Using Crew Actions
Use the Crew Actions window to view and manage crews. The Crew Actions window opens by default when you log in to Oracle Utilities Network Management System Web Workspace. It is displayed below the Web Work Agenda window. You can also display this window by selecting Crew... from the Web Workspace Tools menu.
The Crew Actions window displays a Menu and Toolbar and provides two views: Understanding the Crew List View and Understanding the Crew Icons View.
Crew Actions allows you to perform crew and event operations. These operations are described in the following sections.
Understanding the Crew Actions Window
Menu and Toolbar
The Crew Actions window displays a toolbar and menu bar, as described in the following tables.
File Menu
Menu Option | Description | Toolbar Icon |
|---|---|---|
New... | Opens the Crew Makeup window, which allows you to define a new crew. | |
Delete | Deletes the currently selected crew after prompting for confirmation. This is enabled only if an inactive non-mobile crew is selected. | |
Export Table... | Opens a dialog box to allow you to save the current table view data to a comma separated value (csv) file. |  |
Exit | Closes the Crew Actions window. | -- |
View Menu
Menu Option | Description | Toolbar Icon |
|---|---|---|
Icons | Switches to the Icons view if the List view is currently active. | -- |
List | Switches to List view if Icons view is currently active. | -- |
Filter Menu
Menu Option | Description | Toolbar Icon |
|---|---|---|
Shift Status | Filters by shift statuses. The product environment includes the following shift options: • All • On Shift • Off shift • Inactive | -- |
Job Status | Filters by job statuses. The product environment includes the following job status options: • All • Available • Assigned • En Route • Onsite • Suspended • Unavailable • None | -- |
Crew Type | Filters by crew types. The product environment includes the following crew type options: • All • Service • Trouble • Eval | -- |
Event Zone | Filters crews by the zone of the event selected in the Work Agenda. The product environment includes the following event zone options: • All • Region (Control Zone Hierarchy Level 2) • Branch (Control Zone Hierarchy Level 3) | -- |
Parent Zones | Filters crews by parent Control Zone. • Include - Display crews created for zones that are parents of the subscribed zones. • Exclude - Excludes crews created for zones that are parents of the subscribed zones. | |
All Zones | Displays crews in all control zones. When checked, the Parent Zones and Event Zones options are disabled. |
Actions Menu
Menu Option | Description | Toolbar Icon |
|---|---|---|
Edit... | Opens the Crew Makeup window, which allows you to edit the currently selected crew. This is enabled only if a non-mobile crew is selected. | |
Crew Info... | Opens the Crew Info dialog box for the selected crew. | |
Switching... | Opens the switch plan to which the selected crew is associated. This is enabled only if a crew is selected and Web Switching Management is licensed for your system. If more than one plan is associated with the crew, a dialog box prompts you to select one. | -- |
View… | Opens Viewer 1, focused on the asset where the selected crew is en route or onsite, and selects event in the Work Agenda Event List to which the crew is en route or onsite. This is enabled only if an en route or onsite crew is selected. | |
Locate Crew... | Displays the selected crew in the Viewer window at the current coordinates of the crew. This option is available only for crews with AVL (Automatic Vehicle Location) systems. | -- |
Availability... | Opens the Update Crew Availability dialog box for the selected crew. See “Changing Crew Availability”. | |
Assign | Assigns the selected crew to the event currently selected in Work Agenda. | |
Assign All Related | Assigns the selected crew to the selected event and all related events. | |
En Route | Puts the selected crew en route to the event currently selected in Work Agenda. This is enabled only if the selected crew is an on-shift, available, non-mobile crew that is not currently en route or onsite. | |
Onsite | Puts the selected crew onsite at the event currently selected in the Work Agenda. This is enabled after the crew is en route. | |
Toggle Mobile On | Turns off override for a crew that is currently overridden by the Toggle Mobile Off action. | -- |
Toggle Mobile Off | Overrides the selected crew to act as a non-mobile crew. Enabled if an active off shift mobile crew is selected. Not available to view only users. | -- |
Activate | Activates the selected crew. This is enabled only if an inactive non-mobile crew is selected. | -- |
Deactivate | Deactivates the selected crew. This is enabled only if the selected crew is an off-shift, active non-mobile crew that has no assignments. | -- |
Set On Shift... | Opens a dialog box that allows you to enter an on-shift time for the selected crew. This is enabled only if an off-shift active crew is selected. | -- |
Set Off Shift... | Opens a dialog box that allows you to enter an off-shift time. This is enabled only if the selected crew is an on-shift crew that is not en route or onsite. | -- |
Transfer Zone... | Temporarily transfer the crew to a different control zone. | -- |
Release Temporary Zone | Return the crew from its temporary control zone assignment back to its original control zone. | -- |
Filtering Crew Lists
Crews may be filtered in either of the Crew Actions views (that is, List or Icons). Filters may be applied in any of the following ways:
1. Filter Menu Options
• Choose any combination of options from the Shift Status, Job Status, and Crew Type to view only those crews meeting the criteria.
2. List View Dynamic Filtering
• Enter filter criteria in the List View Dynamic Filter field at the top of each column in the crew table.
3. Filter by Work Agenda Event Criteria
• Select an event zone option from the Event Zone submenu of the Crew Actions Filter menu.
• Select one or more events in the Work Agenda that are in a control zone.
• The Crew List will display only those crews assigned to the control zone.
Note: If you select multiple rows in the Work Agenda that cross multiple control zones, the Event Zone filter will be removed from the Crew List or Crew Icons views. Once you select a single row or rows with events in the same control zone, the filter will be re-enabled automatically.
Understanding Crew Actions Views
Understanding the Crew List View
The Crew Actions List view displays a table containing the crew list. When one or more crew rows are selected, a right-click context menu allows you to choose from the actions available for any of their assigned events. If one or more events are selected, actions to assign the crew or place them en route will be shown. The right-click context menu will only show valid options for the crew; for example, if multiple events are selected, then the en-route crew option may not be available since most crew types cannot be en-route to multiple events.
The crews that appear in the list are based on the current filter settings. See “Crew Status” for a list of color codes used to indicate crew status.
The Crew List contains the following fields and buttons:
• The Control Zone column contains the name of the control zone the crew is assigned to.
• The Crew ID column contains a string that identifies the crew.
• The Crew Type column contains the type of crew (for example, Eval, Service, and so on).
• The Contact column contains the contact name for the crew.
• The Event # column lists the events that the crew is either assigned, en route, or onsite.
• The Mobile # column contains the primary phone number for the crew.
• The Alternate # column contains the alternate phone number for the crew.
• The Crew Size column contains the number of crew members.
• The Pressure Zone column contains the pressure zone for the asset where the crew is en route/onsite.
• The Asset column contains the name of the asset where the crew is en route/onsite.
• The Est Restore Time column contains the date and time when the event where the crew is en route/onsite is estimated to be restored.
• The # Assign column contains the number of events assigned to the crew.
• The Hours Worked column contains the length of time the crew has been active.
• The Mobile column indicates whether this is a mobile crew.
• The Shift Status field displays the crew's current shift status. Valid statuses are:
• Inactive
• Off Shift
• On Shift
• The Job Status field displays the crew's current job status. Valid statuses are:
• Available
• En Route
• Onsite
• Suspended
• Unavailable
Understanding the Crew Icons View
The Crew Actions Icons view displays buttons to represent each crew. When one or more crew icons are selected, right-click to show the actions that are allowed for any event that the crew is currently assigned to. In addition, if one or more events are selected in the Work Agenda, actions to assign or place the crew en route to the events will also be available. The right‑click context menu will only show valid options for the crew; for instance, if multiple events are selected, then the en-route crew option may not be available since most crew types cannot be en-route to multiple events.
Note: The Actions menu can also be used for crew changes.
As the crew's status changes, a symbol will be added to the button that depicts the current status; see “Event Status Codes” for the symbol icons that correlate to each status. See also “Crew Status” for a list of color codes that may be used to indicate crew status when cell or row coloring is enabled in the Web Workspace Preferences menu.
Understanding Crew Actions Operations
Activating a Crew
Crews are activated by changing their status from Inactive to Active, which indicates that they are available for work.
To activate a crew, complete these steps:
1. In the Crew Actions window, select the inactive crew you want to activate.
2. Select Activate from the Actions menu. (In List view, you can also right-click the crew and then select Activate from the context menu.) The status changes to Off Shift.
Note: You cannot activate a crew if its Mobile is Yes. You must choose the Toggle Mobile Off option on the Actions menu to change the mobile status before activating. The Mobile Flag columns displays No (Override), indicating that the crew's mobile status has been manually overridden.
3. You can now set the crew's status to On Shift. See Setting a Crew's Status to On Shift.
Setting a Crew's Status to On Shift
Setting an active crew's status to On Shift indicates that the crew has started working the shift and sets the time the crew went on shift. You can only set a crew's status to On Shift if its current status is Active.
To put a crew On Shift, do the following:
1. In the Crew Actions window, select the active crew you want to put On Shift.
2. Select Set On Shift... from the Actions menu. (In List view, you can also right-click the crew and then select Set On Shift... from the context menu.) The Set Crew On Shift dialog box opens.
3. The Set Crew On Shift dialog box opens with the On Shift Time field showing number signs (#) rather than values for date and time. The date and time may be added by performing one of the following options.
• To set the On Shift Time to the current time, click OK.
• To specify a different time:
• Click the date/time button (
) to expand the date/time selector.
) to expand the date/time selector.• In the date/time selector, select the date/time the crew went on shift, and click OK. The selector will be minimized and the On Shift Time field will be populated with the selected date/time.
• In the Set Crew On Shift dialog box, click OK.
Setting a Crew's Status to Off Shift
Setting an active crew's status to Off Shift indicates that the crew has stopped working the shift and sets the time when the crew went off shift. You can only set a crew's status to Off Shift when its status is On Shift.
To put a crew Off Shift, follow these steps:
1. The Set Crew Off Shift dialog box opens with the Off Shift Time field showing number signs (#) rather than values for date and time. The date and time may be added by performing one of the following options.
• To set the Off Shift Time to the current time, click OK.
• To specify a different time:
• Click the date/time button (
) to expand the date/time selector.
) to expand the date/time selector.• In the date/time selector, select the date/time the crew went off shift, and click OK. The selector will be minimized and the Off Shift Time field will be populated with the selected date/time.
• In the Set Crew Off Shift dialog box, click OK.
Making a Crew Inactive
You can deactivate a crew to indicate that it is not available for work. You can only deactivate a crew if its status is Active or Off Shift and it has no current assignments.
To deactivate a crew, complete these steps:
1. In the Crew Actions window, select the active or off shift crew you want to deactivate.
2. Select Deactivate from the Actions menu. (In List view, you can also right-click the crew and then select Deactivate from the context menu.) The status changes to Inactive.
Deleting a Crew
To delete a crew, complete these steps:
Note: You can only delete a crew if it is inactive. You cannot delete a mobile crew, even if the mobile flag has been overridden.
1. If the crew is active, you must first deactivate it (see Making a Crew Inactive). If a crew is on shift, you must first set the crew to off shift (see Setting a Crew's Status to Off Shift) and then deactivate it before you can delete it.
2. Select the crew in the Crew Actions window.
3. Select Delete from the Actions menu. (In List view, you can also right-click the crew and then select Delete from the context menu.) A dialog box prompts you to confirm the deletion.
4. Click OK. The crew is deleted from the system.
Adding a Note to the Event
You can add a note to any event that crew is assigned to.
Updating the Estimated Restore Time
You can update the Estimated Restore Time for any event that crew is assigned to using a simple display, and optionally add a note to the event at the same time.
Changing Crew Availability
Making a crew available/unavailable is different from making it active/inactive. You can assign an unavailable crew, but you cannot place it en route. See Activating a Crew and Making a Crew Inactive for more information on active/inactive crews.
To change a crew's availability, complete these steps:
1. Select the crew you want to change in the Crew Actions window. You cannot change an en route/onsite crew.
2. Select Availability… from the Actions menu. (In List view, you can also right-click the crew row and select Availability... from the context menu.) The Update Crew Availability dialog box opens.
3. Select the appropriate option to change the crew's availability.
• Available button to make the crew available
• Unavailable to make it unavailable
If you are making an available crew unavailable, select the Description field and add a brief reason for the change (for example, on break).
Note: The description text is shown in the description field until you set the crew back to available.
4. Click OK to confirm your change or Cancel to abort the action.
If the crew has been made unavailable, the Crew ID will be displayed in yellow as will the crew icon.
Note: You can assign events to both available and unavailable crews.
Finding the Event a Crew is En Route To
To find the event a crew is en route to, select the crew in the Crew Actions window and then select the View toolbar button or select View... from the Actions menu. The event row is highlighted in the Work Agenda Trouble Events list, and Viewer 1 focuses on the asset associated with the en route event.
Note: The Work Agenda event row will only be highlighted if the Work Agenda window is open and the event is on the list you currently have displayed in the Work Agenda window. The Viewer will only focus on the asset if you have the Viewer 1 window open.
Transferring a Crew to a Temporary Control Zone
To transfer a crew to a temporary control zone, perhaps to offset a crew shortage in the zone, compete these steps:
1. Select the crew to transfer control.
2. Select Transfer Zone... from the Actions menu.
3. Select a control zone in the Transfer Crew Zone dialog box.
4. Click OK to complete the transfer.
Returning Control of a Transferred Crew
To return control of the crew to their usual control zone, compete these steps:
1. Select the crew from the crew list.
2. Select Release Temporary Zone from the Actions menu.
The crew list will update to show that the crew's control zone has reverted to their permanent assignment.