit button:

Complete the popup window which opens.  In this example, the recurrence has been set to take place on the first Monday of each month, ending after 12 occurrences.

Automatically Reschedule Unstarted Jobs

Where a job within a Linked Job Group has not been started, you can opt to transfer it to another Linked Job Group for completion. For example, imagine we are carrying out the Linked Group Job 'Deep Clean', which we set up earlier. 

Unfortunately, the office staff are working late making it impossible to carry out the job 'Tidy Desks'.

However, as well as a monthly 'Deep Clean', we also carry out a weekly 'Quick Clean' at the same site:

The BigChange system can automatically reschedule the 'Tidy Desks' job, adding it to your next site visit for a 'Quick Clean':

Please note, you can configure BigChange so that it will not add a job which already appears in the new Linked Job Group, ie 'Empty Bins' or 'Clean Kitchen' in the above example, since the same job cannot need to be carried out twice at the same location, on the same day. This setting can be found at the bottom of the Linked job group settings:

Setup

First, click on the Linked Job Group which you would like to set a recurrence for and then in the sub-menu, open the Detail tab.  Now go to the Recurrence of job group field and click on the Edit button:

At the bottom of the recurrence popup which you completed earlier, you will see a heading Linked Job Group Settings.  Tick the checkbox next to Reschedule jobs in linked groups.... and additional fields will open.  Populate these as desired, choosing to reschedule the jobs to another specific Job Group, eg 'Quick Clean' or to the next group of any time, scheduled to take place.

The final option allows you to determine how you wish to display duplicated jobs: completed/completed with issues/cancelled.

Additional Features

1. Re-Allocating and Rescheduling 

• • Jobs can be rescheduled or allocated to a different resource simply by dragging and dropping, or via the Detail tab. 
  •  You will notice that the dotted blue outline is sized for the entire linked group, rather than for the individual job. 

2. Changing Job Location

• • For Linked Job Groups where no element has been started, changes can be made to the site address for any of the jobs.  Simply open the job and adjust the start time. 
  • You will notice that once this is saved, all of the job times adjust.

3. Adjusting Start Times

• • Similarly, if none of the jobs has been started, the time for one of the jobs can be adjusted.  For example, if you have a specific delivery or collection slot at one of the sites, you can alter the time of that job and the other jobs in the linked group will adjust, as shown above. 
  • If you wish to change the start time of a job once a job(s) in the group has been started, the job group link must be broken.

4. Cancelling Individual Jobs

• • Prior to any of the jobs starting, an individual job in the group can be cancelled without it cancelling the entire group.  Unless the cancelled job is the last one in the group, you will be asked whether you would like to move the remaining jobs forward to fill the gap in the schedule previously occupied by the cancelled job

Conclusion

Linked Job Groups in BigChange streamline scheduling by allowing jobs to be managed as a single unit. This feature enhances efficiency, especially for jobs that are interdependent or occur at the same location. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can effectively create, manage, and schedule Linked Job Groups to optimise your operations.

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