Working with Crew Information
Storms create critical outage situations that make it vital to account for crew resources. For example, you may need to move a crew to a different control zone depending on the backlog of outages within each zone.
Crew Information Pane
The Crew Information pane lists all of the crews identified in Storm Management for the currently selected control zone and its children. Crews of certain skill and availability within a control zone are grouped together. Each row in the Crew Information table represents a group of crews.
Crew Information Toolbar
The Crew Information pane provides toolbar action buttons:
Button | Description |
|---|---|
Add Crew... | The Add Crew… button opens the Add Crew Group dialog box, which lets you define new crew groups for the Crew Information table. |
Edit Crew... | The Edit Crew… button opens the Edit Crew Group dialog box, which lets you change crew data for a selected crew group in the Crew Information table. |
Delete Crew... | The Delete Crew… button removes the selected crew group from the Crew Information table. A warning dialog box opens, prompting you for confirmation before deleting. |
Move Crew... | The Move Crew… button opens the Move Crew Group dialog box, used to transfer crews from the selected crew group in the Crew Information table to another control zone. |
Apply Crew Change... | The Apply Crew Changes button saves changes made in the Crew Information table. Unapplied changes in the Crew Information table are highlighted in different colors. |
Import Crews... | The Import Crews… button opens the Import Crews dialog box. In real-time mode, this dialog box lets you import crews from Oracle Utilities Network Management System Web Trouble into the Crew Information table. In study mode, it additionally lets you import crew group information from the real-time session or the applied manual override or outage forecasting parameters from the real-time session into study mode. |
Crew Information Table
The Crew Information pane displays the following fields:
• The # Crews column contains the number of crews that belong to the group.
• The Zone column contains the name of the control zone that crew group is assigned to.
• The Company column contains the name of the company that the crew group works for. This column is for informational purposes and does not affect the outcome of the estimate calculations.
• The Crew Type column contains the type of crew within the group. This indicates the type of work performed by the crews. The options here match the crew types defined in the Crew Makeup window (see “Using Crew Makeup” for details).
• The Start Date column contains the date and time at which each crew in the group is available for work.
• The End Date column contains the date and time at which each crew in the group becomes unavailable for work.
• The Hours On column contains the length of the shift worked by each crew in the group.
• The Hours Off column contains the length of time between shifts worked by each crew in the group (that is, the number of hours that the each crew in the group has off after completing each shift).
Hiding the Crew Information Table
You can hide the Crew Information table by clicking the down arrow button in the upper left corner of the pane.
Sorting the Crew Information Table
You can sort the Crew Information table in ascending or descending order according to any column in the table.
To sort the Crew Information table, click on the column heading of the column you want to sort by. The table sorts in ascending order of the selected column, and an up arrow appears on the column heading, indicating that the sort is ascending.
Click the same heading again to toggle to descending sort order. A down arrow appears, and the table re-sorts.
Applying Changes
A highlighted row in the Crew Information table indicates that there have been changes entered but not yet saved.
• Green highlighted rows are new rows that are added to the table.
• Cyan highlighted rows are rows that have been edited or updated.
A crew group may have been added, edited, moved or imported, but the changes are not permanent until you click the Apply Crew Changes button on the Crew Information toolbar.
Once you save the changes, the new or changed rows in the Crew Information table are no longer highlighted. If at the time of the application there are rows in the Crew Information table that contain the same data in all of their columns (except the # Crews column), then those rows are combined. The numbers of crews for each row are added together and the sum appears in the # Crews column.
If you try to change the control zone view while there are unsaved changes in the Crew Information table, a dialog box prompts you to do one of the following:
• The Yes button saves the changes in the Crew Information table and moves to the newly selected control zone.
• The No button discards the changes in the Crew Information table and moves to the newly selected control zone.
• The Cancel button closes the dialog box without altering the changes in the Crew Information table or moving to the selected control zone.
Importing Crews
The crew information used by Storm Management is maintained separately from that in Oracle Utilities Network Management System Web Trouble. However, crew information defined in Web Trouble can be imported into Storm Management with the Import Crews dialog box.
To open the Import Crews dialog box when in storm mode, click the Import Crews… button on the toolbar.
Note: Changes made within Storm Management to the imported crews will not affect the data in Oracle Utilities Network Management System Web Trouble.
The Import Crews dialog box serves two functions:
• In real-time mode, it lets you import crew information from Web Trouble into the Crew Information table, based on specified filtering criteria.
• In study mode, it lets you import Web Trouble crew information, as well as the manual override/outage forecasting parameters of the currently selected control zone and any crew information from real-time mode into study mode.
Import Crews Window
The Import Crews window contains the following fields and buttons:
• Zone Information
• The Current Zone field displays the name of the currently selected control zone. This field is not editable.
• Import Criteria
• The Reset option, when checked, replaces all crews currently in the Crew Information table with the imported crews. When not checked, the imported crews are added to the existing data in the Crew Information table.
• The Real Crews option is checked by default. This option imports crew information from Web Trouble. This option is only deselectable in study mode.
• The Crew Groups option, when checked, lets you import the crew groups from the real-time session. This option is only enabled in study mode.
• The Parameters option, when checked, lets you import the outage forecasting and manual overrides from real-time mode for the selected control zone. This option is only enabled in study mode.
• Filters
• The Zone option, when checked, option imports only crews from the specified control zone. The button on the right opens the Control Zone Selection dialog box. (In this dialog box, select the zone you want and click OK.)
• The Company option is only enabled when the Real Crews Import Criteria option is not selected. It imports only the crews with the Company specified in the drop-down list.
• The Crew Type option, when checked, imports only the crews whose type matches the crew type specified in the drop-down list.
• The Real Crew Status option, when checked, imports the crews whose status in Web Trouble matches the status specified in the drop-down list. Available crew status options are On-Shift (crew is active and currently on shift), Off-Shift (crew is active and currently off shift) and Inactive (crew is currently not active). This option is only enabled when the Real Crews Import Criteria is selected.
• The Import button imports the crew information and/or outage forecasting and manual override parameters as specified and closes the dialog box. In the Crew Information table, the imported data is highlighted and crews with identical parameters are automatically combined into the same group. To confirm the changes and remove the highlighting, click the Apply Crew Changes button.
• The Cancel button discards the import criteria options and closes the dialog box without importing anything.
How to Import Crews
To import crews, complete these steps:
1. Make sure the currently selected control zone is operating in storm mode.
2. Click Import Crews… on the Crew Information toolbar.
3. Select the import criteria and filters for the crews you want to import.
4. Click Import. If an imported crew is not an identical match to any existing crew group rows in the Crew Information table, then it's added to the table as a new row and highlighted in green. If an imported crew is an identical match to any existing crew group rows in the Crew Information table, then the number of crews in the existing crew group row is incremented and the row is highlighted in cyan.
5. To apply the changes, click the Apply Crew Changes button on the toolbar.
Example of Importing Crews
The highlighted rows in the Crew Information table below show the results of importing crews into real-time without using the Reset option. The Hours On and Hours Off values default to 8 and 16 respectively for any crew information imported from Web Trouble.
• Green highlighted rows are new rows that are being added to the table.
• Cyan highlighted rows are crew groups that are having crews added to them. The # Crews column has been increased to reflect the new number of crews in the group.
Note: The End Date column is not populated because there is no corresponding value defined in Web Trouble.
Adding Crew Groups
You can add new crew groups to Crew Information table using the Add Crew dialog box. To open the Add Crew dialog box, click the Add Crew… button on the toolbar.
• Details Pane
• The Zone field is the control zone that the crew group is assigned to. The default value is the control zone that Storm Management is currently viewing. The button on the right opens the Control Zone Selection dialog box. (In this dialog box, click on the zone you want and click OK.)
• The Company drop-down list is the name of the company that the crew group works for. This column is for informational purposes and does not affect the outcome of the estimate calculations.
• The Crew Type drop-down list is the type of crew within the group. This indicates the type of work performed by the crews. The options here match the crew types defined in the Crew Makeup window of Web Trouble.
• The # Crews field allows you to specify the number of crews that belong to the group.
• Schedule
• The Start Date field is the date and time at which each crew in the group is available for work.
• The Avail Until field is the date and time at which each crew in the group becomes unavailable for work.
• The Hours On field allows you to specify the length of the shift worked by each crew in the group, beginning at the Start Date.
• The Hours Off field allows you to specify the length of time between shifts worked by each crew in the group (that is, the number of hours that the each crew in the group has off after completing each shift).
• The OK button confirms the details and schedule for the new crew group, inserts the information into the Crew Information table, and closes the dialog box. You must save the new crews by clicking the Apply Crew Changes button or selecting the Apply Crew Changes option from the Crew menu.
• The Cancel button discards the details and schedule and closes the dialog box without inserting any information.
When there is at least one crew in the table, right-click to select the row in the Crew Information table and display the context menu .
• The Copy Crew option copies the selected row in the Crew Information table.
• The Paste Crew option inserts the copied crew into the Crew Information table below the current line.
• The Add Crew option inserts a new row into the Crew Information table containing default values. Once the new row is added, you can change the values in each column.
Adding Crew Groups with the Right-Click Context Menu
You can add crews directly in the Crew Information table by using the right-click context menu. To do this, complete these steps:
1. Right-click in the Crew Information table. The context menu appears, with the Add Crew option enabled.
2. Select Add Crew. A new row appears in the Crew Information table with the default values, highlighted in green.
Editing Crew Groups Using Edit Crew
Once you have imported or added crew groups, you can modify the details of a crew group. Modify crew information using the Edit Crew Group dialog box.
1. Click the Edit Crew… button on the toolbar to open the Edit Crew Group dialog box. The Edit Crew Group dialog box contains the same fields as the Add Crew Group dialog box. The fields are populated with data from the selected row of the Crew Information table.
2. Modify the crew as necessary and click OK to update the Crew Information table.
3. To apply the modifications, click the Apply Crew Changes button.
Editing Crew Groups within the Crew Information Table
You can also edit crews directly in the Crew Information table. To do this, complete these steps:
1. Click the cell of the row that you want to edit. Depending on the type of data in the cell, one of the following occurs:
• A cursor appears within the cell.
• A dialog box opens for you to select a new date and/or time.
• A Control Zone Selection dialog box opens.
• A drop-down list opens.
2. Make changes by either editing the value in the cell or selecting from the dialog box or drop-down list. (In the Control Zone Selection dialog box, click on the zone you want and click OK. In the Date/Time field, select a new date/time. The edited row becomes highlighted in cyan.
3. Click Apply Crew Changes. The following occurs:
• Your edits are saved.
• The row is no longer highlighted.
• The changes are used during the next scheduled simulation iteration.
Deleting Crew Groups
To delete a crew group from the Crew Information table, complete these steps:
1. Select the crew group in the Crew Information table.
2. Click the Delete Crew button.
A message box opens, requesting confirmation that the selected crew group should be permanently deleted.
3. Click Yes to confirm the delete. The crew group disappears from the Crew Information table.
Note: The No button cancels the delete.
Moving Crew Groups to a Different Control Zone
Each crew group is assigned to a specific control zone when it is created. During your analysis, you may want to adjust your crew resource allocation by reassigning crews to different control zones. The Move Crew Group dialog box enables you to move all or part of the crews within a selected crew group to different control zones.
To open the Move Crew Group dialog box, select a crew group from the Crew Information Table and click the Move Crew… button. The Move Crew Group window contains the following fields and buttons:
• The Company field displays the name of the company that the crew group works for. This field is not editable.
• The Crew Type field displays the type of crew within the group. This indicates the type of work performed by the crews. It matches the crew types defined in the Web Trouble Crew Makeup window This field is not editable.
• The From Zone field displays the current control zone of the selected crew group. This field is not editable.
• The To Zone is the control zone that the specified number of crews is moving to. The button on the right opens the Control Zone Selection dialog box. (In this dialog box, click on the zone you want and click OK.)
• The # Crews field allows you to specify the number of crews within the selected crew group to move to the new control zone. If you enter a number greater than the number of existing crews, an error will occur when you click OK.
• The OK button confirms the details of the move and closes the dialog box. If all of the crews in a group are being moved, the original crew group row now appears highlighted in cyan with the control zone modified. If only part of the crews is being moved from a crew group, the original group row is now highlighted in cyan with the number of crews decreased appropriately. A new crew group row appears highlighted in green with the number of specified crews to move and new control zone (all other fields in the row are the same as the original crew group).
• The Cancel button discards the details about the move and closes the dialog box without saving any information.
To move crews, complete these steps:
1. Select a crew group row in the Crew Information Table.
2. Click the Move Crew… button. The Move Crew Group dialog box opens.
3. Click the zone selection button on the right of the To Zone field. The Control Zone Selection dialog box opens.
4. Select the control zone you want to move the crews to and click OK. The Control Zone Selection dialog box closes, and the zone you selected populates the To Zone field.
5. If you only want to move part of the crews in the group, enter the number of crews you want to move in the # Crews field.
6. Click OK. The dialog box closes.
If all of the crews in a group are being moved, the original crew group row now appears highlighted in cyan with the control zone modified.
If only part of the crews is being moved from a crew group, the original group row is now highlighted in cyan with the number of crews decreased appropriately. A new crew group row appears highlighted in green with the number of specified crews to move and new control zone (all other fields in the row are the same as the original crew group).
7. Click the Apply Crew Changes button. The following occurs:
• The crew groups are moved to their assigned control zones.
• The modified rows are no longer highlighted.
• The updated information is used during the next scheduled simulation iteration.
Moving Entire Crew Groups Using the Table Edit Features
You can also move a crew group by clicking directly in the Zone field of the crew group row and changing the control zone. To move a crew group in this way, complete these steps:
1. Click in the Zone field for the crew group you want to move. The row becomes selected, and the Control Zone Selection dialog box appears.
2. Select the zone you want to move the crew group to and click OK.
3. Click in a different field of the row. The Zone field updates to reflect the zone you selected, and the row becomes highlighted in cyan.
4. Click Apply Crew Changes. The modified row moves to its new control zone and is no longer highlighted. The updated information is used during the next scheduled simulation iteration.
Moving Partial Crew Groups Using the Right-Click Context Menu
You can also move partial crew groups directly from the Crew Information table. To do this, complete these steps:
1. Select a crew group row in the Crew Information Table.
2. Copy the crew group by selecting the Copy Crew option from the context menu.
3. Paste the crew as a new row by selecting the Paste Crew option from the context menu.
4. Edit the Control Zone in the new row.
• Click the Zone cell to select it and then click again to edit it.
• Click the select zone button (
) to open the Control Zone Selection dialog box. Select the new control zone and click OK.
) to open the Control Zone Selection dialog box. Select the new control zone and click OK.5. Edit the # Crews cell in the original row.
6. Edit the # Crews cell in the new row.
7. Click Apply Crew Changes. The following occurs:
• The new row moves to its assigned control zone.
• The modified rows are no longer highlighted.
• The updated information is used during the next scheduled simulation iteration.