The WL System Parameters form is displayed when you select the System parameters option from the WL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE Menu.
Within Workshop Loading there are various system parameters which must be set up to define various user options. This is normally carried out by, or on advice from, a consultant.
Note: The parameters are only accessible at priority 8 and should be changed with care.
To change the WL System parameter settings:
From the WORKSHOP LOADING MENU, select the System maintenance option.
The WL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE Menu is displayed.
Select the System parameters option.
The WL System Parameters form is displayed.
Enter the Company identifier and select the Amend button.
The settings for the selected company are defaulted into the form.
Make the necessary changes and click the Save button.
The WL System Parameters form is displayed when you select the System parameters option from the WL SYSTEM MAINTENANCE Menu.
From the Options 1 tab you can maintain the parameters that relate to:
Load controls group
1: Load jobs in sequence - Where the WIP has multiple labour lines they will be loaded to the most efficient Technician (with the requisite Skill) in chronological order.
2: Parallel - Where the WIP has multiple labour lines they will be loaded on a line by line basis, to the most efficient Technician (with the requisite Skill) that is available at the start time of the task.
3: One technician does all tasks - Where the WIP has multiple labour lines and the first task has been assigned, if the Technician has the skill then all further tasks will be assigned.
Note: The Load modes are also used when the Split unassigned work parameter is set.
Short range: The number of days displayed in the grid when the Short radio button, in the Range group on the Workshop Load form, is selected. Minimum value is 18 days. Maximum value is 99.
Long range: Number of days displayed in the grid when the Long radio button, in the Range group on the Workshop Load form is selected. Minimum value is the greater of the value for the Short range or 18 days. Maximum value is 99.
Tip: The above parameters also control the Holiday Planner (if installed).
Aim to load % age: Percentage of the Actual hours that you aim to load, efficiency is not used in the calculation. This controls the volume of work to be shown as Green sectors in the grid on the Workshop Load form.
Tip: The Actual hours legend on the workshop loading Day form will change when the %age left button is selected.
Start hour: The earliest possible hour at which the first shift starts on any day, used to position the start hour of the loading grid
End hour: The latest possible hour at which the last shift finishes on any day, used to position the end hour of the loading grid
Note: The End hour is also used in the Loan Vehicle Diary as the expected return time (Time due) when making a Loan vehicle booking.
Tip: Set the Start hour to 0 and End hour to 24 for a twenty-four hour operation. This will then display the Scope form when first accessing Workshop Loading. When loading work the Day form hours will be set from 0-24 and the Activity form hours will be set to the Scope hours you selected earlier.
Column width: Width of the Hour columns on the Day form. The smaller the number entered the more hours will be displayed on the form without need for a scroll bar.
Override sales mix: Enter the priority to override the sales mix when you are loading work into Workshop Loading.
When you are loading work, whether it is assigned or unassigned, and you exceed the sales mix percentage, a message will be displayed in Workshop Loading enabling you to Load the work or Return back to the loading point, depending on your sales mix override priority. If you are below the priority OK or Next_task to be loaded message will be displayed, and stop you from loading any work into Workshop Loading.
If you are loading more than one labour line, the first line exceeds the sales mix and you do have the priority to override the sales mix, a selection form will be displayed, enabling you to Return to the loading point, Load the work or Next_task to be loaded.
Loan vehicles & collection: This parameter allows you to display the loan vehicle and collections grid as follows:
1: Display both loan vehicles and collections - This will display the loan vehicle and collections grid on the workshop Load form.
2: Display loan vehicles only - This will display the loan vehicle grid on the workshop Load form.
3: Display collections only - This will display the collection and delivery grid on the workshop Load form.
4: Display neither - No grids will be displayed on the workshop Load form.
Note: The loan vehicle and collections grids need to be set up before being displayed on the workshop Load form.
Display total capacity hours (If installed): This parameter, when ticked, will display the total capacity hours grid every time you enter the Load form.
Tip: If this parameter is not selected you can still display the total capacity hours grid by selecting the Display capacity hours option from the Links menu in the Load form. The Capacity hours will be displayed for the time the user is in Workshop Loading, as soon as the user leaves Workshop Loading to go back to Point-of-Sale the menu option will be reset.
Load by technician time (If installed): This parameter, when ticked, will use the technician time instead of allowed time to load labour lines on the planning.
Tip: This parameter is only editable if the “use bonus time” flag from the POS parameters is set.
Unassigned group
Unassigned start hour: Defines the start of the unassigned core loading day. If a job is loaded as unassigned then the system will use this parameter as the earliest possible time to load.
Unassigned end hour: Defines the end time of the unassigned core loading day. If a job is loaded as unassigned then the system will use this parameter as the latest possible time by which a job has to be completed when loading.
Tip: If no Customer dates and times are specified before loading a job the above parameters will be used.
Note: The Courtesy vehicle RTS codes and the Loan vehicle default hours parameters have been moved to CRM System parameters - Loan vehicle - 2 tab and CRM system's user access - Loan vehicle bookings tab. Loan vehicles are now handled in the Loan Vehicle Diary, set up is required.
Service advisor group
Appointment code: Enables you to load 00 menus (prefixed " * ") and individual 00 RTS codes to load to the WIP, prior to booking into Workshop Loading, leave blank if not required.
Note: This parameter still works with the LOADSTAT on M and G keys parameter, and will prompt you to Add line to meet the customer. Select Yes and it will add an RTS code or menu as per the system parameter.
LOADSTAT on M and G keys: The load status to be used on the Meet and Greet line when you receive the customer's keys - D for deleting the line or menu or C for completing the line or menu.
When a new WIP is loaded into Workshop Loading it will prompt the user Add line to meet the customer. Select Yes and it will add an RTS code or menu as per the system parameter. The job MUST be assigned to a service advisor, it cannot be left unassigned and will be set to Memo status.
When the WIP is Checked In the RTS code or menu on the WIP is not changed to Completed or Deleted and instead remains booked in within the Day form until the WIP is checked out.
When the WIP is Checked Out the RTS code or menu on the WIP is automatically set to either Completed or Deleted depending on what is set in the WL system parameter.
Unassigned appointment priority (If installed): The priority to be able to unassign or cut and paste appointments that have been booked against the Owning operator. This needs to be set higher or lower than your POS priority, set up is required.
Miscellaneous group
Seconds to refresh: Information entered through the Clocking screens will update the SO header and WL clock files on exit from the form. When the form is opened this parameter will determine the length of time between refreshes while it remains open.
Note: When setting the seconds to refresh a good setup figure would be 5 minutes to allow for changes to be made in Point-of-Sale.
Warning before required time: The number of minutes' warning before the controller is warned that a job is running late by highlighting the job in red. This time can be entered as a percentage of the total time allowed for the job. If a number of minutes is entered, as well as a time percentage, the calculated warning times for both will be compared and the greater value will be used.
The warning calculation is based on the planned end time versus the current system time for jobs that are currently in progress, or the planned end time less the loading hours versus the current system time for jobs that are still waiting or have been stopped.
Note: If only a number of minutes is entered, the percentage field is ignored.
Allow edit time taken priority: Allow users to edit the Taken time written to the Labour line in POS from the Technician clocking's, if Priority of user in Point-of-Sale is greater than or equal to priority on this parameter.
Note: To stop all editing on labour taken time, set priority to N.
Mark overlapped jobs: Enter a character, for example O, to be displayed in the Actual tab of the Activity form in Workshop Loading. This will mark any jobs with the character that have been booked in and not started because the current clocked job has not been finished in the allocated time. Leave blank if not required.
Return keys: This parameter allows you to check the vehicle out of Workshop Loading. When set to Manual the user is responsible for checking the vehicle out. When set to Automatic the vehicle is checked out automatically the day after the WIP has been fully invoiced and any user has accessed the Jobs form. If route codes are used then the WIP consolidation in the end of day will blank the route code on the WIP header.
Note: When the parameter is set to Automatic it will set the WIP date to the date it was invoiced, the out time will be set to 99.99 and the out mileage will be set to the mileage recorded when checked in.
Activate future planning: This parameter, when ticked, allows full Workshop Loading features and assumes all jobs are booked in. This has the ability to book workshop jobs evenly across technicians over future days or weeks ahead. This also helps control the amount of hours booked against specialist equipment and limited resource skills.
When this parameter is blank there is no ability to book jobs for future workshop loading or against individual technicians. When the WIP is checked in it automatically changes labour status to B and treats work as booked to unassigned and allows jobs to be Clocked against.
Clocking
Last - resort idle codes: The Idle code to be used for clocking on to rather than clocking a technician off. The operator will be encouraged to select the idle code rather than clock out, thus retaining a full morning till evening clocking attendance.
Note: The above parameter also works when using a Touch screen or the new clocking device, and will automatically clock the technician onto the idle code when clocking off a job if an idle code or job is not selected.
Idle Clock Retention: This parameter decides how long to keep idle clocking's. When the idle clock retention days are reached, then all those records will be moved from the clock file to the clock archive file.
Note: WIP clocking's also get archived when the labour lines on the WIP are consolidated.
Priority to Adjust: The priority to adjust clock records added by the 'Batch input time sheets' option when entering the adjust clocking form via the 'Review' button for the specific resource that batch clocking's have just been added.
Note: This is not the priority to access the option via the miscellaneous menu option which is hard coded to level 8 for system admin/supervisor level users to be able to adjust any records for any resource.
Clock to future WIPs: This parameter enables you to clock to WIPs that have been booked in on future dates once the WIP has been checked in.
Note: If a loan vehicle booking exists on the WIP you will have to re-schedule the booking before you can check the WIP in.
Batch time type: The time format to be used in Batch Input Time-sheets and Adjust clocking's.
- N: Normal time
- D: Decimal time
Batch WIP info: This parameter defines the information recorded within the WIP batch.
- T: Customer
- C: Company
- V: Vehicle
Apportion % split: This parameter determines if time is to be apportioned based upon a percentage split.
- N: Never
- D: Default
- Y: Allow
Lunch idle code: This parameter is used for recording the clocking tolerances of resources, when set the Lunch Idle function is enabled in the following options:
- Shift
- Clocking
- Technicians
Note: Any Idle code can be entered here but all the options will be displayed as Lunch regardless of the idle code chosen. The Idle code chosen will be removed from the idle codes in the Technician Activity screen and the 24 hour clocking device when clocking on or off.
Split unassigned hours group
Split unassigned work: This parameter when selected controls the amount of unassigned hours to be loaded for each day.
Enter the amount of hours (0-23) for unassigned work to be loaded per day. When you load work to unassigned in Workshop Loading it will only load the hours set in the Split unassigned work parameter, and any hours over this value will be loaded to future days. The Planned dates are displayed to the user when the work has been loaded.
The loading of the work to unassigned is controlled by the Workshop Loading system parameter Load mode.
Example 1: If the parameter is set for 8hrs today and 8hrs tomorrow, Labour line 1 is equal to 6hrs, labour line 2 is equal to 4hrs and the Load mode parameter is set to 1 - Load jobs in sequence, it will load 8 hours today and 2 hours for tomorrow.
Example 2: If the parameter is set for 8hrs today and 8hrs tomorrow, Labour line 1 is equal to 6hrs, labour line 2 is equal to 4hrs and the Load mode parameter is set to 2 - Load jobs in Parallel, it will load 6 hours today and 4 hours for today.
Tip: Load modes 1 and 3 will load the work in sequence order.
Note: This parameter will have no affect on Reload all jobs the work will be loaded as per normal.
Leave blank to load unassigned work as normal.