The Scheduling Assistant

The Scheduling Assistant in BigChange is a powerful tool designed to help users efficiently allocate resources and vehicles to jobs.

This article will guide you through the process of using the Scheduling Assistant, including its features, benefits, and how to navigate its functionalities.

Understanding the Scheduling Assistant

How the Scheduling Assistant Works

On creation of a new job or the allocting an unscheduled job, a user selects 'Save and schedule' after creating a job, the Scheduling Assistant is activated.
The Scheduling Assistant interrogates the job information for any constraints and applies them as defaults.
Constraints include resource or vehicle requirements, specific skills, availability, and time constraints.

Schedule Assistant 1.png

Search best: Is the scheduling priority that of a resource eg a gas safe certified engineer, or a vehicle eg a fork-lift truck
Group: Which resource/vehicle group is required for the job
Skills: Any specific skills that the resource needs to have
From: When does the resource/vehicle need to be available from - date and time. If no time constraints are found, the assistant defaults to a seven day period from the time of scheduling.
Resource: Is the job to be done by a specific resource
Attributes: What attributes are required (Vehicle)
To: The latest date by which the job needs to be done (see (4))
When: If no time has been specified, the assistant will default to Anytime. Morning is 00:00 - 12:00 and Afternoon is 12:00 – 24:00.
Search: The assistant will search for available job slots where the above criteria are met and will then provide a list:

Schedule Assistant 2.png

Searching for Available Slots

The Scheduling Assistant searches for job slots that meet the criteria. It considers travel time, shift patterns, and traffic regulations. Results include resource name, start time, distance, travel time, and job cost.

Resource: Name of the resource available.
Skills: List of skills each resource has.
Start: Date and time the resource can start the job.
Extra distance: The distance between their journey start and the job location. Please note, when the additional job takes place on the existing site, or on the route already planned, the total will appear as zero.
Extra driving: The length of time it will take the resource to arrive at the job location.
Job cost: The cost of the job when carried out by that resource (this data is pulled through from the settings in the Resource Administration section). It is calculated as follows: ((resource’s hourly cost x planned driving time to and from the job) + (resource’s hourly cost x the planned time of the job) + (distance travelled to and from the job x the planned vehicle’s cost per mile)).

Schedule Assistant 3.png

*The values used for cost calculation can be set in Administration against each Resource and Vehicle

Editing Scheduling Settings

Navigate to: [Top menu] Profile (icon) → Admin Settings → (Quick link) General account settings → Schedule.

Editable fields include:

Schedule Assistant 4.png

Resource and vehicle setup

To effectively set up your resources and ensure the Scheduling Assistant functions properly, follow these steps:

Navigaing to [Top menu] Profile (icon) → Admin Settings → (Side menu) Resources → Add - edit

Navigaing to [Top menu] Profile (icon) → Admin Settings → (Side menu) Vehicles → Add - edit

Schedule Assistant 6.png

Further Advantages of the Scheduling Assistant

Cost data is available and options are ranked from lowest to highest cost.
Resources with scheduled absences are automatically removed from results.
The Scheduling Assistant prioritises user constraints and schedules jobs accordingly.

Scheduling Assistant - Single Job Logic

Default Behaviour

The Scheduling Assistant applies time constraints as default date filters.
Resource or vehicle constraints are applied as default filters.
Users can filter slots by time of day (Anytime, Morning, Afternoon, or custom time window).

Searching for Slots

The Scheduling Assistant checks driving distance and ensures adequate time for travel.
Extra time is added for unforeseen circumstances (editable in Account Administration).

Constraints and Settings

Constraints include minimum free time between jobs, authorised lateness, and extra journey time.
If "Shifts start and end at the same location" is set to no, no return journey is considered for the last job of the day.

Scheduling Assistant - Single Job Results

The Scheduling Assistant offers slots based on costs, timings, and constraints.
Users make the final decision on slot selection.
If constraints are unmet, a red warning symbol is displayed with an explanation.

Schedule Assistant 7.png

Conclusion

The Scheduling Assistant in BigChange is a robust tool that simplifies job scheduling by considering various constraints and optimising resource allocation. By understanding its functionalities and settings, users can efficiently manage their schedules and ensure jobs are assigned to the right resources at the right time. For further assistance, refer to the BigChange Help Centre or contact support.