Create a Virtual Daily Plan

The Virtual Daily Plan acts as a simulation dashboard that allows Planner Technicians to model and review resource schedules before they are finalized. This tool is critical because it enables "what-if" scheduling scenarios, ensuring operational efficiency and resource saturation without impacting live operations until the plan is officially "crystallized" into the Real Daily Plan.

Access the Virtual Daily Plan

To begin managing a simulation, you must navigate from the main scheduling interface to the virtual environment.

1. Navigate to the Scheduling Management window.

2. Right-click on the specific Daily Plan related to your simulation.

3. Select the option to open the Virtual Daily Plan.

4. View the dashboard to manage activities and resources assigned to the simulation.

Navigate the Dashboard Tabs and Panels

The Virtual Daily Plan mimics the Real Plan's structure but limits data to simulated activities.

Manage Tabs

1. Navigate to the top section of the page.

2. Select one of the five tabs: Daily Plan, Clipboard, Schedulable Activities, Search Scheduling, or Daily Impact.

   Note: Functions in these tabs (except the Daily Plan tab) are identical to those in the Real Plan.

Access Quick Panels

1. Navigate to the right section of the window.

2. Swipe up or click the panels to access Generic Filter Settings, Quick Menus (Urgent Activities, Resources, etc.), or Messages.

Configure the Daily Plan View

Use the Daily Plan Bar at the center of the screen to customize how data is displayed.

Customize Columns

1. Click the Columns button (Icon 1).

2. Select/Ticking the boxes for specific data points:

   • Resource Selection: Adds a checkbox for team assignments.

   • Summary: Shows a resume of the resource's schedule.

   • Progress Status: Displays activity progress (simulated).

Sort Resources

1. Click the Sorting button (Icon 2).

2. Select a sorting criterion (e.g., Resource's Surname, Organization, or Shift Start).

3. Choose Increasing or Decreasing order.

Manage Simulated Operations

The Operations Menu allows you to perform "massive" actions across the entire simulation day.

1. Click the Operations Menu button (Icon 5).

2. Select one of the following actions:

   • Cancel Day Simulation: Deletes all scheduling for that day in the virtual plan.

   • Model Consolidation: Fixes key dates for orders to prevent them from moving in future simulation runs.

   • Assignment: Pre-assigns activities. To view these in the Real Plan later, right-click an Available Time Slot and select Details > Assignment Detail.

   • Lock/Unlock Scheduling: Prevents or allows future simulation runs to change the current assignments.

Crystallization (Finalizing the Plan)

Crystallization transfers your simulated schedule into the live "Real Plan."

Crystallize an Entire Day

1. Click the Operations Menu button (Icon 5).

2. Select Confirmation (Crystallization).

3. Click OK on the warning message regarding the work center.

4. Click PROCEED when the system identifies the specific day.

5. Verify the "Activity crystallization completed" success message.

Crystallize a Single Resource

1. Right-click the specific resource's name or scheduling bar.

2. Select Confirmation.

3. Confirm the prompts to transfer only that resource's schedule to the Real Plan.

   Note: Red slots in the Virtual Plan indicate the resource/day has been successfully crystallized.

Individual Resource Adjustments

You can manually edit specific resource paths or view their live status.

View Real-Time Progress

1. Right-click the resource’s name or availability bar.

2. Select Show Real Plan.

   • The system will open the Real Daily Plan pre-filtered for that specific resource.

Lock Specific Activities

1. Right-click a scheduled activity (the colored rectangle) in the resource's timeline.

2. Select Lock/Unlock Scheduling.

   • This ensures this specific activity remains fixed even if the rest of the simulation is re-processed.

Edit Scheduling Details

1. Navigate to the resource's scheduling bar.

2. Click the arrow at the left of the bar to expand details.

3. View the Unavailability Cause, Slot Type, or Working Calendar.

4. Drag and drop or right-click colored bars (Yellow/Grey/White) to manually edit intervention sequences.

Legend: Understanding Activity Status and Symbols

The Legend serves as your visual guide to interpreting the Virtual Daily Plan. It helps you quickly identify resource availability and the status of specific work orders.

1. Navigate to the center of the page.

2. Click the Legend button (Icon 1) to open the retractable menu.

3. Review the following visual indicators:

Activity and Resource Colors

• Green Band: Represents the resource’s standard availability slot.

• Shades of Green: Indicates the resource is on loan to a different Operations Center.

• Beige Band: Represents a scheduled lunch break.

• Grey Band: Indicates permits or general resource unavailability.

• Red Slot: Indicates the day or resource has been crystallized (finalized in the Real Plan).

• Yellow/Grey/White Rectangles: Represent scheduled activities and displacement times; the length is proportional to the duration.

Specialized Symbols

• Thicker Borders: Highlighting an activity with a thick border indicates a team activity.

• Tooltips: Hover your mouse over any scheduled activity to see a popup with specific data, such as the names of other team members involved in a task.

Key Summary of Status Icons

Monitor Capacity and Urgency

The following tools help you ensure your resources are neither overwhelmed nor underutilized before you crystallize the plan.

Check Resource Saturation

1. Navigate to the Operations sub-menu in the top section.

2. Select Saturation Dashboard.

3. Review the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to see how much of your team's total capacity is filled.

   Tip: Use this to identify if you need to add more work orders or if certain resources are overbooked.

Manage Urgent Activities

1. Navigate to the right section of the window.

2. Click to expand the Quick Menu: Urgent Activities.

3. Review the list of high-priority work orders.

4. Drag and drop an activity from the panel directly onto a resource's scheduling bar in the center display to assign it.

Export the Activity Report

1. Navigate to the Operations sub-menu.

2. Select Activity Report.

3. The system will generate and download an .xls file containing all work orders currently scheduled for the selected day in your simulation.

Finalize the Session

Once you have finished your simulation and either crystallized or locked your assignments:

1. Navigate to the Operations sub-menu.

2. Select Close.

3. The system will return you to the main Scheduling Management window.