Calendar based on group members

This section explains how to model a resource group, with available shift calendar hours being the sum of all the member resources. Use this when scheduling operations at the resource group level, but taking into consideration the open and closed shift calendar contributions from all member resources. This section contains:

• Group calendar based on group member calendars: What is the idea of resource group calendar based on group members calendars?
• Setting group calendar to be calculated based on members: How to set the group calendar such that it is calculated based on it’s members?
• Welding group example: Example containing a welding group with three persons.
• Painting facility group example: Painting facility group with two painting facilities
• Resource teams vs. resources groups using members calendars: How does teams differ from Resource groups using members calendars?

Group calendar based on group members calendars

Resource groups usually have static calendars as normal resources have, but sometimes it is desirable that the group calendar follows the open periods of it’s members calendars. This is used in high-level planning on resource groups, and enables the planner to adjust the calendars of individual group members and see the immediate impact on operations planned on the group.

Normally High-level planning is done weeks or months ahead of time, and at the beginning of each day or week operations are fine-planned onto individual resources. High-level planning improves the overview of the plan and keeps it simple by focusing on resource group instead of single resources.

The following list describes what happens when a group is having a calendar based in it’s members calendars

• As long as one of the group members calendar is open the group is open.
• The calendar factor of the group is based on the combined calendar-factor of the currently open group members.
• The efficiency of the group is based on the average efficiency of currently open group members

Based on this it should be clear that a resource group with a calendar based on members calendars can have varying calendar factor and efficiency depending on currently open and closed group members.

*It is not possible to adjust the efficiency or availability of groups having calendars based on group members.

Welding group example:

Suppose we have a welding group with three welders. Each can handle one welding operation at a time (calendar factor = 1) but they have varying efficiencies and work-hours:

Visually a single day looks like this in the plan:

Is is seen, that as long as one member is open the welding group is open, and during the day the following efficiencies and calendar factors are valid for the group:

Planning operations on the group would allow two simultaneous operations between 7 and 8, three between 8 and 15 and only one operation from 15 to 16.

From 7-8 the two most efficient workers are available, so they can handle two operations with an mean efficiency of 125%. From 8 to 15 all three workers are available so they can handle three operations at once, but with a mean efficiency of 110%. In the last open hour of the day from 15 to 16 only the least efficient worker is available, so the group can handle one operation with 80% efficiency

Painting facility group example:

Suppose we have a painting facility group consisting of two painting facilities. The first facility can handle one operation at a time with 100% efficiency, the other facility can handle two operations at a time but only at a 70% efficiency. The second facility also has extended working hours:

Visually a single day looks like this in the plan:

As long as one member is open the group is open, and during the day the following efficiencies and calendar factors are valid:

When planning operations on the painting facility group the following applies: Three operations can be planned from 7 to 15 and the group has a mean efficiency of 80% in this period. From 15 to 21 only two operations can be planned, and the group has a mean efficiency of 70%.

Resource teams compared to Resource groups using members calendars

Resource teams and resource groups using members calendars are quite similar in that they both have calendars based on team/group members. The main difference is, that teams always have a calendar factor of one, and the efficiency is an addition of efficiencies from the individual members. Groups having calendars based on members calendars on the other hand have the calendar factor as a sum of calendar factors from the group members, and the efficiency is a mean over the members efficiencies.

For more info on resource teams go to: Team Planning in ROB-EX