This description is divided into the following sections:
- Resource Allocation
- Resource Reallocation
- Status Handling of Visits
- Time Reporting
- Set Time to Complete
- Readjust Visit Chain
In general single work is allocated to a one resource as a single work assignment. Visit handling can be used to create more than one work assignment for a single work based on the work schedule or calendar of the resource. When a single work has more than one work assignment, it is called a Visit Chain. An individual work assignment of the visit chain is referred as a Visit. Each visit is sequenced with Visit ID and Visits in a visit chain to continue unfinished work is referred as Follow-on Visits.
Visit are created according to a general logic based on the resource's working schedule, if the work
assignments are created through a source other than IFS/Planning Scheduling Optimization. Then visits can be
handled according to a general concept. If IFS/Planning Scheduling Optimization is used, visits are automatically
created by the Planning Scheduling Optimization tool.
Maintenance Resources should be set up as in Maintenance Resource Setup and the Allow Multiple Visit option should be selected on the work task. If IFS/Planning Scheduling Optimization is used, values for the Allow Multiple Visits option and Minimum visit duration are fetched from the Scheduling Activity Type. Otherwise, the value for the Allow Multiple Visits option is defaulted from the Site/Service Organization, but can also be manually edited on the work task.
There are two main phases of the resource allocation process related to visit handling i.e. Planning phase and Execution phase. Initial resource allocation is considered as planning phases while the activities of transferring the work assignment to the mobile device or accepting the work assignment is referred as the execution phase of the allocation process.
The resource allocation process of visit handling in IFS/Planning Scheduling Optimization is different than the general process. Read about Activity Visits in Planning and Scheduling Optimization for more information.
Visit chain can be reallocated using the Assign Work dialog.
The status of a work assignment in a visit chain can be changed similar to a single work assignment. Read more about Work Assignments for general information on status handling. However, there are some special scenarios when changing the work assignment status in visit handling as below.
Time reporting on visit can be done only if the preceding visit is Completed.
During the execution of a visit chain it is possible to update the remaining time of the work through the Time to Complete page. This page can be received when completing each visit with follow-on visit and also through the right mouse button option on visits which are not Canceled or Completed or Incompleted. In the background this updates the total duration of the work and the remaining time of the work is derived from the time difference between the total duration and the Actual Works Hours of completed visits.
When a Work Assignment Visit is set to Completed and the Time to Complete is set to 0 hours (the work is done) the remaining visits will be removed or cancelled, based on their status.
When the updated remaining time and sum of the the total Allocated Hours of the active visits (i.e. visits with status Assigned, Accepted, OnRoute, Waiting at Location, Started, Pending completion) has a difference, , it can be adjusted using the Readjust button in the work assignment tab. Then, the visit chain can be readjusted by selecting Readjust and clicking on the active visit chain to recreate it according to the updated remaining work time and the work assignments. The visit chain is automatically updated as the concept below.
Note: Visits are created in execution phase considering the Allocated hours of the initial work assignment.
However, when reallocating and readjusting a visit chain it always consider the updated remaining time to complete
the work
If IFS/Planning Scheduling Optimization is used, further detailed information about visits in Planning and Scheduling optimization is available in: Activity Visits in Planning and Scheduling Optimization for more information.