Map based dispatching enhances Mobile Workforce Management

Map Based Dispatching
It is generally believed that the use of map based dispatching is only applicable when considering short cycle work requiring immediate attention but not for work with a longer planning horizon. The reasons for this belief stem from the fact that this type of dispatching requires the physical creation of the relationship between the work resource and the work task. As the number of field work orders grow, this manual process becomes too cumbersome to manage effectively in a graphical manner. Programmatic scheduling algorithms are routinely applied to situations where large numbers of orders with longer lead times and service resources are associated in a manner to meet customer requests while making the most efficient use of an organization’s resources. Unfortunately many people believe that short and long cycle work cannot be effectively co-mingled in the graphical environment because the cost of doing so does not generate the benefits necessary.

While creation of order schedules are best served by the use of optimization algorithms, once scheduled (typically committed the day prior to its due time) all orders enter the phase of execution. The phase of execution is the most critical time in the order’s life cycle. It is the time when a customer’s expectations for delivery are the highest and the company’s ability (or inability) to deliver the product or service is most exposed. Most ethical companies will not accept work without the ability to fulfill it, but the reason why most companies fail to deliver on their commitments is that they did not account for the one factor that tends turn many good schedules in to bad schedules --- change. Change imposed by factors within and beyond the control of the service provider. It can be argued that it is possible for scheduling routines to account for environmental changes and make the necessary adjustments to maintain the highest customer service levels. However, it is likely impossible for any routine to be robust enough to simultaneously consider and resolve in a timely manner the absolute number of possible outside influences that could disrupt a ‘good’ schedule. In the execution zone, there is currently only one entity that can effectively manage a schedule in a manner that maximizes service levels while simultaneously balancing profitability. A human scheduler is that entity.

When a schedule is presented to a scheduler/dispatcher, it is their responsibility to follow the progress of the orders from the time they are assigned through fulfillment. Maximizing productivity of workers in the field and managing customer expectations are critical to the success of the scheduler’s mission. Managing any number of orders in a manual mode or non-graphical automated manner places the mission of the scheduler and of the company at great risk when compared to managing the same tasks in a graphical, map-based manner.