Schedule via the calendar

Scheduling via the calendar is a simple three-step process:

1. Block out some time on the calendar

On the calendar, click and drag to block out some time on the day, time and resource you need.

In this image, we've clicked on 8am and dragged to 10am.

When you let go of the mouse, the Schedule window appears with the options shown below.

 

 

2. Choose the event type

Before you can save the schedule, you need to select an event type (left-hand side of Schedule window).

The table below describes the event types you can choose.

Events	Description
Schedules > Select: Task/Quote Task Quote Periodic	Select an existing task, quote or periodic task. Using the filters You can also use the filters at the top and type using keywords to easily find existing records. Click on to display other filters, e.g. the Zone column can be used both to see what resource zone your tasks/quotes are in, as well as finding which tasks/quotes match the resource zone of the user you're scheduling jobs to.   Business Units filter If you have access to multiple Business Units, you will have an additional filter at the bottom of the search window to display further options (task scheduling only). Filter Option Description This Business Unit Only Only displays tasks that are part of the selected business unit. Include Child Business Units Displays tasks that are part of both the selected business unit and child business units. Include All Business Units Displays tasks for all business units.
Schedules > Create: Task Quote Periodic	Create a task, quote or periodic task.
Task Timesheets > Select Overhead	Select a timesheet overhead, such as annual leave, public holiday, or trade school. The list of overheads is configured in Site Administration. If changes are required, please contact your Site Administrator.
Ad-hocs > Create Ad-hoc Event	Set a calendar entry for something other than a task, quote or periodic. For example, meetings, training sessions, personal errands, or reminders. Field staff can see ad-hoc events in their scheduled task list in AroFlo Field, which makes it a useful tool for broadcasting important messages.

Other timesheet options

Two options within the Task Timesheets area may appear as unavailable:
To enable these options, go to your calendar settings and tick Show Task Timesheets in the 'Event Types' area:

 

 

Event Details

• The event details appear on the left-hand side of the schedule window.
  
• If there are any task notes recorded, the last three will be displayed on the left-hand side of the schedule window under the task details.
• To access the client card, click the client name button located in the middle of the schedule window.

 

 

 

 

3. Choose your resources, dates and times

Depending on your calendar view, your schedule may already contain the name of a resource and the date and time of the event. For example, if you have your calendar view set to 'Time > Week by Resource', as we have in the example below. In this case, click Done, and your schedule is confirmed.

If there is no resource or time shown on the Schedule window, or you want to add further resources:

1. Click the (two people) icon.
2. Click the option you need from the dropdown menu and make a selection from the Search window that appears
   

   Resource options

   Option	Description
   Add Users	Add one or more users (resources) to the event.
   Add Assets	Add one or more assets to the event.
   Add Crews	Add a crew to the event.

   You can add as many users, assets or crews as you need to.

    

    

3. Optional: Enter a schedule note.
4. Click Done.

Scheduled time vs actual time

Task schedules entered into the calendar are a schedule guideline only. Staff are required to record their actual time when they complete the job in the field, and these are timesheet entries. AroFlo uses actual hours booked on a task (not scheduled hours) to calculate profit and loss.

 

 

 

Schedule via a task, quote or periodic task

You can get to the Schedule window from within a task, quote or periodic task.

In the Schedule window:

1. Click the(two people) icon.
2. Click the option you need from the dropdown menu and make a selection from the Search window that appears
   

   Resource options

   Option	Description
   Add Users	Add one or more users (resources) to the event.
   Add Assets	Add one or more assets to the event.
   Add Crews	Add a crew to the event.

   You can add as many users, assets or crews as you need to. Click the X in the top right of the Search window to close it.

    

    
3. Optional: Enter a schedule note.
4. Click Done, Save, or Create Task/Quote, as required.

Schedule via a Gantt chart

Tasks that form part of a project can be scheduled from within the project's Gantt chart, or from the Calendar.

You'll know you're looking at a project task because there will be a banner inside the Task Detail/Schedules window, showing the task start and end date.

See Schedule Project Tasks for more information.

 

GPS scheduling

An alternative way to schedule is by using the GPS features within AroFlo's calendar. You can create an efficient job run for resources assigned to specific zones or schedule urgent jobs to the nearest available resource. For more information, see Scheduling with GPS (Nearest Task or Resource).

Schedule groups

When multiple resources are selected within the same schedule block, it is called a 'schedule group'. Schedule Groups allow you to edit and move a group of resources easily on the calendar. Within each schedule block, you can add as many resources as required.

To create separate schedule blocks that can be moved independently of each other, click the Add Schedule button and a new schedule block will appear, allowing you to select resources and enter times and notes.

The image below shows an event with two schedule groups. This can be handy for jobs that run over multiple days, or where you need different staff to turn up at different times.

Schedule options

The table below describes the options within the scheduling window.

List of options

Option	What it does
Add resources to schedule:	Opens a dropdown menu from which you can add resources (people), assets, or crews (people plus assets) to the event.
Show/Hide Calendar:	Opens a date picker from which you can select additional dates or change the date of the event: click and drag to select multiple consecutive dates, or select a range of non-consecutive dates by holding down the CTRL key on your keyboard (CMD key on Macs) while you click the dates within the date picker. Once you've selected your dates, click the icon again to close the date picker.
Add/Edit Schedule Reminders:	The use of this feature requires an event message to be set up for the Schedule Reminder Template and/or Schedule - Create types. Before saving a schedule, this icon allows you to schedule an email, SMS or desktop alert at a range of times either before or after the event. Refer to Event Messages for detailed instructions on setting this up. After saving a schedule and re-opening the event in the calendar, this icon gives you a dropdown list from which you can send: schedule reminders  event messages (note that this triggers the Edit Schedule event message) emails SMS messages event invites Edit Schedule Event Message Setting Your general Calendar settings decide if AroFlo sends your Edit Schedule event messages automatically or not. Automatic: The Send Event Messages option is ticked automatically. Manual: You must tick the Send Event Messages option when you're creating your schedule for the event message to trigger.
Lock/Unlock Schedule:	Lock the schedule so it can't be inadvertently altered. To lock a schedule, click the padlock and then click Done. To unlock a schedule, open it, click the padlock, then click OK > Done.
Delete the schedule:	Delete just the scheduled date and time, not the entire schedule. To delete the entire schedule, use the Delete button on the lower left of the schedule window.
'Hidden' checkbox	Hide a schedule from users. This can be useful for schedules that are not yet confirmed. The user who created the schedule will see a transparent calendar entry, but the user(s) listed on the schedule cannot see it at all until it is unhidden.
'Send Event Messages' checkbox	Automatically sends event messages for certain changes to the schedule. See Event Messages for setup instructions.
'Single Start, Finish, Note' checkbox	Copies the time from the first resource to all resources within the group, and to make sure any schedule notes you enter appear for all resources within the group schedule. This saves you from having to change these details individually. See Add schedule notes for more information.

 

 

What's the difference between a 'group' and a 'crew'?

A group is a one-off grouping of resources, assets or crews for a particular event. You create a group within the Schedule window, as shown in Schedule Groups, above. A crew is a group of resources and/or assets that regularly work together and which you can schedule as a single resource. You create a crew in the calendar settings. An example of a crew could be a couple of resources (i.e. people), their vehicle, and the equipment they routinely use. In the image below, the Eastern Crew has been added to the calendar view, just like any other resource.

 

 

 

Change a schedule

AroFlo gives you plenty of flexibility in working with your schedules. Check out the following pages for instructions on how to:

• Edit a schedule
• Hide a schedule
• Lock a schedule
• Delete a schedule.

Run a Schedule Report

Managers and those with the right permissions can run a schedule report to show all schedules and ad hoc events for all users, or just for themselves, for the next 30 days.