Dynamic
Scheduling
Workforce Management
Planning
Automation
Risk
Reduction
Workforce Management Solution (WFM) helps companies strategically allocate staff and resources to optimize productivity and reduce risks. It is designed for different power utility sector users responsible for maintenance, operations, and management. With IPS® Advanced Scheduling Module within WFM Solution, users can dynamically plan and assign work based on resource availability. It automates scheduling by considering asset health, priorities, budgets, and outages while geo-visualizing scheduled and ongoing tasks through dashboards, offering a clear view of maintenance and inspection activities on a map.
Advanced Scheduling Module
IPS® Advanced Scheduling Module (IPS®ASM) is a web-based application developed to simplify work scheduling and dynamically plan and assign work based on resource availability. It’s a flexible application focusing on work management that can be used stand-alone or with other ERP systems. IPS®ASM is an automated process that gives proposals and recommendations, considering asset health, dynamic cycles with priority calculations, budget constraints, and outages.
Planning
The Planning Module in the IPS® Advanced Scheduling Module (IPS®ASM) enables long-term work planning, typically annual or quarterly, with options for custom periods. It allows users to list and manage activities within a chosen timeframe and streamline maintenance workflows. Key features include a dashboard for AI-driven action recommendations, pre-configured filters for maintenance plans, and tools for grouping, assigning, and budgeting work orders. The module supports the automated generation of suggested actions, customizable plan details, approval workflows for transforming draft plans into actionable tasks, and tools for tracking execution, budgeting, and reporting.
Scheduling
The Scheduling module is used for planning and managing work assignments, resource allocation, and operational constraints. It allows users to schedule tasks by defining the exact timings, resources, and materials required. The module is location-aware, enabling scheduling at various levels within a company based on location-specific data. Key features include a customizable dashboard, a scheduling calendar with various views, automated scheduling suggestions, and tools like Kanban boards for visual task management. Users can also handle constraints and group-related actions and turn them into jobs for more streamlined planning and execution.
Human Resources
The Human Resources (HR) module provides tools for managing employee data, shifts, absences, and team structures. It enables organizations to handle HR functions like creating companies (internal and external), managing teams, assigning certifications, and tracking employee qualifications. Key features include managing employee absences with approval workflows, assigning shifts through templates and patterns, and calculating HR availability based on shifts and absences. The module also offers an overview page with quick access to HR sections and supports the management of external contractors.
Materials
The Materials module manages the availability and distribution of materials across various stock locations. It provides an overview of materials and stocks, allowing users to filter and group materials by different attributes like name, type, or manufacturer. Key features include stock management, real-time tracking of material balances, and the ability to schedule work based on material availability. Stocks are linked to specific locations, and their input, output, and balances are visually represented to streamline material distribution and management.
Inventory
The Inventory module provides advanced management of inventory items, including scheduling and availability calculation. It allows users to view and manage all inventory items, which are treated as a special asset group. Inventory can be scheduled for work within the scheduling module, similar to human resources, and availability is calculated based on scheduled tasks or maintenance actions. Additionally, the module includes contract management for handling suppliers, offering filters for easy management of supplier data.
Budgeting
The Budgeting module in IPS®ASM is designed to plan, allocate, and manage budgets for maintenance and operational tasks. It allows users to define budgets by specifying parameters like period, region, work type, and asset clusters. Key features include creating parent-child budget relationships, assigning budgets to maintenance actions, and recalculating or transferring surplus funds. Users can also split budgets into sub-budgets and allocate them manually or automatically. The module supports budget allocation across various categories like materials, labor, and transportation and integrates with asset clusters for advanced planning.
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BlogFAQs about the Workforce Management
Workforce Management is a solution that helps companies strategically allocate staff and resources to optimize productivity and reduce risks. An essential part of Workforce Management is planning, facilitated by an integrated planning wizard that organizes activities, defines execution dates, and creates maintenance plans with predefined cycles and tolerances.
The IPS®ASM is a web-based application that simplifies and automates work scheduling, resource planning, and work assignments. It is part of the Workforce Management Solution. It dynamically assigns tasks based on resource availability, asset health, budget constraints, and priority calculations. It can be used as a stand-alone or integrated with other ERP systems.
The Workforce Management solution is designed for companies in industries such as utilities, energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing, where effective resource allocation, asset management, and operational efficiency are critical. IPS®ASM is used by planners, schedulers, HR teams, maintenance managers, and decision-makers who need a flexible, automated system to manage complex workflows and ensure optimal performance across departments.
The role of Planning within workforce management is to ensure that the right number of human resources with the right qualifications are available at the right time. The Planning Module in IPS®ASM enables long-term planning, typically done annually or quarterly. It allows users to create a list of tasks, group and assign actions, manage budgets, and track execution. The module includes AI-driven recommendations and automated generation of suggested actions, streamlining maintenance and operational workflows.
Budgeting for maintenance tasks in Workforce Management is done through the IPS®ASM application. It allows users to plan and allocate budgets for various maintenance and operational tasks. It supports creating parent-child budget structures, assigning budgets to actions, recalculating funds, and calculating costs across labour, materials, and transportation categories. Users can also split and allocate budgets and transfer surplus as needed.
The Workforce Management integrates with other IPS solutions through several methods. Its native CIM compliance allows seamless integration with CIM-compliant systems, enabling full asset generation from the asset management model. Integration via Web API facilitates secure data exchange, enhancing interoperability. Additionally, IPS®ASM interacts with Asset Performance Management and Work & Project Management to optimize scheduling, resource usage, and budget planning.