Understanding the Schedule

The service schedule is a tool predominantly used to manage your workshop. Garage Hive works by allocating time rather than jobsheets within the schedule; this allows you to load time accurately.

In this article

  1. Understanding the schedule layout
  2. Understanding the colours within the schedule
  3. Changing the Schedule View
  4. View and Setup Time Grids and Service Hours from the Schedule
  5. Adding resources in the schedule
  6. Rearranging resources in the schedule
  7. Managing service hours in the schedule
  8. Adding resources calender changes
  9. View the statistics of the schedule
  10. Adding a standard event
  11. How to exclude some standard events when calculating available hours
  12. Understanding the emojis in an allocation
  13. How to Add Schedule Allocations Count
  14. Using the search function in the schedule
  15. Adding an allocation type

Understanding the Schedule Layout

The service schedule layout is divided into the following parts:

  1. The menu bar: this is where you find the different actions to use as you navigate through the schedule.
  2. The View FastTab: this helps you to filter what to view in the schedule according to your preference.
  3. The Schedule Timeline: this shows the day and time in the schedule. The red line in the schedule, running from top to bottom, is the current time of the day.
  4. The Booking Slots: this is where the allocations bookings are made and displayed. You can make multiple allocations for a single jobsheet. The colour of the booking changes depending on the allocation status; see Understanding the colours within the schedule.

    Example
    If you are booking in a gearbox repair job, you would not be doing all of the work in one go.

    Garage Hive allows you to make multiple allocations of one job, therefore being able to accurately load your day with jobs you will actually be working on, therefore your statistics of available hours will also be accurate.

  5. The Resources: these are all the resources available to work. When the resource is clocked as working, the colour changes to green.

Understanding the Colours Within the Schedule

The schedule colours are used to help understand the different work statuses for each work schedule. The following table explains the default colours that are set up in the system. You can change the colours to your preference.

Default Colour   Status   Notes
(Light Green)   IN PROCESS   A technician is currently working on this allocation (Do not move this allocation). It is dynamic and will grow or shrink based on the technician’s clockings for this allocation.
         
(Blue)   PENDING   This is an allocation that hasn’t been started.
         
(Purple)   FINISHED   A technician has clocked onto this allocation and completed their part of this job, whether that be due to requiring additional authorisation or that it is fully completed (Do not move this allocation).
         
(Green)   READY   The jobsheet status has been manually set to READY, meaning the vehicle is ready for collection. The customer has been contacted and the invoice has been prepared. (Do not move this allocation)
         
(Grey with 📫)   POSTED   The postbox symbol means that the jobsheet for this allocation has been invoiced and posted to the accounts.
         
(Grey with ✅)   REALLOCATED   The vehicle is still on site and the jobsheet is still open. A new allocation has been made for this vehicle within the schedule, turning any previous allocations grey.
         
(Red)   ON HOLD   A paused allocation can be moved on the schedule during the same day for a technician to resume this job. If it gets to the end of the day and there are still paused allocations, deallocate these and make a new allocation for the next day.
         
(Pink)   AWAITING AUTHORISATION   You are waiting for authorisation from either the customer/ lease/ fleet company (You have to manually change the work status code to awaiting authorisation)
         
(Brown)   AWAITING PARTS   Parts have been ordered and you are waiting for them to arrive before reallocating. (You have to manually change the work status code to awaiting parts)

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Changing the Schedule View

The schedule can be customised to your liking; for example, you can reduce the number of hours shown in the schedule, and so on. Here’s how to change the schedule’s view:

  1. In the top-right corner, choose the icon, enter Schedule Views and select the related link.

  2. Select Edit List enable the edit mode.

  3. The following options are available for edit:

    • Period Type - This is the length of time shown in the schedule view, could be a day, week or month.
    • Start Date Formula - This is the formula for calculating the day that will be used in the schedule view when it is opened; for example, 0D indicates that the schedule view will begin today, -1D indicates that the schedule view will begin yesterday, and so on.
    • Start Time and End Time - This is the starting and ending time for the period in the schedule.

View and Setup Time Grids and Service Hours from the Schedule

Time Grids are system time allocations that help manage time slot availability for online bookings and Service Hours are the scheduled hours during which the resources are available for work. To view and setup the Time Grids and Service Hours from the schedule:

  1. Open the Schedule from the Role Centre, select Related from the menu bar and choose either Time Grids or Service Hours.

  2. To learn more on how to setup the Time Grids follow this link, Setting Up Time Grids.

  3. To learn more on how to setup the Service Hours follow this link, Setting Up Service Hours.

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Adding Resources in the Schedule

In Garage Hive, resources refer to all of the assets that the company has that aid and support the business in completing its work, including the technicians. Technicians are added via User Management, but their appearance in the schedule can be controlled. Here’s how to add or manage resources in the schedule in general:

  1. In the top-right corner, choose the icon, enter Schedule Resource Group and select the related link.
  2. In the list that appears, select the Default resource group and then click Specifications from the menu bar.

  3. The Default resource group’s resources are displayed in the list. You can add a resource to the schedule from here by selecting a cell in the Resource No. column and choosing from the drop-down list.

  4. The resource is automatically added to the schedule after it is added to the list.

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Rearranging Resources in the Schedule

Rearranging the resources, how they appear from top to bottom, helps organize which resources to be at the top and how they should follow each other.

Note
It is recommended to have the bays at the top and the technicians at the bottom.

To rearrange:

  1. Search Schedule Resource Group from the icon, at the top-right corner, and select it from the options that appear.
  2. From the window that opens, select Default, as it is the group the resources are created.
  3. Click on Specifications from the menu bar.

  4. From the list of all the resources displayed, select the resource to rearrange and click on Move Up or Move Down from the menu bar.

Tip
Remove any spaces before the resource name to ensure consistency.

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Managing Service Hours in the Schedule

The service hours are the hours in the schedule when the resources are available for work. For example, you could add the technicians’ working hours as 08:00 a.m. to 17:00 p.m. every day. To change a resource’s service hours:

  1. In the top-right corner, choose the icon, enter Service Hours and select related result.
  2. The list that appears contains all of the resources that have been added in the system, with their service hours specified for various days of the week.

  1. Scroll to the resource for which you want to change the service hours, and then click on the line with the day you want to change the time and enter the time.
  2. The schedule layout is updated to reflect this change.

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Adding Resources Calender Changes

Sometimes there might be a single change of the scheduled work time for the resources, and you have to change it in the schedule:

  1. click on Related from the menu bar.
  2. Select Resource Calender Changes in the service schedule page.

  3. Select the resource to adjust the working time on the Resource Code column.
  4. Enter the date in the Date column, add a Description.
  5. Change the Nonworking column to either Work Time Change (to show the working time for the resource in the schedule) or Nonworking (to show the time the resource is not working in the schedule).
  6. Finally, add the starting and ending times (if you want to block out the whole day, leave the starting and ending times blank).

  7. The selected time is blocked out for the resource, which also reduces the available working hours.

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View the Statistics of the Schedule

The schedule statistical information summarizes the resources capacity, remaining hours after allocations, a list of all the allocations for the day, and the total jobsheets for all the allocations made for the day. To view the statistics for a day:

  1. From the view FastTab, select Period Type as Day.
  2. The Start Date as the day you want to view the statistics.
  3. Click on the Statistics from the menu bar.

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Adding a Standard Event

A standard event is an allocation not related to a jobsheet but adds other considerations about the resources, such as a sick off, etc. To add a standard event:

  1. Click and drag in the booking slot along the resource to allocate.
  2. Release up to the time when the standard event ends.
  3. Select the Allocation Type as Standard Event.
  4. Select a standard event from the list or create a new standard event.
  5. Add a Comment about the standard event and click Ok; this reduces the available hours and ensures that the resource is accurately booked.

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How to Exclude Some Standard Events When Calculating Available Hours

  1. The schedule’s available hours are shown in the header. They show the currently available hours after subtracting the total scheduled hours.

  2. When you add a standard event, you can choose whether to exclude it or include it in the available hours calculation. To do so, select the icon in the top right corner, enter Service Standard Events, and click the related link.

  3. Select the checkbox in the column Exclude From Available Hours for the standard events that you want to exclude from the calculation of available hours. To make the page editable, select Edit List.

  4. The selected standard events will now be excluded from the Service Schedule’s calculation of available hours.

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Understanding the Emojis in an Allocation

The emojis are used in the allocations to visually help the service advisor and technicians understand status and requirements of the job. Here are some of the most commonly used emojis:

  • 📫 This indicates a posted jobsheet.
  • ❌This indicates that the vehicle is not marked on site from the jobsheet.
  • ✅ or ✔ This indicates that the vehicle has been marked as on site from the jobsheet.
  • 🔑 This indicates that the vehicle key has been assigned a key tag.
  • 🆑 This indicates that the vehicle has been marked as requiring collection and delivery.
  • 🚗 This indicates that the customer requires a courtesy car, and it’s marked in the jobsheet.
  • 🌛 This indicates that the vehicle has been marked as staying overnight.
  • ⏰ This indicates that the customer has specified a time to collect the vehicle.
  • £ This indicates the amount including VAT.
  • ⚓ This indicates that the vehicle has been assigned a parking location code.
  • 🤷 or 🙋‍♀️ This indicates that the customer is waiting.
  • ➡️ This indicates the number of Jobsheet allocations available in the schedule.

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How to Add Schedule Allocations Count

The addition of allocations count improves the visibility of Jobsheet allocations within the schedule. Garage Hive uses a right arrow emoji (➡️) accompanied by a number to indicate the number of pending or in-progress allocations for each Jobsheet. This feature allows users to easily identify Jobsheets with multiple ongoing tasks, thereby enhancing workflow management. Here is how to add the allocations count:

  1. In the top right corner, choose the icon, enter schedule cell config, and select the related link.

  2. Click on New to create a new line, and enter the following details on the new line for the columns indicated:
    • Source Type - 25006145
    • Source Ref. No. - 15020
    • Source Ref. Description - This will be automatically filled.
    • Sequence - 9999999
    • Prefix - ➡️ (To insert this emoji, press [WIN] + [.] on your keyboard, and search for right arrow.)

  3. Click the back arrow (←) to close the page.
  4. When there is an allocation is added in the schedule, the emoji will appear on the allocation showing the number of Jobsheet allocations available in the schedule.

  5. If the emoji is not visible, you can hover your mouse over the allocation to view more information about the allocation.

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Using the Search Function in the Schedule

When there are many bookings in the schedule, it becomes harder to find an allocation that you are looking for easily. The search function helps you overcome this challenge by enabling you to search for an allocation using the customer name, vehicle registration No., vehicle make or model, or the jobsheet No.:

  1. From the view FastTab, under the Search field, enter the allocation details to search.
  2. Press enter; this hides all the other allocations, leaving the allocation you need.

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Adding an Allocation Type

Allocation Type appears after the drag and release action on the schedule, where you select which allocation to add.

To add an allocation type in the schedule:

  1. In the top-right corner, choose the icon, enter Service Schedule New Allocation Menu and select the related result.

  2. The list that appears contains all previously setup allocation menus. To add a new line, select +New from the menu bar. In the new line, select a Work Group Code. The work group code specifies the type of service work group that will be assigned.
  3. The next column, Line No., is a number that will be applied to the allocation to determine the order in which it will appear when selecting an allocation type. The lower the number, the higher it appears in the list, and vice versa.

  4. The Type column specifies the type of allocation; it can be New Service Order, Standard Event, or Existing Service Order. Select the type and enter the Description (the text to be displayed when you are selecting an allocation type).

  5. If you did not select Standard Event as the Type of allocation, leave the Standard Event column blank, and fill out the Service Type column if you selected either of the other two types of allocation. If you chose Standard Event as the type of allocation, fill in the Standard Event column with the available options and leave the Service Type column blank.

  6. After filling in the required columns, exit the current page, and a new allocation type will be created.

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See Also

Video: Understanding the schedule
Creating a booking from the schedule
Adding a resource (person or machine) in Garage Hive