Tag Archives: work order life cycle in crm

MB2-877 MICROSOFT DYNAMICS 365 FOR FIELD SERVICE MODULE 3 TOPIC – Manage scheduling options

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This is the 10th blog of this series, before this I have created last blog from module 2 on the topic “Manage incidents”  which you can check here: MB2-877 MICROSOFT DYNAMICS 365 FOR FIELD SERVICE MODULE 2 TOPIC – MANAGE INCIDENTS

In this blog we are starting with the first topic – Manage Scheduling options from module 3 “Scheduling and dispatch work orders”

  1. Describe options for scheduling work orders including the Schedule Board and Schedule Assistant & Determine when to use each scheduling optionOnce you have a work order, you need to schedule it in order for the field work. There are three ways of doing it:
    ⦿ Schedule Board
    ⦿ Schedule Assistant
    ⦿ Resource Scheduling Optimization

    Schedule Board

    Schedule board provides a a brief and easy view on how many of your resource are allocated to how many work orders and if they have some more capacity.

    ⦿ Drag & drop interface for scheduling and rescheduling ( showed below in the image)
    ⦿ Filter by Resource Type, Services, etc.
    ⦿ Scheduler settings allow configuration of dispatcher time zone, grouping etc

    Scheduling Assistant

    Scheduling assistant really helps to find the right resource for your work order by allowing you to enter filters like Duration , Radius within which you need a resource , Start and End time , Territory , Resource type etc.

    To schedule a work order using scheduling assistant, go to a work order which needs scheduling and click on “Book” from the ribbon command bar and you will be presented below. Based on your criteria you get resource > select the resource and click on book.  A resource booking will be auto created:

    Resource Scheduling Optimization

    Resource Scheduling Optimization(RSO) is an add-on capability for the Dynamics 365 for Field Service application that enables you to automatically schedule work orders for the most appropriate resources, by optimizing bookings for the shortest travel time, available work hours, and many other constraints.

    Few important points about RSO:

    ⦿ Add-on service used for optimizing schedules based on defined optimization profiles
    ⦿ Requires a valid production instance of Field Service
    ⦿ Licensed per resource you want to optimize
    ⦿ Used to optimize any entity enabled for use with the schedule board.
    ⦿ Optimization is based on profiles that define what you want to optimize and how you want to optimize it

    Example: Optimize currently scheduled items for the next three hours to minimize travel time.

    Here it is very nicely explained by microsoft how you can start using it and configure it your way : Overview of the Resource Scheduling Optimization (RSO) solution

  2. Describe stages of the scheduling process and steps that occur during each stage

    A typical work order scheduling process consist of three stages:


    A. Work Order Creation

    ⦿ Identifies the Service & Billing Accounts
    ⦿ Defines the type of Work Order
    ⦿ Indicates the Tasks, Products, Services, Skills, etc. needed
    ⦿ Includes Price List and Tax information
    ⦿ Preferences for service delivery can be defined

    B. Resource Requirement Definition

    ⦿ Pulls the customer and required duration from the Work Order
    ⦿ Pulls in any preferences for delivery such as time and date windows, as well as any resource preferences
    ⦿ Indicates any additional relevant scheduling information such as skills, territories, etc.
    ⦿ Created automatically when a Work Order is created
    ⦿ Requirement records are used by scheduling features to locate, assign, and schedule specific resources

    C. Resource Booking

    ⦿ Once a resourse who meets the necessary requirements is identified and scheduled a Resource Booking record is auto created
    ⦿ Defines who is responsible for completing the Work Order
    ⦿ Contains time and status information including estimated and actual Travel information such as miles and durations can be populated
    ⦿ Booking statuses are updated as technicians update information from the mobile application

    That’s it for this blog – I will see you in the next blog where we will cover the next  topic “Implement the Schedule Board”

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MB2-877 MICROSOFT DYNAMICS 365 FOR FIELD SERVICE MODULE 2 TOPIC – Describe the work order lifecycle

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This is the 7th blog of this series, before this I have created last blog from module 1 on the topic “Integrate other tools with Field Service”  which you can check here :MB2-877 MICROSOFT DYNAMICS 365 FOR FIELD SERVICE MODULE 1 TOPIC – INTEGRATE OTHER TOOLS WITH FIELD SERVICE

In this blog we are staring with the module 2  “Manage Work Orders” which is 15-20% content of the exam. The first topic is “Describe the work order lifecycle” :

 

  1. Describe work order fields

    A work order in Dynamics 365 for Field Service has information on what work needs to be done. It is used to coordinate and schedule resources and activities. It can be used for different types of work, such as installations, repairs, or preventive maintenance.

    A work order is usually created from a case or opportunity. It is then scheduled either manually or using the schedule assistant and then dispatched. Once the work is complete, it is reviewed and approved by a manager.

    When you are creating a work order you will have to capture main important below information :
     
         A. Description of the issue/ work order to be performed
         B. Customer/Account
         C. Location
         D. Products/Services that are required
         E. Tasks or steps to follow
         F. Priority & Estimated time to complete
         G. Skills/Characteristics needed

    this is how a typical work order looks like in Dynamics CRM 365 UI :


  2. Describe work order life cycle stages &  3.Identify booking status and work order status values for work order stages

    A work order in Dynamics 365 for Field Service more or less goes through upto 5 stages. They may vary based on the type of service the company provides:



    What happens in each of these stages is very nicely mentioned on docs.microsoft here : Work Order LifeCycle  with categories as below:

        A. What happens in each stage
        B. Who performs the task in each stage
        C. Work order status in each stage
        D. Work order schedule status in each stage

  3. Describe uses and capabilities for billing accounts, service accounts and sub-accounts

    A service account in Dynamics 365 for Field Service is an account for which a work order is created or requires the service. 

    On the other hand a billing account is the account which will pay for the services.

    let’s have a look on a work order:


    Point to note is : if there is no billing account is associated with the order ; by default service account becomes the payer.

    if you navigate to field service >  Accounts > open an account and open the field service tab you will see below:



    You have option define some field service related information on this account. we will focus on the field “Billing Account”.
        
      A. if these is not filled , the service account will be the billing account on the work order by deafult.
     B. you can define here who needs to pay the bill such as other organization or account.
     C. All future billing for the current account will be billed to the associated account here.  

    So that’s it for this blog and i will see in the next blog with the MODULE 2 TOPIC – Create and manage work orders