Configuring Dynamic Scheduling

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Configuring Dynamic Scheduling

    Dynamic Scheduling in ServiceNow allows dispatchers to efficiently assign, change, or cancel work tasks in real-time, optimizing field service operations. It automates task assignments based on predefined criteria and continuously adapts to changing conditions, letting dispatchers focus on exceptions instead of routine scheduling. This feature supports the selection and prioritization of tasks, agent skill matching, travel time considerations, and task reassignment for agent time off.

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    Key Features

    • Activation and Setup: Enable the Dynamic Scheduling plugin (com.snc.dynamicscheduling) to activate the functionality within your instance.
    • Real-Time Optimization: The scheduling engine monitors task and agent statuses continuously to assign work orders intelligently to the best-suited agents at the right time.
    • Role Management: Dynamic Scheduling involves roles such as administrators, dispatchers, and field service agents, each playing a part in managing the scheduling process.
    • Agent Schedule Configuration: Define agent availability to ensure optimal task allocation aligned with their schedules.
    • Task Filters and Ordering Rules: Create filters to select eligible tasks based on type, priority, and attributes, and ordering rules to prioritize tasks (e.g., P1 tasks first) for efficient assignment.
    • Unassignment Rules: Implement rules to unassign or reassign tasks dynamically, allowing higher priority work to be accommodated without service disruption.
    • Advanced Configuration Options: Customize settings to assign the same agent to multiple tasks, consider customer preferences, manage technician exclusions, and optimize assignments based on proximity.
    • Support for Planned and Dynamic Crews: Dynamic Scheduling integrates with Field Service Crew Operations, enabling task assignments to both pre-created planned crews and dynamically created crews, provided crews have defined locations and schedules.

    What You Can Expect

    By configuring Dynamic Scheduling, your organization can achieve streamlined field service operations with automated, priority-based task assignment tailored to agent skills and availability. This leads to improved resource utilization, faster response to critical tasks, and enhanced flexibility in managing unexpected changes such as agent time off or urgent high-priority work. The system is configurable to align with your business rules and preferences, supporting both individual agents and crew-based task management for comprehensive service coverage.

    Configure dynamic scheduling to let dispatchers to easily assign, change, or cancel work tasks. Optimize work order task assignments and streamline field service operations by setting up dynamic scheduling according to your organization's requirements.

    Dynamic scheduling enables dispatchers to auto assign tasks and adapt to changing conditions, as well as needing to focus only on exception cases. Using this feature, you can:

    • Select a set of tasks for scheduling.
    • Prioritize the tasks in the set based on ordering rules (for example, assign P1 tasks first).
    • Use ordering rules and unassignment constraints to unassign previously assigned tasks to allow the assignment of higher priority tasks.
    • Use selection criteria such as agent skills and travel time to select agents.
    • Reassign tasks for agent time off.

    Configuration overview

    The steps to set up Dynamic Scheduling are:
    1. Activate dynamic scheduling: Activate the Dynamic Scheduling plugin (com.snc.dynamic_scheduling) to enable the dynamic scheduling functionality in your system.
    2. Understand the Dynamic Scheduling process engine: Dynamic Scheduling optimizes and assign work orders to field service agents in real-time. It involves continuously monitoring the status of tasks and available agents and making intelligent decisions to ensure that tasks are assigned to the most appropriate agent at the most appropriate time.
    3. Identify the roles required for Dynamic Scheduling: Manage dynamic scheduling process with administrators, dispatchers, and field service agents.
    4. Setting up agent schedules for dynamic scheduling: Set up agent schedules so that dynamic scheduling systematically ensures optimal task allocation.
    5. Set up Dynamic Scheduling as scheduling mechanism: Select dynamic scheduling as the preferred task assignment method. This ensures that tasks are automatically assigned to field agents based on predefined criteria and rules.
    6. Review system properties and components for Dynamic Scheduling: Review the properties and other installed components related to dynamic scheduling. Customize the settings to align with your organization's specific requirements and business processes.
    7. Matching criteria for task filters: Set selection criteria, such as agent skills and proximity, to match tasks with the most suitable agents. Dynamic scheduling ensures tasks are allocated to agents with the right expertise who are nearby. This optimizes agent utilization and guarantees that assignments are handled by the most qualified individuals.
    8. Create a task filter for dynamic scheduling: Define criteria to select eligible tasks for dynamic scheduling. Factors like task types, priorities, and attributes determine task eligibility. Task filters help focus on specific tasks for efficient scheduling.
    9. Create a task ordering rule: Create rules to determine the order of task assignments from the selected set of tasks. For instance, designate Priority 1 tasks as the top priority, ensuring swift attention to critical work. These rules enhance task assignments by aligning them with organizational priorities.
    10. Set task unassignment rules for flexibility: Create unassignment rules to make task assignments more flexible. This guarantees that service remains uninterrupted by either unassigning or reassigning tasks. It ensures that all tasks are attended to even if someone is absent. For example, if a more important task comes up, you can unassign less critical ones to make room for it. This optimizes resource use and ensures high-priority tasks get the attention they need.
    11. Validate configuration to identify any potential issues or misconfiguration that may impact the performance of dynamic scheduling.
    12. Optionally, you can also use the advanced configuration options for dynamic scheduling include assigning the same agent to all tasks, priority assignment for critical high-priority work orders, customer preferences for technicians or exclusions, proximity, and more.

    Dynamic Scheduling for Planned Crews

    Use Dynamic Scheduling to optimize task assignments to planned crews. There are two types of crews: planned crews, which are pre-created, and dynamic crews, which are dynamically created as needed. Dynamic Scheduling supports both planned crews and dynamic crews. To ensure task assignment to crews, the Field Service Crew Operations plugin must be active, planned crews must be created in the system, and each planned crew should have a designated location and schedule.