Constraints & Settings

The scheduler respects various constraints to create realistic, workable schedules. This guide explains what blocks time slots and how to configure your settings.

What Blocks a Time Slot?

Several factors can make a slot unavailable:

Constraint	Description
Working Hours	Outside the assignee's defined work schedule
Existing Tasks	Another task already scheduled at that time
User Absence	Assignee has vacation, sick leave, or other time off
Equipment Unavailable	Required equipment is in use or under maintenance
Daily Hour Limit	Adding this task would exceed maximum working hours
Dependent Task	A prerequisite task hasn't been completed yet
Break Period	Falls during a mandatory break time

Working Hours

Setting Up Working Schedules

1. Go to Team in the sidebar
2. Click Working Schedules tab
3. Create or edit a schedule

What a Schedule Defines

Setting	Description
Daily hours	Maximum hours per day (e.g., 8 hours on Monday)
Start time	When the workday begins
End time	When the workday ends
Working days	Which days of the week are available

Assigning Schedules to Team Members

1. Edit a team member's profile
2. Select their working schedule
3. The schedule becomes their availability

Tip: Create different schedules for full-time and part-time workers.

Daily Hour Limits

The scheduler tracks total daily workload including:

• Execution time (actual work)
• Travel time to jobs
• Travel time between jobs

How It Works

If the assignee's schedule allows 8 hours:

• A 6-hour day with a 3-hour job proposed = Blocked (would exceed 8 hours)
• A 4-hour day with a 3-hour job proposed = Allowed (7 hours total)

Overtime Allowance

Some schedules allow a percentage over regular hours:

Setting	Effect
0% overtime	Strict limit (e.g., max 8 hours)
10% overtime	Allows up to 8.8 hours
25% overtime	Allows up to 10 hours

Slots in the overtime period are marked with a warning indicator.

Absences

Recording Absences

1. Go to Team > Absences
2. Click Add Absence
3. Select team member, dates, and type

Absence Types

• Vacation
• Sick leave
• Public holiday
• Training
• Other

Effect on Scheduling

• Time slots during absences are completely blocked
• Full-day absences remove the entire day from availability
• Partial-day absences block only the specified hours

Equipment Availability

If a job requires specific equipment, the scheduler checks:

Equipment Scheduling

• Equipment can only be in one place at a time
• If equipment is scheduled elsewhere, the slot is blocked

Equipment Quantity

For equipment with multiple units:

• Job requires 2 units, you own 3, 1 is scheduled = Allowed (2 available)
• Job requires 2 units, you own 2, 1 is scheduled = Blocked (only 1 available)

Equipment Absences

Equipment can have maintenance periods recorded:

• Blocks scheduling during maintenance
• Prevents overbooking of equipment

Dependent Tasks

Work segments can have dependencies that enforce execution order.

How Dependencies Work

If Segment B depends on Segment A:

1. Dependency must be scheduled first - When you try to schedule Segment B, the scheduler checks if Segment A is already scheduled
2. Blocking if not ready - If Segment A isn't scheduled yet, Segment B is completely blocked with a clear message and a link to schedule Segment A first
3. Time-based filtering - Once Segment A is scheduled, Segment B can only be scheduled at times after Segment A ends
4. Same-day allowed - Segment B can be scheduled on the same day as Segment A, as long as it starts after Segment A ends

Cascade Reset

When you reset a scheduled task that other tasks depend on:

1. Warning shown - You'll see a list of all dependent tasks that will be affected
2. Automatic cascade - All dependent tasks are automatically reset along with the parent task
3. Customer notification option - You can choose whether to send notification emails to affected customers (enabled by default)

This ensures the dependency chain remains valid - you cannot have scheduled tasks that depend on unscheduled tasks.

Common Dependency Scenarios

• Installation must happen after delivery
• Testing must happen after installation
• Final inspection after all work complete

Break Periods

Work Routines

Break times are defined in work routines:

• Fixed break times (e.g., 12:00-12:30 daily)
• Automatic insertion based on work duration

Effect on Scheduling

• Work cannot be scheduled during break periods
• Break time is shown in the timeline but doesn't count toward working hours

Travel Constraints

Starting Location

Team members start each day from:

• Company base address (default)
• Custom location if configured

Travel Time Factors

Travel time is calculated using:

• Geographic coordinates
• Typical driving speeds
• Direct routes

Note: Real-time traffic is not factored into travel estimates.

Configuring for Your Business

Small Team (2-5 people)

• Simpler working schedules
• Flexible break times
• Direct communication for changes

Larger Team (5+ people)

• Standardized schedule templates
• Strict break policies
• Multiple equipment sets

Best Practices

1. Set up schedules first - The scheduler needs availability data

2. Keep absences current - Record time off as soon as it's known

3. Use realistic hours - Match actual team behavior

4. Configure equipment - Add equipment requirements to jobs

5. Define dependencies - Link related work segments

6. Review regularly - Update settings as your business changes