MobiWork - Planning & Scheduling
Introduction
With the introduction of the 4th Industrial Revolution,
paper-based systems are slowly being phased out to make way for digitized
business processes. Many organizations have adopted mobile workforce software
solutions to leverage the advantages of paperless, cloud-based systems
to maximize efficiency and to lower overhead costs.
The use of such systems strives to enforce business rules that are being
followed every time. Employees can be held accountable when deviations occur.
MobiWork is a mobile workforce system solution that has been successfully
implemented globally. In this article attention is drawn to the functionalities
available in the MobiWork system that assists in the planning, scheduling, and
dispatching of resources.
Functionalities available for Planning and Scheduling
This article will
only focus on the functionalities related to planning and scheduling.
More articles will
follow to explore functionalities and these functionalities can be utilized for
a more efficient organization.
1.
The Customer
This functionality provides for a full history
of the customer. The contact details are provided as well as the physical
address. The provision of a physical
address provides input to the Google Maps when a work order is created. With
this information the field technician can proceed via the shortest route to the
customer.
Using this facility ensures that the organization
is aware exactly where the technician is and the time of arrival at a client
site can accurately be estimated.
Assigning a customer to a dedicated
“account manager” enables the ability to schedule and record dates when the
customers was or is to be visited.
2.
Work Orders
Work orders describe the work that needs to be done (the “what”), the person assigned to complete the work (the “who”), the appropriate address (the “where”), and the scheduled time (the “when”).
Several options are
available when specifying “who” is to take responsibility for executing
the Work Order. These include the following:
·
The
technician by name (or “user” as per system definition)
·
Multiple
users
·
User at a
current location
·
User at
Base location
·
Closest
user in 7 days
·
Closet
user in 30 days
·
User with
particular skills
· User at Base location with specific skills
Work orders also make
provision for the parts and / or the assets to be used in executing the job.
Once completed there will be a full list available of all part used with their
associated costs, services provided (labour rates/ call-out rates) and assets
if applicable.
Industries that use
time as part of their billing parameters can have time recorded according to
business rules. The mentioned functionalities is but a fraction of what the
Work Order functionality provide for. It can however be seen that accurate
planning, scheduling, and dispatching of resources is facilitated to enhance
efficiency in the organization.
3.
Projects
The Projects
functionality normally flows from an Estimate, but this is not an absolute
requirement. The Project records the sequence in which multiple Work Orders
need to be completed for a specific project and / or job.
Tasks, which are
independent from Work Orders, can be specified. Tasks are written requirements
that need to be completed as a supplement to Work Orders.
4.
Recurrent Routes
This is aimed at
routes to be completed at specified times and at specified intervals, i.e.
weekly on a Friday. The customers to be visited are added to the route and
allocated an approximate time. Once the route has been defined, optimization
can be executed to provide for the most economical route in terms distance,
sequence, and timing. Optimizing can be invoked each time new clients are added
to the route.
5.
Scheduling
The Scheduling functionality is an
electronic board where all defined users and Work Orders are shown.
This information can be shown in the
following configuration options:
·
Daily
·
Weekly
·
Monthly
·
Composite (timeline / map /
user list all at once)
·
List view
A designated User has access to the Work
Order information by clicking on the icon.
Users can reassign Work Orders to other
users and other date and time instances with “drag and drop” features. The
Schedule is part of Management Information to provide ease of use ability to
manage the allocation of resources.
Summary
The MobiWork Planning, Scheduling and
Dispatching grouping provides functionality to enhance efficiency
without adding an administrative burden to the system and users.
At LionGate Solutions we offer a free assessment of your current practices. This is high-level assessment of areas where your organization could possibly save on operational costs. We will provide you with a customized version of our software for a trial period of 14 days so you can test before making a decision on taking any further steps.
For more information visit our website: https://liongatesolution.co.za/
Pieter Coetzer
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