Question

Resource Bucket in PSO

R
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Hi All,

We have a requirement to create Resource Buckets and assign the capacity in terms of activity per day each bucket can handle. So all the tasks related to the Resource Bucket will be tied up as per the capacity and allocated to the Resource Bucket. Real resource assignment will be handled outside the PSO application.

How this can be achieved in FSM and PSO.

Please guide 

Regards,

Rashmi Ranjan Patnaik

8 replies

Bhanuka Abeygoonawardana
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Hi @RRPATNAIK ,

This guide describes how shift capacity rules can be applied to a schedule to limit the scheduling of
combinations of activities over periods of time, and to create Resource Buckets and assign the capacity in terms of activity per day each bucket can handle. So all the tasks related to the Resource Bucket will be tied up as per the capacity and allocated to the Resource Bucket.

Thanks and best regards,

Bhanuka

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R
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Dear Bhanuka,

Thanks for replying. I have the document you shared . I have already gone through the document but unable to setup the scenario required for Bucket Resource requirement. Could you please share me some steps how to configure The Bucket Resources in PSO and assigned task to the Bucket Resource.

Also if I need to update the capacity of the Bucket Resource daily basis how to configure that in PSO.

Your timely response will be of great help for me.

 

Regards,

RR

Bhanuka Abeygoonawardana
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Hi @RRPATNAIK ,

Please refer to pages 8, 9, and 10 of the above-mentioned ‘Scheduling Concepts - Capacity Management document’ for steps with screenshots. There you can find out the required steps to configure, define and allocate the Bucket resources to activities.

Thank you.

Best regards,

Bhanuka

Bhanuka Abeygoonawardana
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Hi @RRPATNAIK ,

Please refer the following steps to define a resource bucket.

Defining a Resource Bucket

  • Resource buckets are defined using the Resources table, with the resource_class_id set to 'BUCKET' on either the resource or the resource type.
  • This first example shows how a resource bucket can be set up in the Resources table.

                <Resources>

                <id>Bucket Resource 1</id>

                <location_id_start>BR1</location_id_start>

                <resource_type_id>Default</resource_type_id>

                <max_travel>PT1H</max_travel>

                <resource_class_id>BUCKET</resource_class_id>

                <rule_collection_id>BucketRules</rule_collection_id>

                </Resources>

  • Shifts must be created for resource buckets, as with standard resources. When the DSE allocates activities to a resource bucket, it will make the allocation to the shift, with no further timing details of the allocation being made.
  • Each resource bucket must have a location associated with it. This is defined by setting the location_id_start for the resource. Any value provided for location_id_end will be ignored. This does not need to be a physical location associated with the external contractors (like their headquarters or any of their workers' home addresses). Instead, it may just represent the centre of the catchment area for any work that they are able to carry out. This way the resource may be given a max travel value to limit the activities that may be assigned to the bucket.
  • Setting maximum travel for the resource is recommended, since travel costs are not considered when assigning activities to resource buckets. Without a limit on travel, the DSE could assign activities from anywhere to the bucket.
  • Shift capacity rules should be defined for bucket resources to limit the number of activities assigned to a bucket shift in some way. Without this, a single bucket shift may be filled with an unlimited number of activities.
  • It is strongly recommended that resource preferences be set up for resource buckets to discourage bucket resources from being chosen over standard resources (i.e. with a preference value that is less than 0.5).
  • With no travel costs being calculated for the activities in a bucket shift, allocating calls to a resource bucket would be preferable to allocate the call to a standard resource if no resource preferences are set up.
  • Skills and regions may be set up in just the same way as with standard resources and they will both act as constraints for which activities may be allocated to the bucket resource.
  • Proficiencies may be set up for bucket resources as with standard resources.
  • Any values specified for cost_km, cost_ph or cost_phot will be ignored for bucket resources.
  • Utilisation does not apply to bucket resources and a utilisation value specified in the Resources row will be ignored.
    Separation models do not apply to bucket resources. Any activities with a separate group will not be allocated to a bucket resource.
Bhanuka Abeygoonawardana
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Hi @RRPATNAIK ,

Please refer to the following steps to allocate the resource bucket.

Allocations to Resource Buckets

  • Only activities of type 'CALL' are permitted to be scheduled to bucket resources.
  • This example shows the output data for an allocation to a resource bucket. Note that there are no activity start or end times.

                <Allocation>

                <activity_id>A1</activity_id>

                <resource_id>Bucket Resource 1</resource_id>

                <visit_id>1</visit_id>

                <visit_status>10</visit_status>

                <plan_id>1</plan_id>

                <visit_type>CALL</visit_type>

                <date_time_fixed>false</date_time_fixed>

                <duration>PT1H</duration>

                <fixed_resource>false</fixed_resource>

                <shift_id>S1</shift_id>

                <rank>0</rank>

                <shift_start_datetime>2020-02-24T09:00:00+00:00</shift_start_datetime>

                <same_location>false</same_location>

                <allocation_source>0</allocation_source>

                <location_id>A1</location_id>

                </Allocation>

  • An activity may be allocated to a resource bucket shift provided it satisfies validity constraints (such as having required skills, or being within the maximum travel limit of the resource bucket's location) and as long as the activity can fit into the shift at some point. Part constraints and linked call constraints will also be applied (see sections below).
  • The DSE will evaluate the score for allocating to a bucket shift in a similar way to standard resource allocations, considering things like the SLA and the resource preference. The SLA value used will be the activity's SLA value at the start of the selected shift. Shift costs and shift visit costs will be applied, but no travel costs will be applied whatsoever.
  • Private activities may not be allocated to a bucket resource. To indicate that a bucket resource is not available, the unavailable shift should be deleted. Note that reducing the length of a bucket shift will not reduce the number of allocations that can be made to that shift.
  • In the workbench when viewing the resources screen, if a bucket shift contains any allocations, a single shift-spanning Gantt item will be displayed, showing the number of activities and their statuses. Clicking on this item will bring up a list of the activities scheduled within the bucket shift. From here, the usual activity details panel can be accessed.
  • In the plan returned by the DSE, allocations made to resource buckets will not have any associated times in the activity_start or activity_end columns in the Allocation table. Instead, the shift_id and shift_start_datetime can be used to determine which bucket shift the activity has been allocated to.
  • There will be no Plan_Travel rows associated with activities allocated to bucket resources.
R
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Hi  Bhanuka,

Thanks for your answer.

I have few questions  :

  1. Bucket Resources we are going to created in PSO directly? How we can create from this xml tag. Is it as an input file ?

<Resources>

                <id>Bucket Resource 1</id>

                <location_id_start>BR1</location_id_start>

                <resource_type_id>Default</resource_type_id>

                <max_travel>PT1H</max_travel>

                <resource_class_id>BUCKET</resource_class_id>

                <rule_collection_id>BucketRules</rule_collection_id>

                </Resources>

  1. Is there any way to sync up the resource created in PSO to FSM?
  2. How the resource will be tagged to task if PSO commit it?
  3. Is there any way in PSO to create Bucket resource in PSO through application?
  4. This bucket resource we can use it in Appointment Booking of Task.

This will be of great help if you please respond the above points.

Regards,

RR

 

R
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The issue is resolved now. I tried creating Bucket Resource in PSO and tried syncing up activities created in FSM . PSO correctly allocating the activities to Bucket Resources created.

Thanks all your support and help.

Regards,

RR

Bhanuka Abeygoonawardana
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Hi @RRPATNAIK ,

It’s our pleasure and great to hear that your issue is resolved now. 😀

Best regards,

Bhanuka

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