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On Demand / SLA Console

Preventive Maintenance / SLA Console

Selecting the Dispatch Option for Work Requests

Every maintenance request must eventually be handled by a supervisor. Depending on the type of work request, you can choose the appropriate dispatch method to direct this request to a supervisor.

When defining the workflow for a work request, you must select one of the following dispatch options for approved work:

Optionally, you can also:

• Specify a craftsperson and default duration

Dispatch to a supervisor

This option is appropriate if, from the definition of the problem, you know the particular supervisor to handle this issue. For example, suppose there is only one supervisor who handles issues involving door locks and keys; for an SLA defining a key problem, you can choose to dispatch to this particular supervisor.

To select this option:

1. In the Approved section of the Step 2 - Workflow form, select the Dispatch request to a supervisor option.
2. Then, from the validated list of users classified as supervisors, select a Supervisor to whom to route the work request.

   When the selected supervisor logs on to the system, they will see this request in their Building Operations Console queue.You designate a user as a supervisor by selecting Yes for the Is Supervisor? field when entering the user as a craftsperson. See Managing Maintenance-Specific Background Data - Craftspersons and Work Teams section.

Dispatch to a work team

For situations in which you do not know the specific supervisor to handle a request, but you do know the work team, you can route the request to the work team.

To select this option:

1. In the Approved section of the Step 2 - Workflow form, select the Dispatch request to a work team option.
2. Complete the Work Team Code field with the name of the work team.

   When supervisors of this work team log on to the system, they will see this request in the Building Operations Console queue. Any supervisor from that work team can log in and handle the request. The work request will then be assigned to this supervisor.

Assign request to a dispatcher and set up the dispatch step

For on demand work, if you are not auto-issuing the request or auto-creating the work order, you have the option to assign the work request to a dispatcher. The dispatcher decides the supervisor or work team to whom to route the request. Use this option if you do not know the work team or supervisor in charge of handling a specific kind of request.

With this method, the decision of who will actually work on the request is not defined up-front; rather, it is delayed until a dispatcher makes the decision in-process.

To select this option:

1. Ensure that the Auto Issue Work Requests and Auto Create Work Order check boxes are not selected. Clearing the selection from these check boxes makes the dispatcher option available.
2. Select the Assign request to a dispatcher option.
3. Select the Add dispatch step link.

   The specify who must dispatch the Work Request form appears.

4. Enter the following information:
   • Type. Ensure that Dispatch is selected in the Type list.
   • Condition. Since dispatching is not an optional step, do not enter a condition. All work must be dispatched to the dispatcher you specify.
   • Dispatcher. Select one of the following to be the dispatcher.
     • Employee. Select a specific employee to handle the dispatching.
     • AFM Role. Select a user role to handle the dispatching. All users having the selected role will see the work request when they log on to the Building Operations Console. The first person to respond dispatches the request. For example, you could define an OPS DISPATCHER role that you could use to specify those you want to make dispatch decisions. For a description of setting up AFM roles, see the Security Groups and Roles section of the topic ARCHIBUS Administrator - Users and Security Overview.
     • Service Desk Role. If you have set up service desk roles for the dispatch step type, you can assign the step to this service desk role. See Understanding Service Desk Roles.
   • Notification. Set the Notify Responsible? field to Yes if you want the dispatcher to receive email notification that a request requires dispatching.
5. Click Save.

Once you complete the form to specify who the dispatcher is, the system will display your dispatch information in the Optional Steps portion of the form.

Specifying a craftsperson and a default duration

Sometimes, you might want to specify that a particular craftsperson handle a job. For example, an SLA for a particular equipment item might dictate the work always be handled by a craftsperson who has received specialized training for this item. In these cases, you can specify an exact craftsperson and how long the task should take as part of the SLA. If assigning work to a particular craftsperson is not important, you may wish to have the supervisor, dispatcher, or work team handle this assignment; in these cases, do not complete Craftsperson and Default Duration fields.

Entering the craftsperson and default duration is always optional, even if you are auto-issuing the work.