6.21.0 Equipment scheduling improvements

6.21.0 Equipment scheduling improvements

What's new?

We're introducing enhanced equipment scheduling features within Aspire! You can now mark equipment as schedulable with the new Available for Scheduling field and manage it through the new Equipment Scheduling Board. The updated interface allows for easier navigation, while new role permissions help streamline equipment management. Plus, track repairs and daily use with integrated scheduling logs and operational efficiency improvements.

Pre-requisites

The Equipment Scheduling Board is available to any client with access to the Equipment module, including:

• Enterprise tier
• Corporate tier
• Growth tier: Only if you have the Azuga add-on, or you can upgrade to the Corporate tier to gain access

Overview

Here’s a brief overview of the new equipment scheduling features and enhancements:

1. Updated Permissions and Role Management: The new role permission Schedule Equipment allows you to mark equipment as schedulable and manage it within the Equipment Scheduling Board. Ensure you have the necessary permissions to access and use these features.
2. Mark Equipment as Schedulable: Use the new Available for Scheduling field to mark equipment as available for scheduling. This field enhances your scheduling process by identifying equipment ready for assignment.
3. New Equipment Scheduling Board: Access the Equipment Scheduling Board from the Equipment module. This board offers a user-friendly interface to view and manage equipment schedules across multiple routes.
4. New Scheduling Logs and Operational Efficiency: Track equipment repairs and daily usage with integrated scheduling logs. The logs provide detailed views of scheduling activities, helping you monitor and manage equipment more effectively.
5. Detailed Equipment Module Updates: The Equipment module now includes options to mark equipment as available to schedule, edit existing assets, and log scheduling events. Use the Equipment tab for asset management, the Scheduling tab for scheduling, and the Logs tab within the Equipment Details screen for tracking activities.
6. Improved Scheduling Logs Search List: The new Scheduling Logs Search List screen provides an enhanced view of equipment scheduling activities, enabling you to filter and display relevant information efficiently.
7. Bulk Actions and Visit Tile Enhancements: Utilize the Bulk Actions menu to set multiple equipment items as available or unavailable for scheduling. Visit tiles on the Route Scheduling Board now include an icon to indicate scheduled equipment, with enhanced options for managing and viewing details.

For a detailed description of these updates, including screen elements and new features, refer to the full documentation provided below.

New equipment permission

Schedule Equipment: Grants the ability to mark equipment as schedulable and schedule equipment assets for work ticket visits. You can select the Available for Scheduling option on the Equipment screen with this permission. To access the Schedule Equipment checkbox, you must also have View Equipment permission and either Read Only or Full Access to the Schedule Board. For more information, see Equipment Permissions.

Equipment module updates

The Equipment module allows you to add new equipment assets, edit existing equipment assets, or log meter readings or service events. It is accessible from the left navigation panel.

The Equipment module is organized into tabs. The Equipment tab displays a list of all equipment assets. You can drill into each asset to view additional details. The Scheduling tab enables you to schedule shared equipment assets against work ticket visits and visualize equipment locations and timing. The Logs tab contains reading, schedule, and service logs. The following sections provide detailed descriptions of the elements available on each tab.

View the details for each equipment asset by drilling into the asset from the equipment list. The Equipment Details screen displays basic equipment information including purchase date, in-service date, disposal status, and asset-related attachments. Each Equipment Details screen also contains a Logs tab with reading, schedule, and service logs associated with that specific asset.

The new Equipment Details screen The new Available for Scheduling option on the Equipment Details tab of the Equipment screen is described below. 

Logs Tab

Select the Logs tab to view information about the reading, service, and equipment logs for a specific piece of equipment. The screen elements are described in the following table:

Managing equipment 

With the 6.21 equipment scheduling enhancements, you can view and schedule shared equipment assets against already-scheduled visits and visualize where equipment will be and when.

The following table summarizes the new menu options available from the Equipment icon.

New Equipment Scheduling Board module

From the Equipment module, select the Scheduling tab to access the Equipment Scheduling Board. The Equipment Scheduling Board allows you to identify and schedule equipment across multiple routes, providing better visibility and control over equipment schedules.

You can allocate equipment for visits and set daily schedules to efficiently manage shared assets across various routes.

To schedule equipment, drag a visit from the visit drawer, onto the Equipment Scheduling Board to assign the equipment to that visit.

To enable the Equipment Scheduling Board, assign the Schedule Equipment permission to the appropriate roles. Users also need View Equipment permission and either Read-Only Access or Full Access to the Schedule Board. This permission allows users to mark equipment as schedulable by selecting the Available for Scheduling option on the Equipment Details or Equipment Search List screens. For more information on permissions, see the Equipment Permissions article.

The screen elements on the Equipment Scheduling screen are described in the following table: 

Menu Option	Description
Quick filters	Use the quick filters for Branch, Divisions, and Equipment Class to refine the Equipment Scheduling Board. Filter availability for each piece of equipment is specified on the Equipment Details screen.
Visit drawer (clipboard icon)	Select the clipboard icon from the top right menu to open the visit drawer. The visit drawer displays visits that have already been scheduled on the Route Scheduling board, along with their associated work ticket numbers and descriptions. You can manage equipment scheduling by selecting, dragging, and dropping visits from the drawer onto the appropriate equipment for the selected day. By default, the visit drawer shows visits linked to work tickets scheduled for routes, to facilitate equipment allocation. When you select a visit from the drawer, it aligns the equipment's schedule with existing route plans. Tip: Equipment can only be scheduled on the day of the visit. Scheduled equipment is also visible on the Route Scheduling Board. You can filter visits by Route Manager or Route. Use the advanced search filters to refine your display using the following criteria: Branch Description Division Opportunity Number Property Address Property Name Route Route Manager Ticket # Work Ticket Status
Equipment information	Equipment is listed alphabetically and includes details for items marked as Available for Scheduling on the Equipment Details screen. The displayed information includes: Equipment Name: Select this hyperlink to navigate to the corresponding Equipment Details screen. Equipment Model EquipmentClass Status: Statuses include Requested, Approved, Purchased, In Service, and OutofService. To view more details, select a piece of equipment to open the Equipment Details screen.
Date range selector	Allows you to specify the period displayed in the equipment scheduling board view. Selecting the left and right arrows advances a week. Selecting the drop-down arrow displays a calendar control, allowing you to navigate to a specific date. Select Today to bring you to the current day from the calendar. Note: Visits in the visit drawer are automatically filtered to match the week displayed on the Equipment Schedule Board.

Visit tiles on the Equipment Schedule Board

Visit tiles on the Equipment Schedule Board represent scheduled visits associated with specific pieces of equipment. Each tile provides key information about the visit, such as the service name, opportunity number, work ticket, property, and route name.

• Left-click on a visit tile to open a detailed menu, which includes quick access to essential information like the visit’s date, associated opportunity, work ticket, property, and route details. You can also view the property on Google Maps, or go directly to the visit on the Route Scheduling Board by selecting Go To Visit.
• Right-click on a visit tile to access additional options, including opening the Equipment Details screen or the work ticket, or accessing the Visit Details screen. Users with appropriate permissions can also remove visits from the Equipment Schedule Board.

 

Access to these options depends on your role-based permissions within Aspire. Users with View Equipment and Schedule Equipment permissions, along with Schedule Board access, can fully interact with visit tiles.

New scheduling logs search list screen

The new Equipment Scheduling Logs Search List screen provides a detailed view of equipment scheduling activities for all schedulable assets. 

This search list behaves like other Aspire search lists allowing you to display and filter information to provide the most value in various situations.

The following image depicts the Equipment Scheduling Logs Search List screen:

Bulk Actions menu

The Bulk Actions drop-down menu is available on the Equipment search list screen. The new menu option is described below:

Schedule Board visit tile enhancements

Tiles are displayed on the schedule board to represent scheduled visits for work tickets. 

The new equipment icon on the left side of the visit tile shows that equipment has been scheduled for the work ticket visit that day.

Right-click on the visit, then select Schedule Equipment to go directly to the new Equipment Scheduling Board and manage or schedule equipment for visits. 

Visit tile options on right-click

 

Left-click on the visit tile with the equipment icon to view the details. The Equipment icon displays the name, model, and class of the equipment scheduled for a visit.

If multiple pieces of equipment are scheduled, select the hyperlink to open the Equipment modal, view additional details, or go to the Equipment Scheduling Board. Select the name of a specific piece of equipment to drill into its Equipment Details screen.

Equipment module

 Work Ticket Visit screen - equipment information

Select Daily Plan on the Work Ticket Visit screen to access the Equipment section. This section contains the equipment name and the days the equipment is scheduled for the associated visit.

Daily Plan Report search list screen enhancements

We've added the following optional fields to the Daily Plan Report:

For more information, see the following articles: 

• Equipment Permissions
• Equipment Module
• Managing Equipment
• Equipment Search List Screen
• Equipment Scheduling Board
• Schedule Board
• Work Ticket Visits Screen
• Daily Plan Report Search List Screen