1. Administering Oracle Field Service
  2. Add a Resource Type for the field resource role

Add a Resource Type for the field resource role

A Field Resource is a resource that performs work, has work skills and work zones associated, and has a related user (actual person performing work or group of people). A Field Resource requires a user, can work, is shown with a Tech icon, and does not include the Organization unit option.

Assume that you want to assign activities to a mobile worker. You have to first create the resource type, Mobile Worker and then select Field Resource from the Role drop-down list.
Note: Some features are available only during the initial configuration. This will vary based on the options selected during the configuration. Features that are not available for editing after the initial configuration will be greyed out.
To add a resource type for the Field Resource role:
  1. Click Company Name > Configuration.
  2. Click Resource Types in the Resources, Activities, Inventories section.
  3. Click Add resource type.
  4. Complete these fields:
    Field Description
    Name (mandatory) Enter a name for the resource type. All supported languages are listed.
    Label (mandatory) A unique identifier for the resource type that is mapped to the REST API.
    Active By default, the Active check box is selected and the resource type is activated.
    Statistic Parameters section
    Personalize the estimation of activity duration check box When selected, the resource’s personal profile is used for duration calculations. Else, uses only company estimates. For more information, see How is activity duration calculated?
    Use durations reported to enhance company-wide estimations check box When selected, company-wide estimations are modified based on the data reported by the resource. If not selected, the company-wide estimations are not changed. This applies to both activity durations and travel estimations. don't select this check box, if you don't want the durations reported by the resource to affect company level estimations.
    Do not consider reported data for the first ____ working days, for statistic estimations Data reported by the resource does not affect the company-wide estimations for the initial number of days specified in this field. The date is considered from the time the user accesses the system. Default value is 5 days. For example, if you enter 15 days, then the data reported by the resource for activity and travel durations are ignored for the first 15 days and will not be considered while calculating the company-wide estimates. This field is enabled only if the Use data reported to enhance company-wide estimations field is selected.
  5. Select Field Resource from the Role drop-down list.
  6. Select the required features from this list:

    • Resource can participate in a team: Select the Resource can participate in a team check box to determine whether the resource type is an assistant for teamwork activities. If deselected, then you cannot add the resource type, mobile worker as an assistant to a team.

    • Resource can be a teamholder: Select the Resource can be a teamholder check box to determine whether the resource type is a primary team holder of an activity.
      Note: An activity that requires a team is always assigned to the team holder whereas the assisting teamwork activities are assigned to the assistants for the duration of the teamwork.

    • Share inventory in teamwork: Determines whether the resource type shares inventory with other team members after an activity is started. For example, if the team holder’s inventory has 5 items and the assistant’s inventory has 3 items, then when the activity is started, there are 8 items available for use at the job site.

    • Share geolocation in teamwork: Select the check box to define whether a resource (team holder or assistant) shares the geolocation in a teamwork assignment. Although, the application uses the GPS device of each resource to predict the location of the resource, these situations can occur:

      • Application is unable to obtain coordinates since the device of a resource has stopped to work.

      • Application is unable to find the location of the resource due to some reasons.

      In the above situations, the application uses an algorithm to predict the location of the resource using the coordinates of other resources in the team. Therefore, you can view the location of each team resource in the map view.

    • Share work skills in teamwork (team-member only): Enables the resource to share work skills with the team holder. Sharing is defined on the work skill level according to the "Sharing of the skill in the team" parameter configured in the Add work skill dialog box.

    • Used for Quota management: Enables you to consider the working time of each resource into the overall workflow capacity calculation of the bucket.

      For example, assume that each resource (Mobile Worker 1, Mobile Worker 2, and Mobile Worker 3 configured as a Field Resource) has a capacity of 480 minutes per day and the Use as Capacity Area check box is selected for each resource. Therefore, the Max Available field in the bucket has the overall workflow capacity of 1440 minutes. Now, if a new resource type, Mobile Worker 4 is added and if the Use as Capacity Area check box is selected, then the overall workflow capacity of the bucket changes to 1920 minutes.

      When you select the Used for Quota management option for a field resource, you cannot change the resource type and deselect this option.

    • Routing can assign activities: Select the check box if you want routing to assign activities to a resource.

      If selected, these options enable you to specify the cost of the resource’s time that helps you to differentiate between resources (for example, Full time resources versus Contractors):

      • Working hours cost: Actual working hours of the resource during the day based on activity durations. Select an option (Low, Normal, High, Highest). The routing algorithm factors working time cost differences between resource types for assignments.

      • Overtime cost: Overtime refers to the minutes worked beyond the end of the resource’s working hours for the day. Specify cost increases either as X minutes after the end of the shift or the time beyond the X minutes threshold.

      • Travel Time cost: Refers to the estimated time and the cost required for travelling between activities.

    • Working time : Define the travel allowance for resources using these options:
      • Start travel: Enables routing to consider travel time from the beginning of the resource’s working time for the day and to the resource’s first activity. The application estimates the actual travel time to the location of the first activity, when a resource’s Start location is defined. Note that when a route includes activities that require travel and activities that don't need travel, the travel between activities is split into two (or more) pieces by inserting non-travel activities in between. If there is any idle time before an activity, it is considered as travel time for the next activity. Select one of these options:

        • Travel time to the first activity is not included from the Working Time Start – when selected, travel time to the first activity will be calculated before the Working Time Start value. If an activity has a Service Window of 8:00 am-10:00 am, the activity will have an ETA of 8:00 am and the resource will have to leave their start location to arrive by 8:00 am.

        • Travel time to the first activity is included from the Working Time Start – when selected, travel time will be calculated to the first activity. If a resource has 30 minutes of travel and the activity has a service window of 8:00 am-10:00 am the activity’s ETA will be 08:30 am.

        • Resource is allotted up to <number> minutes of travel time prior to the Working Time Start – when selected, a portion of the travel time can occur prior to the start of the shift. If the value is set to 30 minutes and the resource need 45 minutes of travel the first 30 minutes will occur prior to the start of the shift and the ETA activity’s ETA will be 08:15 am.

      • Final travel: Enables routing to consider travel time to a known end location. Select one of these options:

        • Travel time from the last activity to the Resources End Location is not included from the Working Time End – when selected, travel time to the final location will be calculated after the Working Time End value. If a resource’s shift ends at 6:00 pm with no overtime allowed, routing can assign activities that can end at 6:00 pm.

        • Travel time from the last activity to the Resources End Location is included from the Working Time End – when selected, travel time to the final location will be calculated. If a resource’s shift ends at 6:00 pm with no overtime allowed, routing cannot assign activities that can end at 6:00 pm.

        • Resource is allotted up to <number> minutes of travel time after the Working Time End – when selected, a portion of the travel time will occur after the shift ends. Suppose that the resource’s shift ends at 6:00 pm with no overtime allowed. When the value is set to 30 minutes and the resource needs 45 minutes of travel to the end location, the latest an activity can end would be 5:45pm.

    • Enable 'Not activated in time' alert and trigger: Represents an alert that the resource’s route is not activated. For example, consider the resources, Mobile Worker 1 and Mobile Worker 2 configured as field resources. If the Enable 'Not activated in time' alert and trigger check box is selected for the resource, Mobile Worker 1 and not selected for Mobile Worker 2, then the notification messages are created only for Mobile Worker 1.

  7. Click Add.
    Note: These features are available when a role, Vehicle or Tool is assigned to a resource type:

    • Share inventory in teamwork

    • Share geolocation in teamwork

    • Share work skills in teamwork (team-member only)

    • Working time includes travel to first activity

    • Working time includes travel from last activity

    • Enable 'Not activated in time' alert and trigger

Results:

The resource type, mobile worker displays on the Resource Types page. If you click Modify and change a feature setting of a resource type, the application automatically applies the changes to the resource type.