This description is divided into the following sections:
In general single work is allocated to a one resource as single work assignment. Visit handling can be used to create more than one work assignment for a single work based on the work schedule or calendar of the resource. When a single work has more than one work assignment, it is called Visit Chain. An individual work assignment of the visit chain is referred as Visit. Each visit is sequenced with Visit ID and Visits in a visit chain to continue unfinished work is referred as Follow-on Visits.
Visit are created according to a general logic based on the resource's
working schedule, if the work assignments are created through a source other
than IFS/Planning Scheduling Optimization. Then visits can be handled
according to a general concept and IFS/Resource Monitoring Gantt and Allocation
Gantt can be used to handle visit related allocations and reallocations. If IFS/Planning Scheduling Optimization is used, visits are automatically
created by the Planning Scheduling Optimization tool. Visit handing is not
supported by IFS/Maintenance Planning Board.
Maintenance Resources should be setup as in Maintenance Resource Setup and Allow Multiple Visit check box should be selected on the work task. In general, the value for Allow Multiple Visit check box is defaulted from IFS/Site and can be manually edited on the work task. IFS/Planning Scheduling Optimization is used, values for Allow multiple visit check box and Minimum visit duration are fetched from IFS/Scheduling Basic Data/Work Task/Activity Type.
There are two main phases of resource allocation process related to visit handling i.e. Planning phase and Execution phase. Initial resource allocation is considered as planning phases while the activities of transferring the work assignment to the mobile devise or accepting the work assignment is referred as execution phase of the allocation process.
The resource allocation process of visit handling in IFS/Planning Scheduling Optimization is different than the general process and read about Activity Visits in Planning and Scheduling Optimization for more information.
Visit chain can be reallocated in IFS/Resource Allocation Gantt and IFS/Resource Monitoring Gantt. Read more about Resource Reallocation.
The status of work assignment in a visit chain can be changed similar to a single work assignment. Read more about Work Assignments for general information on status handling. However, there are some special scenarios when changing the work assignment status in visit handling as below.
Time reporting on visit can be done only if the preceding visit is Completed.
During the execution of a visit chain it is possible to update the remaining time of the work through the Time to Complete dialog. This dialog can be received when completing each visit with follow-on visit and also through the right mouse button option on visits which are not Canceled or Completed or Incompleted. In the background this updates the total duration of the work and remaining time of the work is derived from time difference between total duration and the Actual Works Hours of completed visits.
When a Work Assignment Visit is set to Completed and the Time to Complete is set to 0 hours (the work is done) the remaining visits will be removed or cancelled, based on their status.
When the updated remaining time and sum of the the total Allocated Hours of the active visits (i.e. visits with status Assigned, Accepted, OnRoute, Waiting at Location, Started, Pending completion) has a difference, Need Readjustment symbol is visible on each active visit in IFS/Resource Monitoring Gantt. Then the visit chain can be readjusted by selecting the Readjust in right mouse button options on the active visit chain to recreate the visit chain according to the updated remaining work time and to update the work assignments. The visit chain is automatically update as below concept.
Note: Visits are created in execution phase considering the Allocated hours of
the initial work assignment. However, when reallocating and readjusting a visit
chain it always consider the updated remaining time to complete the work
If IFS/Planning Scheduling Optimization is used, further detailed information about visits in Planning and Scheduling optimization is available in: Activity Visits in Planning and Scheduling Optimization for more information.