Specifying Task Schedules

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A task schedule specifies when and/or how often a particular preventive maintenance task should be done. Schedules are set on a unit-by-unit basis; for example, if you have five forklift trucks that require the same monthly maintenance, you could schedule one truck to be serviced on the first Monday of each month, the next truck to be serviced on the first Tuesday, and so on.

Schedules can be set for specific dates (for example, on the 15th of every month) or they can be set in relative terms (for example, a particular service task should always be scheduled 28 days after the previous time that task was performed).

Seasonal schedules are set up using exceptions. For example, you might set up regular monthly inspections of an air-conditioning unit, except in winter months when presumably the air-conditioning would not be in use. On the same principle, you might specify that a particular job should be scheduled every 90 days, except when the 90-day mark falls on a weekend, in which case the job should be bumped to the next Monday. (By the way, a simple way around this "weekend" problem is to schedule the task every 91 days; since 91 is an even multiple of seven, a job scheduled every 91 days will always fall on the same day of the week.)

Preventive maintenance on equipment may be scheduled by meter reading, instead of by date. For example, a particular piece of equipment might require service every 1000 hours of use, as measured by a meter on the equipment. Your personnel would then enter meter readings every day, and MainBoss would generate a work order for service when the meter reading passed 1000 hours.

When you set up a maintenance schedule, you can also specify what MainBoss should do if you miss a scheduled task. The alternatives are to reschedule the task as soon as possible, or to skip the task this time around and to do it the next time it comes due. (If you want some other alternative, you can schedule the task by hand rather than having MainBoss do it automatically. This will be explained later.)

To open the window for scheduling tasks, you click Add Schedule in the Unit section of the window for assigning units to a task. (For more about assigning units to a task, see Scheduling Units for Preventive Maintenance.) The scheduling window contains the following:

• Task: The identification code for the task.
• Subject: The one-line description of the task.
• Equipment: Selected if the task applies to a piece of equipment.
• Space: Selected if the task applies to a space.
• Building: The building where the task will be done.
• Unit: The equipment or space that will be serviced by the task.
• Location: The location of the equipment or space, taken from the Equipment table or the Spaces table.
• Schedule: This section specifies basic scheduling information.
  • By Date: Select this if the maintenance will be scheduled by date.
  • By Meter: Select this if the maintenance will be scheduled by meter reading. (Scheduling by both date and meter reading was explained above.) For more on meters, see Meters.
  • Schedule Basis: The date or meter reading when this particular maintenance task was last performed. This serves as a basis date for scheduling the next maintenance.
    Typically, you only have to set "Schedule Basis" when you install MainBoss or when you install a new piece of equipment. For example, suppose you have just installed MainBoss and you are setting up a schedule for a piece of equipment that needs to be serviced every 90 days. You would set the "Schedule Basis" for the equipment to the date that the equipment was last serviced. MainBoss will schedule service for 90 days after that date, and continue every 90 days from then on.
    Similarly, if a piece of new equipment needs to be serviced every 90 days, you would typically set "Schedule Basis" to the date the equipment was installed. MainBoss will schedule service for 90 days after the installation date, and every 90 days from then on.
    You may occasionally find it useful to "fudge" the "Schedule Basis" date, especially if you miss a scheduled service job. For example, suppose a particular maintenance task is scheduled every six months but for some reason, your people are too busy to carry out the task on the appointed day. You decide you want to reschedule the task for next month. Therefore, you can set "Schedule Basis" to five months ago; then MainBoss will automatically schedule the maintenance again next month when the six-month mark comes around.
  • Next schedule: Displays the next date or meter reading when the task will be scheduled.
    By default, "Next schedule" is calculated by adding "Schedule Interval" to "Schedule Basis". However, you can type in a different value if you want to override other scheduling considerations. For example, if you want a task to be scheduled for a particular date, regardless of the usual schedule, you can enter that date in "Next schedule". MainBoss will then schedule the task for that date, no matter what.

    Note: The Next schedule option is sometimes called fixed scheduling because it schedules the next maintenance job based on when the previous job was originally supposed to be done. The other scheduling options are all called floating scheduling because they schedule the next maintenance job based on when the previous job was actually done.

  • Schedule Interval: When maintenance is being scheduled by meter reading, this is just a number. Maintenance will be scheduled when the meter reading reaches "Schedule Basis" plus "Schedule Interval".
    When maintenance is being scheduled by date, "Schedule Interval" should give a length of time. This consists of a field where you type in a number, and a drop-down list where you specify time units. Specifically, the drop-down list specifies whether the length of time is measured in days, weeks, months, quarters, or years. For example, 91 DAYS, 13 WEEKS, 3 MONTHS, and 1 QUARTER are all approximately the same length of time; however, there are subtle differences, since 13 WEEKS will always schedule a task on the same day of the week while 3 MONTHS will always schedule a task on the same day of the month.
  • Set Schedule Basis to: This group of settings controls what MainBoss does after it has created a work order based on this task. Specifically, these settings dictate the value that MainBoss assigns to "Schedule Basis" after scheduling a task.
    For example, suppose that a particular task should be performed every 90 days and that the task itself takes four days to finish. Should the next task be scheduled 90 days after the work starts or 90 days after the work finishes? If there's work done on the same unit during the intervening 90 days, should MainBoss keep to the existing schedule, or start the 90-day clock again from the time this work was done? You can provide answers to such questions using these settings.
    • Work Start: MainBoss sets "Schedule Basis" to the date or meter reading at the time the job starts. Therefore, the next scheduled time for the task will be "Work Start" of the current job plus "Schedule Interval".
      Note that there's a possibility of mix-ups if you don't start the current job on the date specified by the work order's "Work Start". This creates a discrepancy between the "Work Start" date in MainBoss's records and the actual work start date. For example, suppose a particular job is supposed to be done every 30 days; also suppose the job was supposed to start June 1 but actually didn't start until June 15. Unless you correct the "Work Start" date in the June 1 work order, MainBoss will schedule the next job on July 1, even though July 1 is not a full 30 days after the previous job was done.
      There are two ways to avoid this problem. First, try to use realistic work start dates. Second, if a job is unavoidably delayed, change the "Work Start" date in the work order to the date that you think you'll actually start the job. This will help ensure that MainBoss's records reflect what's happening in the real world.
    • Work Start on any Work Order for Task/Unit: MainBoss sets "Schedule Basis" to the date or meter reading at the start time of any preventive work order for the unit. This is particularly useful when you schedule preventive maintenance by both date and meter reading.
      For example, suppose a forklift truck needs an oil change every three months or every 3000 miles, whichever comes first. You would create two maintenance schedules, one based on date (every three months) and one based on meter (every 3000 miles), with both schedules marked as Work Start on any Work Order for Task/Unit. This means that whenever you do preventive work on the unit, you essentially "restart the clock" on both the three months and the 3000 miles. This avoids the problem of having maintenance come due on the basis of date and very shortly afterward having the same maintenance come due on the basis of meter reading.
      Note that the schedule is only based on preventive work orders, not corrective work orders. For example, if the unit unexpectedly breaks down and needs to be repaired, the repair work does not restart the clock on regular preventive maintenance.
    • Next schedule: MainBoss sets "Schedule Basis" to the value shown in "Next schedule". This differs from other options in that it ignores when the work actually takes place. For example, the Work Start option (discussed previously) schedules the next task based on when the current task actually starts. The Next schedule option, however, schedules the next task on the specified date, no matter when the current task is actually done.
    • Work End: MainBoss sets "Schedule Basis" to the date or meter reading at the time the job ends. Therefore, the next scheduled time for the task will be "Work End" of the current job plus "Schedule Interval".
      As with Work Start, there's a possibility of mix-ups if a job extends beyond its expected "Work End" date. Therefore, if you find that a particular job is going longer than originally thought, change the "Work End" date in the job's work order so that MainBoss knows the job isn't finished. (Do this before you generate new work orders.) Otherwise, MainBoss will schedule the next maintenance job based on the originally scheduled "Work End" date rather than the actual end of the job.
      Note that you can use the Work Order History report to determine which work orders were supposed to end before the date of generating new work orders but which are still open on or after that date. This typically indicates work orders which didn't actually end on their expected "Work End" date. For information on the Work Order History report, see Work Order History.
    • Work End on any Work Order for Task/Unit: This is similar to Work Start on any Work Order for Task/Unit (described above), except that "Schedule Basis" is set to the date or meter reading at the end time of any preventive work order for the unit.
  • If task is overdue: This group of settings specifies what MainBoss should do if it is generating new work orders and discovers that the date when the work should have started has already passed.
    • Defer work to Generate date: This tells MainBoss to generate a new work order for the current date. You might use this setting if you want work orders to be generated for work that would have started during a plant shutdown. Because the work start date will be the date you generate work orders on your return, you get only one work order task per unit regardless of how many work orders would have been scheduled during the shutdown.
    • Skip task and reschedule: This tells MainBoss not to generate a new work order but to reschedule the job for the next time it is due. With this setting, work orders would not be generated until their next due date following a plant shutdown or any other interruption which resulted in work orders not being generated over a long period of time.

  Note: Because work for meter based tasks will always be considered overdue after a meter reading crosses the next schedule number, the Defer work to Generate date setting should always be used for meter-based scheduling.

  • Do not use this schedule: This is a special checkbox used in situations where you want to temporarily suspend a schedule, effectively "stopping the clock." For example, if a particular piece of equipment is going to be taken out of service for an indefinite time, you can checkmark Do not use this schedule so that MainBoss will stop scheduling work on the equipment. When the equipment comes back online, turn off the checkmark and MainBoss will resume scheduling normal maintenance.
• Exceptions: This section lets you specify exceptions to information in the Schedule section. For example, it lets you specify that a particular schedule only applies during a particular part of the year, or that some types of work should only be scheduled on weekends.
  • On Season Start: Used when a schedule is seasonal. This specifies the month and day when the active season starts. For example, if a particular type of task should only be scheduled from April to October, you could set "On Season Start" to April 1.
  • On Season End: Used when a schedule is seasonal. This specifies the month and day when the active season ends. For example, if a particular task should only be scheduled from April to October, you could set "On Season End" to October 31.
  • If triggered in off season, then: These settings specify what MainBoss should do if the normal schedule suggests that a task should be scheduled in the off season. For example, suppose a task is scheduled monthly, but the active season only runs from April to October. What should MainBoss do in November when the monthly task comes due again, but it's now the off-season?
    • Defer until season starts: This setting tells MainBoss to defer the task completely until the active season begins again. The task will be scheduled as soon as the active season starts.
    • Skip task, and reschedule: This setting tells MainBoss simply to skip the task this time and keep to the current schedule.
    
    To understand the difference between these two approaches, consider a task that should be done every three months, but with an off-season from November 1 to February 28. The task is scheduled for the first time on April 1, then again on July 1, and October 1. The next time the job would normally be scheduled would be January 1, but this is the off season. If you specify Defer until season starts, MainBoss will schedule the job as soon as the active season starts (March 1). If you specify Skip task, and reschedule, MainBoss will simply skip the January 1 job and reschedule for the next regular date (April 1 again).
• Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/ Saturday/Sunday: Checkmark any day when the task can be scheduled, and clear the checkmark on any day when the task is not allowed. For example, if a particular job can only be done on a weekend, checkmark Saturday and Sunday, and clear the checkmark on the other days.
• If triggered on a disabled weekday, then: These settings specify what MainBoss should do if the normal schedule suggests that a task should be scheduled on a day of the week that is not allowed.
  • Defer Schedule: In this case, the task is scheduled for the next day of the week that is allowed.
  • Skip task, and reschedule: In this case, the task is simply skipped and scheduled for the next time the task comes due.
  
  To understand the difference between these two approaches, suppose a job is scheduled for the first of every month. (You can do this by setting "Schedule Basis" to the first of some month and setting "Schedule Interval" to 1 MONTH. MainBoss will then schedule the task for the first day of each successive month.) Also suppose that your personnel do not work weekends. What happens when the first of some month falls on a weekend? If you specify Defer Schedule, the task is simply scheduled for the next suitable day—the following Monday. If you specify Skip task, and reschedule, the task is simply skipped and rescheduled for the first day of the next month.
• Save & New: Saves the current record and clears fields in the window so you can enter a new record.
• Clone: Copies most of the information from this schedule and creates a new schedule based on that information.
• Delete: Deletes the entire schedule.
• Save: Saves the current record, but leaves all data as is. You can then continue to edit the same record.
• Cancel: Closes the window. MainBoss discards any information that you haven't already saved with Save.

Scheduling Examples: Suppose you want a particular job to be scheduled on the second Tuesday of every month. You can do this with the following settings:

• In the Exceptions section, turn off every day of the week except Tuesday.
• In the Schedule section, select Next schedule under "Set Schedule Basis to". This ensures a fixed schedule based on the calendar, as opposed to a floating schedule based on the time the work is actually done.
• In the Schedule section, set "Schedule Interval" to 1 month.
• In the Schedule section, set "Schedule Basis" to the most recent second Tuesday of the month. For example, if it is now May 1, set "Schedule Basis" to the second Tuesday of the April just past.

You can use a similar procedure for schedules like "the first Friday of the month" or "the fourth Monday of the month". Unfortunately, there's no good way to do "the last Monday of the month" since some months have four Mondays while others have five Mondays. For most organizations, however, "the fourth Monday of the month" is probably an acceptable compromise for "the last Monday of the month".

Scheduling by Meter: When scheduling by meter reading, you must specify which meter should be used. This handles the situation where a piece of equipment might have more than one meter.

The "Schedule Basis" value should be the meter reading at which you last performed the preventive maintenance job. "Schedule Interval" should be the desired increment between jobs. If you fill in these two values, MainBoss automatically sets "Next schedule" to the meter reading where the next job should be scheduled. (You can also set "Next schedule" manually in situations where you want to specify a different value than normal.)

For example, suppose you want to schedule an oil change for a vehicle every 3000 miles. In "Schedule Interval" you set 3000 (indicating the job should be performed every 3000 miles). In "Schedule Basis" you set the odometer reading for the last time you did an oil change. MainBoss will automatically set "Next schedule" to the mileage measurement at which the next oil change should be performed.

When you generate preventive maintenance work orders, MainBoss forecasts future meter readings based on past averages. For example, suppose "Next schedule" for a particular job is 10,000. Whenever you generate PM work orders for a given period, MainBoss looks at past readings for the meter, calculates the average day-to-day increase in that meter, and determines whether the meter is expected to reach 10,000 during the period. If so, MainBoss generates an appropriate PM work order.

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