 Previous MMS programs covered the first four basic elements of MMS. Roadway inventory, work procedures, work standards, and work program. This program covers the fifth element, work authorization, and scheduling. The next program will cover the last element, work reporting, and control. A work authorization is a formal approval through written or electronic media to perform certain maintenance activities. It reduces or eliminates problems in resource utilization. It prevents foremen from doing what they merely want to do or think needs to be done, a decision based on personal opinion. It also provides an element of control over the budget. Schedules help management to get the best combination of resources, doing the right kind of work at the right place and time. They tell field supervisors and foremen when work should be done and translate objectives and planning elements into action. The schedule can also provide a basis for comparing planned versus actual results. In this program we will go over the basic concepts of scheduling, workload distribution, and basic scheduling procedures. What is effective scheduling? It is realistic, it is logical, it is flexible, and it is in writing. There are two levels of scheduling, annual and short term. The annual work calendar covers longer term scheduling. It identifies in broad terms when certain activities should be done throughout the year. Supervisors use short term schedules to assign specific work, usually in a week or two week period. For both long term and short term scheduling, the same basic concepts apply. The scheduler's job is easy as long as there is a kind of advanced preparation covered in previous programs, such as inventories, an identification of needed resources like labor, equipment, and materials. Still, a scheduler must apply common sense. He must be realistic. He must base the schedule on the approved annual work program and make sure there are sufficient resources over each period of time to cover the assigned work. The scheduler must consider logical priorities, like seasonal changes, and he should keep the schedule flexible by listing several types of activities, such as normal scheduled activities and alternative activities to do in bad weather or when there are equipment breakdowns. Finally, the schedule should be in writing. That's the only way to make it clear and to communicate it to all involved. An effective and efficient work schedule distributes the workload throughout the year. A workload bar chart will show the scheduler if he is remembering seasons and maintaining a uniform staff level. With the workload level, the scheduler can create the work calendar. The work calendar is a long-range schedule for all maintenance work. It identifies times to do specific types of work. It is a primary tool for effective work scheduling at the local level. Different types of work activities require a different approach to the calendar. There is fixed maintenance work required throughout the year at specific times. These activities include some emergency activities, such as pothole patching or guardrail repair. There are seasonal activities, such as mowing performed on a regular schedule, but only during certain months. And there are some repetitious activities, such as litter pickup and blading unpaved roads. These require a minimum amount of work throughout the year with more substantial amounts during certain seasons. And other activities, such as street and bridge deck cleaning, may be performed uniformly throughout the year. There is also semi-fixed maintenance work. Activities done anytime the weather is favorable. They include bridge and culvert cleaning and crack sealing. In a moderate climate, this is done anytime it is dry. Finally, there is variable work. Usually low priority work performed anytime there is slack in the workload. Let's look a little more closely at workload leveling. A manager begins by preparing a work calendar for the whole work period. He should list all activities called for in the work program and organize them in groups by type of work and importance. Next, he should divide the calendar into useful time periods, usually months. Then determine the number of work days per month and remove any holidays and weekends. Now he can identify specific months or periods where certain activities have to be done. To do this, he can rely on historical usage, specifications which determine climatic requirements, experience of field personnel, organizational policy and finally engineering judgment. Next, he must calculate resource requirements for each activity for each month. He does that by multiplying the number of times the activity is to be performed each month by the requirements per crew day. He should ensure that planned work level has been scheduled. Now he should summarize workload for each month. He should do it for manpower and equipment. Then compare monthly manpower and equipment requirements with current resource availability. If the need is within or close to what is available, that is acceptable. If there are peaks and valleys, he should shift some activities to different months to level out the workload. Before working on the next year's calendar, management should review its maintenance priorities. With the overall schedule and workload arranged, the next effort involves crew scheduling. A crew schedule has short-term assignments of crew to specific routes and activities, usually one or two weeks depending on geographic area covered, the size of organization, and other organization policies and procedures. A district maintenance engineer or area supervisor usually makes up this schedule at the end of each scheduling period. To do the job right, he must know the features in his geographic area. Then, using the annual work plan, calendar, and performance standards, he develops the short-term schedule. First, he looks over the work calendar to find out the number of crew days for the given period assigned to each activity. Next, he should review the status of the overall work plan and ask himself, is the overall schedule being met? Are any activities ahead of or behind the planned targets at this point in time? Now, he can make a list of needed work. He should base it on leftover work from the current schedule in priority order, his routine inspections, and complaints and field reports. With the list complete, he can make a worksheet showing activities down the left side of the schedule and days when his workers will perform the activities using the performance standards as a guide. He must also calculate the resource requirements. After totaling the resources needed for all activities on each day, he should compare what is needed with what is available. If there are not enough resources, he must cut activities or reschedule them. If there are extra, he can add some additional activities. Now, he can make the crew schedule. It will show activities to be done, work locations, crew days needed to do the work, and the number of people assigned to each activity. Communicating work schedules is just as important as creating them properly. The manager should meet with supervisors and foremen. They should review and coordinate all schedules, establish priorities, and identify critical resources. The manager should encourage feedback from field personnel. Next, the manager should post the schedule on a bulletin board and hand it out to crew foremen. In addition, the schedule should go to other managers who have a need to know where crews are and what they are doing. Each day, foremen should use a crew day card or work order for each activity on the schedule. If there are special assignments, additional discussion may be necessary. In this program, we have gone over the basic concepts of scheduling, workload distribution, and basic scheduling and work authorization procedures. Schedules help management to get the best combination of resources doing the right kind of work at the right place and time. They tell field supervisors and foremen when work should be done and translate objectives and planning elements into action. They also provide a basis for comparing planned versus actual results. What is effective scheduling? It is realistic, it is logical, it is flexible, and it is in writing. The scheduler's job is easy as long as there is the kind of advanced preparation covered in previous programs such as inventories and identification of needed resources like labor, equipment, and materials. Still, a scheduler must apply common sense. He must be realistic. He must base the schedule on the approved annual work program and make sure there are sufficient resources over each period of time to cover the assigned work. The scheduler must consider logical priorities like seasonal changes and he should keep the schedule flexible by listing several types of activities such as normal scheduled activities and alternative activities to do in bad weather or when there are equipment breakdowns. Finally, the schedule should be in writing. That's the only way to make it clear and to communicate it to all involved. Communicating work schedules is just as important as creating them properly. The manager should meet with supervisors and foremen. They should review and coordinate all schedules, establish priorities, and identify critical resources. The manager should encourage feedback from field personnel. 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