About Running Contract Scheduling

Contract Scheduling is a feature of the Optimizer for rapid scheduling of service appointments while maintaining the critical Optimizer requirements: enforcement of contractual deadlines and use of constraints when searching for solutions.

When Contract Scheduling is called, the Optimizer does not unschedule any other activities. However, the Optimizer attempts to create available time before inserting an activity. For example, if there are 2 half-hour spaces in an employee schedule, and a user wants to schedule a 45-minute appointment, then the Optimizer attempts to move the other appointments to create a contiguous 45-minute space for the appointment.

The Optimizer is multithreaded and can handle multiple requests at the same time. For example, 2 users can call Contract Scheduling at the same time. However, because the Optimizer can process only 1 request at a time, simultaneous requests are queued so that multiple users can submit requests to the Optimizer. While the Optimizer performs optimization, users can still submit requests. The Optimizer queues the requests and processes them at the level for the Optimizer – Save Interval parameter or when optimization completes.

Companies with the following business requirements can use Contract Scheduling:

• Same-day calls for repair activities are a higher percentage of service calls.

• Service agreements specify penalties for failing to meet response times (for example, free labor or free parts).

• A large number of constraints exist.

Users can run Contract Scheduling by clicking the following buttons in Siebel Field Service:

• Insert Activity button. To use this button, navigate to one of the following views:

  – Dispatch Board screen, then the Unscheduled Activities view.

  – Activities screen, then the Schedule view.

  Clicking this button sends a request to either the ABS or the Optimizer to schedule an appointment or insert the selected activity into the optimized schedule, depending on times relative to the horizons. For more information, see Insert Activity Button.

• Load button. To use this button, navigate to the Administration - Scheduling screen, Service Regions view, then the Activities view. This button is similar to the Insert Activity button in the Dispatch Board screen. For more information, see Load Button.