PMI Schedule: Information, Calculation rows explanation
What are information/calculation rows in PMI Schedule?
Custom rows can be added in PMI Schedule that give you additional insights when scheduling. This allows you to view relevant details, ensuring that good schedules are created.
What is their purpose?
Information rows are used as a reference point. You can manually input relevant data as a reference point when scheduling. For example, bus arrivals or number of groups. These rows are for informational purpose only – they do not affect the schedule.
Calculation rows are used to calculate the number of hours that will be needed, based on a specific rule. This can be used, for example to calculate the number of hours for an outsourced housekeeping department when we know These hours calculated will be included in your scheduled hours.
How to create information/calculation rows?
Add custom rows via the tools setting in the Schedule module.
To add an information row:
- Select Add Calculation/Information rows in tools settings
- Add a name for the row
- Select execute
- The row now appears in green. Here you can manually input values for each day. Press save, once you have made the relevant updates.
To add a calculation row:
- Use the same option in the tools settings
- Insert a name
- Select ‘add as calculation row’
- Select factor or minutes. This will determine how the hours are calculated
- Minutes is the number of minutes per unit. E.g. It takes 30 minutes to clean 1 room, insert 30.
- Factor is the multiplying factor to calculate the number of hours E.g. If it takes 30 minutes to clean 1 room insert 0.5.
- When you select execute, 2 new rows will appear.
- One is green, which is where you can input values. The row at the bottom of the page calculates the number of hours that will be needed. These hours will be added automatically to the scheduled hours, which you can see both in the scheduled planned row, and cockpit planned rows.
- Once you have made your changes, press save.
- The hours will be shown in the cockpit under Other Hours for the respective day.
NOTE!
When updating past days in the schedule the rule is that if the cockpit is already saved for that day the cockpit will NOT update, so if this function is used to update past days, make sure not to save the cockpit until the schedule have been updated and saved. Then go into the cockpit and save.
View a tutorial video here:
Troubleshooting tips
View option for information and calculation rows in the schedule
If you're having issues with the custom rows (information and calculation rows) in the PMI Schedule, here are some things to consider:
- Green Rows: The custom rows in PMI Schedule, both information and calculation rows, are displayed with a green background color. This is a design feature to help users easily identify these rows.
- Visibility Issues: If one user can see the green rows but another user cannot, it's likely due to the 'View Options' settings. Each user's view can be customized in PMI, and these settings can affect the visibility of the green rows. To ensure these rows are visible, check the 'View Options' settings and make sure the option to "Show information" rows is enabled.
- Access Rights: Remember, the ability to add or modify these custom rows might be restricted based on a user's access rights. Typically, users with administrative rights or specific departmental roles can add or modify these rows.
- Data Input: For information rows, you can manually input relevant data as a reference point when scheduling. For calculation rows, they are used to calculate the number of hours that will be needed, based on a specific rule. Make sure the data input is correct to ensure accurate calculations
Understanding Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) in PMI Scheduling
FTE, or Full-Time Equivalent, is a unit that measures employee workload. In PMI, FTEs can be displayed in the scheduling module instead of hours, providing a more intuitive understanding of staffing levels. The number of hours a FTE works per day can be set in the cockpit settings. The Staffing guide in PMI uses the determined FTE to suggest daily hours in 0.5 FTE increments, ensuring practical scheduling.
Role requirements to be able to adjust and update a schedule
If you want to change a schedule in PMI, you usually need to be a manager, like a Department Head or Front Office Manager. You can make these changes in the PMI scheduling module's cockpit, for both past and future schedules. Remember, you need to have cockpit owner or administrator rights to change Min/Max settings, which affect the SMART forecast and scheduling.
Invisible split shifts in schedule printouts without codes
If you're experiencing issues with split shifts not showing when printing the schedule without codes, it could be due to the level at which the shift code was created. Here's a brief troubleshooting guide:
- Check the Shift Code Level: If the shift code was created at the department level, it will only be visible within that specific department. This means that if an employee is working a split shift across multiple departments, the full details of her shift won't be visible in a single department's printout.
- Create Shift Code at Property Level: To view the times from other departments in the printout, the shift code must be created at the property level. This allows the shift code, and therefore the details of the split shift, to be visible across all departments.
- Adjust Print Settings: Ensure that your print settings are adjusted to include shift codes. This can be done in the Schedule module under the Tools menu.
- Verify the Printout: After making these adjustments, print the schedule again to verify that the split shifts are now visible .
Inability to edit data for a specific period
- Check the Period Locking Settings: This issue is often related to the period locking feature in the PMI system. When a period is locked, it prevents any changes from being made for that time frame. Check the period locking settings for the specific month to see if it has been mistakenly set to close.
- Unlock the Period: If the period for the specific month is locked, you will need to unlock it. This can be done by accessing the period locking settings in the PMI system. Double click on the padlock icon for the specific month to unlock the period. Note that you may need administrative rights to do this.
- Contact PMI Support: If the issue persists even after unlocking the period, or if you are unable to unlock the period due to lack of permissions, contact the PMI support team for further assistance.