Use the resource allocation and monitoring process to allocate maintenance resources to work tasks and work assignments. The process considers various constraints and requirements to ensure a good match between resource and task.
The process consists of three main activities:
Note: For resource definitions and data setup prerequisites, refer to Maintenance Resource Setup.
Read about:
A resource will be allocable and appear in the Allocate Resource and the Resource Monitoring Gantt windows based on various settings, constraints, and search criteria.
For person type resources, the following properties need to match the constraints that have been entered on a work task or resource demand:
If a Work Time Schedule has been defined for the employee it will indicate if the employee is available and unallocated at the timeslot that is to be allocated.
Note: A person's allocations, such as, absences, training allocations, project allocations, breaks, and lunches will only be visible in the Allocate Resource dialog box and Resource Monitoring Gantt if IFS/Human Resource Management is used.
For tool/equipment type resources, the following properties need to match the constraints that have been entered on a work task:
The Allocate Resource window allows you to allocate and reallocate resources to work tasks according to the constraints provided on the work task. It is used in the Allocate Resource and Reallocate Resource activities.
The window can be used when:
The window can be accessed from the header in Work Task or Prepare Work Order windows. The window is also accessible for individual or multiple work tasks from Prepare Work order/Work task. When the window is opened, suitable resources are retrieved according to the resource requirements of the default selected resource demand and work task. It is possible to alter the search parameters in the window to search for additional or reduced resource requirements.
You can adjust the appearance of the Gantt chart and the information shown, by expanding or collapsing timescale of the Gantt Chart, or through various options available from the Settings tab in the Search dialog box. Click Search to access the dialog box.
Use the options available in the upper section of the window to change the appearance or the information shown in the Gantt chart.
Note: Click Search and go to the Settings tab for various other options.
Task No
Indicates the selected work task. It also contains the list of work tasks that the Gantt chart was opened for.
Duration
Displays the duration of the work task.
Filter by Availability
The check box displays if the current search was made with a filter for availability. Click Search... to change the setting. When selected, the search result will hide resources that are unavailable, based on allocations and working schedule.
The Gantt window has these graphical features:
Resource Allocations
Once the activities are assigned on a resource, it is represented as an allocation on corresponding resource as a bar.
The beginning and end of the bar corresponds to the Allocated From and Allocated To dates and the length of the bar may not be exactly equal to the allocated hours in the work assignment. The allocation bars are represented in different colors based on its origin (i.e. Work Task, Projects, Trainings and Absences are represented in different colors. Click Legend for more information.)
If there exists a work assignment for a resource for the resource demand selected in the top Gantt chart this resource will always be shown in the lower Gantt chart. Even if the search constraints do not include this resource, it will be shown to be able to see the work assignment and to make reallocations of it.
Each resource activity of each resource demand is represented as a bar starting from the work task's planned start date and with the length of the task duration. If the task's planned start date is not available it takes the current date as the starting date of the activity.
Date Guide Lines
Visible Time Period
The time period that is visible when opening the window will be based on the information entered on the work task and the Buffer Period and Population Fallback Period in the Resource Allocation Search dialog box on the Settings tab.
The start of the planning period will be selected with following priority order.
If these fields are undefined the current time is used.
The end of the planning period will be the latest date of the following work task fields:
If these fields are undefined the Population Fallback Period will be used to set the end time.
If the dates used for the planning period is in the past, the gantt chart will also show the time up until the current date.
Resource Monitoring Gantt allows you to get an overview of resource availability, allocations and the current assignment progress. It is used in the Monitor Resource ,Reallocate Resource ,Modify Work Assignment Status and Readjust Visits activities. Use this window to get an overview of resource availability, allocations, and work assignments.
Allocations are represented by bars. The start and end point of each bar represent the Allocated Start and Allocated Finish dates. The length of the bar corresponds to the Duration of the allocation. The bar's colors represent status: the left-hand color shows the status of the connected work task, and the right-hand color shows the status of the underlying work assignment.
Drag an allocation to quickly re-allocate it. To allow for quick reallocations the Resource Monitoring Gantt overrides constraints that are setup on the work task. To reallocate an allocation but still keep the constraints, right-click the allocation and click Allocate Resource to allocate it in the Allocate Resource window instead.
Note: Right-click an allocation to display a menu with related options. Right-click the chart area to display printing options.
Use the options available in the upper section of the window to change the appearance or the information shown in the Gantt chart.
Display Period
Displays the current selection for date range and resource type that is displayed in the Gantt chart.
Highlight Options
Use the highlight options to make it easier to find the information you are currently looking for. Enter selections and select the corresponding select check boxes to change the appearance of the Gantt chart. Refer to the field help for each option for more information.
Auto Refresh Options
Use the auto refresh options to automatically reload data and update the Gantt chart. When auto refresh is enabled an indicator is displayed in the Auto Refresh Options area. The indicator will switch from green to red when an automatic update is about to occur.
Time Scale
Choose what time scale to use in the Gantt chart.
Note: Click Show Legend to learn the meaning of the colors and symbols used in the chart.
Schedules and calendars for the resources are displayed in the Gantt chart on the right-hand side. The selected resources are shown on the left-hand side of the chart.
It is possible to transfer work assignments to mobile and to reassign a work assignment that has already been transferred. Right-click an allocation to transfer to display these options.
The status of a work assignment can be changed from the chart. Right-click an allocation to display this option.