Scheduling: A Guide

This article will provide you with a comprehensive guide to Scheduling in LMN for your convenience! 

Select from the list below to jump to its spot within the article!

 

Different Methods to Schedule Jobs

The purpose of this article is just to give you a quick overview of the different areas in LMN where you can schedule an individual job from.

There are four different ways to schedule a Job in LMN individually.  All include the same steps when scheduling a Job, but vary depending on what screen you wish to start from.

The different screens where you can Schedule a Job from are as follows:

  1. Directly in a Job, from the Schedule tab > Click +Add on the top-right corner. mceclip0.png
  2. From the Schedule section, on the Whiteboard section > Click Whiteboard Actions in the top-right corner, then Add Work to Schedule. mceclip1.png
  3. From the Schedule section, on the Calendar section > Click Calendar Actions in the top-right corner, then +Add Work to Schedule. mceclip2.png
  4. From the Schedule section, on the Unscheduled Jobs section > Click Schedule to schedule the job or task. 
    *You can filter above the list to view by jobs or task, also by Job Groups.  mceclip3.png

 

Scheduling: Whiteboard

We’ve made your day-to-day schedule adjustments even easier! You now have the ability to toggle between two new views - Weekly View (one crew) or Daily View (all crews) so that you can simply drag and drop jobs for easy schedule management.

The Whiteboard is a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to quickly and easily organize today’s or the week's visits by crew. It also includes a Route Optimizer that will automatically calculate the most efficient route for each crew, based on the sites assigned.

To access the Whiteboard, click on Schedule > Whiteboard.

mceclip5.png

  1. In the Daily view, you can filter by the date up above by clicking on the calendar icon and choosing a specific date. Or you can simply click on the arrow button to toggle between dates. To the right-hand side, you can filter to see which crews you want to see. mceclip4.png
  2. In the Weekly view, select the week by clicking on the calendar button or using the toggle button to change the week and select the crew whose schedule you’d like to see. mceclip6.png
    • The benefit of using the weekly view as opposed to the daily view is that you can see all the jobs scheduled out for a specific crew over the course of the week and jobs can be moved to the next day or the day after and all the jobs that are scheduled for each day of the week is shown on the screen.
  3. As shown below, the color to the right side of the job name indicates the work calendar that the job has been scheduled to. You can also see the jobsite address, the service scheduled, as well as the amount of time that your crews are scheduled to be onsite for. There is also a status so you can easily see if a job is scheduled or completed. mceclip7.png
  4. If a job has been skipped and in need of rescheduling, this will be visually indicated by a 'SKIPPED' status and a yellow calendar icon. Moving that visit to a new date will cause the status to automatically revert from 'SKIPPED' to 'SCHEDULED' (but you will still be able to view the originally supplied Skip Reason note by opening up the Edit Visit window).

Screenshot 2024-02-27 153730.png

EDIT ENTIRE CREW ROUTES USING CREW ACTIONS

  1. In the dropdown next to Crew Actions, click on Optimize Routes, and select a crew that you want to optimize. You’ll see a start and end location down below, and then click on optimize route and click save changes. This will put all of these jobs into the most efficient order.
    • When your crews punch into your LMN Crew mobile app, they will be able to follow the order that you have setup here. 
  2. If you need to manually optimize your future routes, use the dropdown in Crew Actions and click on Re-order future routes. mceclip8.png
  3. If you want to print, email, or upload a PDF of your crews’ scheduled routes, use the dropdown in Crew Actions and click on Print Crew Daily. Select the crew you want to generate your crew daily for, choose the number of days you want to show on this report, and click Print. You have the option to save this report as a PDF and send it to your crews in an email or print it. mceclip9.png

EDIT ENTIRE CREW ROUTES USING WHITEBOARD ACTIONS

These same actions can be found under Whiteboard Actions for each crew as well by using the dropdown function and selecting one of the options. mceclip12.png

  1. Select the Whiteboard Actions button at the top right, then Optimize Routes to run the Route Optimization tool.mceclip11.png 
  2. Select the Crew you wish to optimize and then press Optimize Route.

  3. You will then be prompted to whether or not to apply the same changes to Future Scheduled Jobs.

  4. Delete or edit today's schedule visit by hovering over the job and delete by clicking on the trash can icon or edit by clicking on the pencil icon.

Edit Schedule in the Whiteboard

From your Whiteboard in the Schedule section, you can use the 'Edit Crew Schedule' button to make the following changes:

  • Re-assign jobs from one crew to another
  • Change a crews scheduled visits to another date 
  • Delete scheduled visits

*In addition to being able to change a crews scheduled visits to another date or crew, you can also specify which visits should be changed by Visit Status as well. For example, you can select to move 'Only Incomplete' visits to another day.*

To use the Edit Crew Schedule button, follow these steps:

  • Click Schedule > Whiteboard on the left-hand menu.
  • Ensure the Date in the Whiteboard is the correct date you want to make changes for
  • Click Whiteboard Actions button at the top right > Click Edit Crew Schedule mceclip17.png 
    • Pick which Crew you're making changes to from the drop down list
    • Select which Option you want to do (Re-assign to different crew, Change visit dates, or delete scheduled visits)
    • If re-assigning crews or changing dates, pick the new crew or date
    • Select what type of Visit Status to apply changes to (eg. Incomplete Visits only, All visits, Visits marked as skipped, or Visits marked as complete)
  • *Please note* The Edit Crew Schedule button was previously named 'Edit Sched'.

To view a video tutorial about using the Whiteboard, click HERE

Scheduling: Calendar

The Calendar View will allow you to see your schedule by the week, month or day. If a visit shown in the calendar has a status of 'Skipped' and is also marked 'Reschedule Needed,' you will see a white calendar icon near the left edge of that visit's calendar block. 

mceclip3__1_.png

 


Calendar Customization

You can filter by Work Calendar type, Crews and Managers and can color code the calendar by either Crew or Work Calendar type.

To filter by Work Calendar, click the drop down as shown below:

mceclip3__1_.png

To filter by Crew, click the drop down as shown below:

mceclip3__1_.png

Manager 

To filter by Manager, click the drop down as shown below:

mceclip3__1_.png

Color Coding

You can color code by Work Calendar type or scheduled Crew.  To use the color coding functionality, click the drop down as shown below.

mceclip3__1_.png

 

Schedule Review

As crews work on jobs, they'll be prompted to set the status of these service types as completed (or not) as they clock out of jobs.  You can use the Schedule Review screen to see what work is scheduled, what work was completed, and what work is overdue in just a few clicks of a mouse.

To view the Schedule Review, click on Schedule and then the Schedule Review section.

mceclip3.png

To Filter the report, access the drop-downs at the top of the screen:

  • View: toggle between work that is OVERDUE, SCHEDULED, SKIPPED, STARTED or COMPLETED
  • Calendar: toggle to show ALL CALENDARS or browse through specific Calendars
  • Service Type: toggle to show ALL SERVICE TYPES or browse through specific Service Types
  • Crews: toggle to show ALL CREWS or browse through specific Crews

You can also sort each header (JOB ID, JOB NAME, VISIT, SERVICE, DATE, CREW, EDITED BY and OVERDUE) in ascending/descending order by clicking on the header in question.

To ViewEdit or Delete any of these scheduled visits, click the checkbox on the left side, then click Edit Schedule

mceclip4.png

Checking and Actioning Skipped Visits via Schedule Review

When you use the 'Show' filter to select 'Skipped,' you'll see three helpful columns that will help you decide how to proceed:
Screenshot 2024-02-27 152125.png

  • The 'Reschedule Needed' column will show a yellow calendar icon if the staff member who reported the Skip, indicated that that skipped visit needs to be rescheduled for an alternate time.
  • The Skipped By column indicates which team member (either a Crew Lead or one of your admins on their behalf) reported the Skip.
  • The Skipped Date reads out the date and time at which the Skip was reported.

Click on any of the shown visits to view the reason that was provided for the Skip, by the individual who performed that operation:

Screenshot 2024-02-27 152751.png

Wait List

Some types of work are hard to schedule.  When you're adding a job at the beginning of the year that requires fertilization or fall cleanup - you don't know the exact date you're going to do the work... you just know you have to get it done within a certain time frame.

That's the best case for using a wait list.  You can setup a start date, and a warning date, for your wait lists, then add jobs and their services to this list.  After the start date, the job will appear on the wait list as something that you need to schedule.  If you haven't scheduled the work by a certain date - the warn date - the job will turn red and tell you its overdue.

And promoting something from the wait list to the schedule is easy.  Simply assign a date and a crew and you're good to go.

This guide will provide you a complete overview of how to use the Wait List.

You will want to setup your Schedule Templates to schedule these jobs to the waitlist. To do this, go to Schedule > Schedule Templates and click +Add Item in the top-right corner. 

mceclip5.png

Click +Add Service in the top-right corner to begin add your services to your Schedule Template.

The Schedule Type in the Schedule Template will need to be set to waitlist. 

mceclip7.png

  • STARTING/ENDING DATE RANGE: click on the date field(s) and a calendar will appear. Click on the date(s) you wish to assign.
  • VISITS: enter the frequency within your specified date range. 
  • TIME FACTOR: you can reduce or add more time to your visits by entering a % value here. Factors that would impact this could be weather, length of gaps between visits (ie. once every 3 weeks, or winter season). Enter a value of LESS than 100% if you feel this visit might be completed in LESS than the estimated manhours per visit. Enter a value of GREATER than 100% if you feel this visit might be completed in MORE than the estimated man hours per visit.
  • WARN BY: This will give you a warning on your waitlist tab if you haven't promoted this job to the schedule by the date. 

If you would like to add additional date ranges, click +Dates in the top-right corner.

You can schedule your jobs to the waitlist! 

  • When scheduling your jobs, if you select Bulk Scheduling you will only be able to schedule 1 service at a time across multiple jobs.
  • Scheduling from the Calendar, Whiteboard or within a single job you will be able to schedule multiple services using Schedule Templates for 1 job. 

To view a video tutorial about using the Wait List feature, click HERE

Bulk Scheduling [Weekly & Irregular Services]

The fastest, easiest way to schedule weekly jobs is to do a group of jobs at once... and that's what you can do with Bulk Scheduling.  It's as easy as:

  • Mapping jobs with a specific service
  • Selecting them (on the map!)
  • Applying a Work Calendar/Visit Schedule
  • And that's it.... schedule hundreds of visits in 5 min or less

To do so, follow these steps:

    • Click on Schedule on the left-hand menu, then Bulk Schedule
    • Select your Job Filter and if you want to view all jobs, or just jobs from a particular Job Group.
    • Pick a Service you're looking schedule (*Please note, your jobs do need Services in them for Bulk Scheduling to work). This will scan all jobs to show you on the map all the jobs with the attached service.
      • Please note Visit Types are no longer required.
    • Click With Visits After to select a preferred date and again narrow down the list of jobs that will be shown on the map.
    • Lastly select Hide Scheduled & Wait List if you want to Hide Jobs that have already been scheduled and then click Search

You should now see properties appear on your map like the image below: mceclip8.png

You can now pick which jobs on the map you want to schedule by clicking each point or by using the tool highlighted in the image above. This tool acts just like the Measure Site tool in the estimating section. After highlighting using the tool, click the Select button at the top of your screen. mceclip9.png

Please note there is a legend at the bottom-left of the map to show you which jobs are unscheduled, wait listed, scheduled and which you have selected.

*TIP- Pick jobs based on the area you want to schedule for a particular crew or day of the week and not just every single job! **

Once ready to schedule or Wait list your selected jobs, click the Schedule button at the top right corner to take you to the next screen.mceclip12.png

mceclip19.png

Now from the screen above:

You have the option to default task for all jobs you would like to schedule within 'default task to' field

        • Start typing in and you'll see it filling in all your jobs tasks with what matches your default task entrymceclip20.png
          • These can be changed individually for jobs if needed by using the drop down menu
          • Select the Schedule Template you want to apply to these jobs
            • IMPORTANT: If you're trying to schedule these to the Wait List. Make sure to select a Wait List visit schedule. 
            • Please note you can change these for individual jobs in your job list by using the drop down menu just like your Tasks.
          • Select the Crew if applicable
          • Select the Manager if applicable
          • Verify all selections are accurate! If you see the triangle symbol next to the job as shown above, this means the job has already been scheduled.
            • Visits will highlight in red if the quantity of visits in the Task do not match the Visit schedule
  •  

Once you have verified the information is accurate, you can click the Schedule button at the top-right hand corner.

Type Confirm in the prompt and you're done!

To view a video tutorial about using the Bulk Scheduling feature, click HERE

Unscheduled Jobs

In LMN you will be able to view a list of all active jobs that are not currently on the schedule.

To view these click on the Schedule tab on the left hand menu > Unscheduled Jobs

mceclip15.png

From this screen you can filter along the top to search for a job (name, service, task, etc.), you can filter by Job or Tasks and also by Job Group.

mceclip16.png

If you would like to schedule a job, click into the job you wish to Schedule and follow the prompts to add to the schedule.

Unscheduled Routes

LMN Scheduling lets you build what's called an Unscheduled Routes.  Unscheduled Routes are lists of jobs and tasks in a specific order, that can be added to the calendar at any time in just a few clicks.

You can create predefined plow and salting routes for your crews.  When an event approaches, you simply add the appropriate unscheduled route to the crew (or operator) you want to complete that route. You can even modify the estimated (planned) duration for each site.  You can add or subtract a % of time to the duration of each site based on the severity of the event.

CREATING AN UNSCHEDULED ROUTE

Once all of your Staff and Jobs have been entered or imported into LMN, you can then start creating unscheduled routes for storm cleanup or snow.

  1. Login to LMN and click on Schedule.
  2. Click on Unscheduled Routes on the left-hand menu.
  3. Click the Action drop down menu in the top-right corner, then click +New Route mceclip17.png
  4. Enter the Route Name, Route Description, select the Calendar you wish to assign the Task to, and set the Estimated Crew Size. (NOTE: Work Calendars will have to be set up previous to adding an Unscheduled Route.)

ADDING SITES TO THE UNSCHEDULED ROUTE

  1. Click +Add Jobs button
  2. Type the name of a Task, and all Jobs containing a Task with the Search term you entered. You can also filter your Jobs by Job Type.mceclip21.png
  3. Click the mceclip23.png to add the Task/Job to the Unscheduled Route.
  4. Once all Tasks/Jobs have been added, click OK mceclip22.png
  5. To Optimize your Route, click on the Action menu at the top right corner then click Optimize Routemceclip24.png             
  6. Your Start/End Address will be pulled from the Company Information tab under the Settings.
  7. Click Optimize and the tool will generate the most efficient route. Click OK.mceclip25.png

SCHEDULING YOUR UNSCHEDULED ROUTE

To Schedule your Unscheduled Route:

  1. Access Schedule > Whiteboard > Whiteboard Actions 
  2. Click on Add Unscheduled Routemceclip26.png
  3. Select which Route you wish to schedule, applied to which Calendar and for which Crew. You will also have the ability to change Crew Size and edit the Estimated Time if necessary.
  4. Click Save

Note: An alternative to Unscheduled Routes is Job Groups. If you do not want to have to worry about scheduling routes please refer to the Job Groups tutorial below before making your final decision on which method to use. Job Groups are a great alternative to Unscheduled Routes because the Live Map will update as the crew complete the jobs in the Job Group. 

To view a video tutorial about using Unscheduled Routes, click HERE

Schedule Templates

Schedule Templates will allow you to schedule multiple services for a single job all at once. This guide will walk you through creating & scheduling your jobs using Schedule Templates.

  • To create a Schedule Template, click Schedule > Schedule Template > +Add Item in the top-right corner.mceclip27.png
    • Enter your Schedule Template name > click OK.
    • Click +Add Service in the top-right corner to begin adding the services to the template that you will be scheduling. 

SERVICE: Select the Service from the drop down menu of your list of Services

SCHEDULE TYPE: these are your three schedule types:

  • WEEKLY: allows you to set a start and end date with weekly intervals in between for each visit 
  • MANUAL: whereby you pick a set date per visit
  • WAIT LIST: for scheduling jobs to your Wait list where you're unsure the specific date it will be done, but know the date range (Fertilization for example)

CALENDAR: Select from your work calendars, these are your work calendars that will on the Calendar & Whiteboard view.  mceclip28.png

  • Click the +Visit button to begin adding the visit dates. 

STARTING/ENDING DATE RANGE: click on the date field(s) and a calendar will appear. Click on the date(s) you wish to assign and press SET.

VISITS: enter the weekly frequency within your specified date range (IE. every 1 week, 2 weeks etc.).

TIME FACTOR: (optional) you can reduce or add more time to your visits by entering a % value here. Factors that would impact this could be weather, length of gaps between visits (IE. once every 3 weeks, or winter season). Enter a value of LESS than 100% if you feel this visit might be completed in LESS than the estimated man hours per visit. Enter a value of GREATER than 100% if you feel this visit might be completed in MORE than the estimated man hours per visit. mceclip30.png

  • If you have selected the Manual Schedule Interval, you will then set up the DATE you wish to have the visit occur on. mceclip31.png
  • Once you've added all your services & dates, you will be able to schedule your jobs from the Calendar, Whiteboard or within the Job itself and select this template to schedule all the services within the job and template.  mceclip32.png

Scheduling Jobs using Schedule Templates

To schedule a job using your Schedule Templates, you can do this from the CALENDAR view, WHITEBOARD or within the JOB itself.

Add Work to Schedule: Select One Time Job or Recurring Job

  • One Time Job: You will select from your Non Recurring Work Calendars
  • Recurring Job: You will be able to select from your Schedule Templates

Step 1: Choose a job
This screen will allow you to filter from your job groups and utilize the search bar to search for a specific job, customer, task or service.  

mceclip33.png

Click Next

Step 2: Select a Schedule Template to schedule your services
You can pick from your previously created Schedule Templates OR select custom to a new one.

mceclip36.png

Once you select your schedule template, you will see a screen like the below image. If you have a service setup in the Schedule Template that has not been added to the job, you will have the opportunity to add it to the job and schedule together with the other services. 

mceclip37.png

Select the appropriate task that would be associated with the service you are scheduling. 
Click Next

Step 3: Review the Services you are scheduling. 
If you have select a weekly type you will select date weekday you want these visits to schedule for. 
You will also select the crew you would like to assign. 

By clicking on the far side arrow, you can expand the schedule to edit it

And if by any chance you see a caution sign on the visit side, it won't stop you moving forward with the schedule, it's just to warn you that the number of scheduled visits doesn't match the selected tasks visits. mceclip39.png

 

Click Finish and follow the prompts, then you will be able to review the visits you have scheduled

To view a video tutorial about Schedule Templates, click HERE

Scheduling: Schedule Settings

In LMN Settings, you have the ability to change your Schedule naming convention. Your schedule name will display on both the Calendar and the Whiteboard in the white text for that visit.

To update this naming convention, follow these steps:

  1. Click on Settings > Scheduling > Schedule Settingsmceclip40.png
  2. Adjust your name accordingly.
  • Custom Text 1 - 2 - Will allow you to add in specific text (ie. Calendar Year)
  • Separator - How will you separate your selection (ie. colon :, pipe |, etc.)
  • Name Component 1 - 3 - Select what you'd like to display, here.mceclip41.png

To view a video tutorial about Schedule Settings, click HERE

Creating Work Calendars

Work calendars allow you to setup default colors, drive-time settings, schedule templates and much more so that you can schedule new jobs in just a few clicks.

There are two types of Work Calendars:

  1. Recurring: used for Visit type work, involving multiple visits that you will continuously visit on a recurring basis (eg. mowing, pruning, yard cleanup, etc) and for unsched routes.
  2. Non-Recurring: used for Install/Construction type work, involving one visit (which may span across days or weeks) where a Job is started and completed within a specific time-frame (eg. patio install, driveway, etc).  For more information on non-recurring calendars, please see below.

Creating a 'Recurring' Calendar

To add a Recurring Work Calendar:

    1. Log into LMN.
    2. Click on Settings > Scheduling > Work Calendars mceclip42.png
    3. Click +New on the top-right corner.
    4. On the Add Work Calendar screen, give it a Calendar Name and ensure you have selected the appropriate Calendar Type (ie. Recurring).
    5. On the Calendar Info section, you will see the following options for set-up, as well a brief description of what each setting means by clicking on the ? icon. Enter your settings here for your Work Calendar. mceclip43.png
    6. Click Save on the bottom-right corner once you have entered all of your values.

Creating 'Non-Recurring' Work Calendars

Non-Recurring: used for Install/Construction type work, involving one visit (which may span across days or weeks) where a Job is started and completed within a specific time-frame (eg. patio install, driveway, etc.)

To add a Non-Recurring Work Calendar:

        1. Log into LMN
        2. Select Settings > Scheduling > Work Calendars mceclip42.png
        3. Select +New to create a new Work Calendar
        4. On the Add Work Calendar screen, give it a Calendar Name and ensure you have selected the appropriate Calendar Type (ie. Non-Recurring). 
        5. Under the Calendar Info section, you will see the following options for set-up, as well a brief description of what each setting means. Enter your settings here for your Work Calendar.  mceclip44.png
        6. Click Save on the bottom-right corner once you have entered all of your values.

Note:  Do NOT use the color White or you will not be able to see scheduled items on your calendar!

To view a video tutorial about setting up Work Calendars, click HERE

Setting up your Schedule Crews

Schedule Crews are used to designate which employees to be assigned for work on the Calendar. It schedules work for crews, rather than specific employees, so that if there are no-shows or last minute changes to the workload, your schedule isn’t tied to any one specific foreman.

To set up your Schedule Crews for Scheduling:

    1. Login to LMN. 
    2. Click on the Settings > Scheduling > Schedule Crews mceclip45.png
    3. Click on +Add New located on the top-right corner. mceclip46.png
    4. Give the Crew a Name, indicate the amount of staff in the crew, assign a Default Foreman and a color for the crew. (NOTE: the Crew Size can be changed when actually scheduling a Job. This is just a default that appears).
    5. Click Save
    6. Repeat the same process for every Crew you wish to set-up.

Note:  Do NOT use the color White or you will not be able to see scheduled items on your calendar!

To view a video tutorial about setting up Schedule Crews, click HERE

Setting up your Schedule Holidays

A warning will flag whether scheduled work falls on a Holiday. You’ll be allowed to schedule work on any day, but you will see a visual warning reminding you to revisit your schedule.

To set up your Holidays for Scheduling:

  1. Login to LMN.
  2. Click on the SettingsScheduling > Holidays  mceclip48.png                            
  3. Click on +New located on the top-right corner. mceclip49.png
  4. Toggle the Year by selecting the drop-down.
  5. To begin adding dates, click +Add New at the top right corner. mceclip50.png                              
  6. Click on the Holiday Date field, select the Date and provide it a Name. Click OK.
  7. Repeat the same process for every Holiday in that respective Calendar Year.

To view a video  tutorial about setting up your Holidays, click HERE

If you require further assistance, please contact our Support Team via email at support@golmn.com or reach out to us through our Live Chats feature or by Phone: (888) 347-9864! 

Was this article helpful?

Related articles

Comments

0 comments
Article is closed for comments.