How do I use it? - D-Tools Forum

dtechy1 · 03-05-2009, 01:51 AM

OK I'll start! How do I use it?

RandyB · 03-05-2009, 02:36 AM

Originally Posted by dtechy1

OK I'll start! How do I use it?

Begin by selecting a project and going to the Scheduling tab.

Then, create a new Task, specifying what it is about, when it should occur, how long it should take (duration), and who should do it (resources). You're entirely unrestricted in how you create tasks -they can be anything from a sales meeting to an installation task.

If this is to be an installation task (where you are installing items from the project), you can add items to it via the Labor and/or Equipment items tab. This causes the Projected Labor in the Labor tab to change. The projected labor can then be used to determine an appropriate Duration for the task. For example, if there are 50 hours of projected labor and 2 resources, the duration would be 25 hours. You have to change the duration manually. When you add items to a task, the installation status of the items can be tracked.

As you add items from your project onto tasks, the list of items to add will shrink until disappearing. This is because each item can only appear on one Task. When the list of items to add is empty you have scheduled every item in your project.

Once you have a collection of tasks, you can organize them by creating Summary Tasks or Work Orders. Select one or more tasks and click New > Summary Task. Tasks in large degree replace Work Orders in SI5.5, so there really is no reason to use Work Orders if you don't want to. You can also move tasks around on the Gantt chart to reschedule.

Also: if you have any existing work orders and would like to see them in the project schedule, open the work order and select Add > Work Order to Schedule. This will create a new task based on the work order.

Click on the Resource Calendar to review tasks assigned to specific resources. This allows you to see all tasks for all projects assigned to specific resources, and move them accordingly. It is also the place for individuals to go to see what's assigned to them.

We understand that some help videos are badly needed for this functionality; these are in the works and will be posted as they become available. For now, try creating some tasks using the suggestions above and you'll begin to get it.

Randy Bownds
Program Manager
D-Tools, Inc.

HickmottJ · 03-05-2009, 10:54 AM

OK, firstly...loving SI5.5...good work guys. Seems faster and easier to use already.

The Scheduling tool also all makes sense.

What I am unsure of now though, is the best practice on how to use D-Tools. I'll explain:

My original concept of D-Tools was the Product would contain both an equipment item and the labour associated with it, inc. design and management time as a %. Various Products could then be grouped into Packages.

With Scheduling this, IMHO, negates the need to specify time against in the Product and leans towards having task based Labour items "products" i.e. "Install Keypad" instead. Which can then be associated to the Products by way of Packages.

This way when you create Task Summary reports in Scheduling you can then just add the Labour items to each Task. This makes for a quick assignment report to installers.

However, when you add the Equipment to the Task (in order for pick lists, Shipments, etc to be generated) they also display in the Task Summary report which means you are left with "Install Keypad" AND, for example, "CAT5e"! What is the Installer supposed to do with the "CAT5e"...tie their boots with it?

If the Products (equipment) are ommited from the task and instead added to a Work Order then the Task Summary report is great but the Work Order reports then become confusing. Work Order Packing List report contains Labour and the Work Order report again contains Equipment.

Perhaps I have the wrong concept here or maybe it's simply a bug in that Packing List reports, etc should exclude Labour items and a Work Order should exclude Equipment items, or at least let us filter them out manually.

Otherwise seems good improvement.

J

dtechy1 · 03-05-2009, 04:29 PM

Thanks Randy,

That cleared up a few questions for me on procedures. Great product so far and it is much faster.

RandyB · 03-05-2009, 04:42 PM

OK, a couple of things here. First off, the Packing List reports (either Task or Work Order) should only be showing equipment items from the Install Items list. If there are labor items on there, it is a bug and something we can fix.

Second, it should be possible with some script to create a Task Summary report that excludes the install items. I don't have it handy at the moment, but I am certain that it is relatively easy to do since that's what we did in the Packing and Ship List reports.

Third, you are correct about how the management of labor is beginning to shift. Eventually I would like to see labor priced like a Task, with a number of items being grouped together and an overall time associated to it. At the moment you can do this with packages and labor SKU's; in the future we may add an object similar to a task that you can charge for. Imagine dragging an dropping items from the project into a labor "bucket" that you then bill for, or create specific tasks from.

So, as far as best practices, I am very interested in what you guys think and how you use the software. Any and all comments are very appreciated.

Randy

dtechy1 · 03-11-2009, 08:34 PM

What is the correct procedure to use the Service orders. It seems sort of tempermantal when trying to add a new client/contact. We would like to use it for Service calls that do not have a projects with d-tools. For example: Satellite service issues or General service calls.

Daryl

RandyB · 03-11-2009, 09:40 PM

Originally Posted by dtechy1

What is the correct procedure to use the Service orders. It seems sort of tempermantal when trying to add a new client/contact. We would like to use it for Service calls that do not have a projects with d-tools. For example: Satellite service issues or General service calls.

Daryl

Service orders have been designed with this in mind. On the Site tab of service orders, you can select an existing client from the drop-down list, or click "New" to create a new client. Selecting a project for this client is optional - you can create service orders that do not have a reference to a project. The only thing you don't get is reference to repair items.

If you have already selected a project via the Project, Orders, or Scheduling tab, that client and project will be pre-populated into any new service orders you create. However, you can always select another client from the list and/or deselect the project. This may be what is causing your confusion.

- Randy

Andy N · 04-22-2009, 04:54 PM

I have noticed if a lengthy name description of a Summary task is used this will cause a crash.

Otherwise Im loving it

RandyB · 04-28-2009, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by Andy N

I have noticed if a lengthy name description of a Summary task is used this will cause a crash.

Any summary task name longer than 56 characters will cause a crash. This has been logged as bug 5846. Thanks for reporting it!

trutone · 05-15-2009, 06:02 PM

On service orders, when I add labor items into it, the cost of the labor items does not populate in the "Costs" section of the labor tab. When doing job costing, it shows labor costs as zero. I double-checked my database and we do have cost data entered into our labor items.