Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the questions we hear most often. Each answer links to the page with the full details.
How do I handle a multi-day substitution?
Section titled “How do I handle a multi-day substitution?”When someone else handles the covered person’s tasks for several days, give the substitute the covered worker’s calendar view. See Covering for another worker.
substitution, cover, sick colleague, multi-dayHow do I handle a single-day substitution?
Section titled “How do I handle a single-day substitution?”When the covered person’s tasks should be divided among the Location’s other people: add an absence for the person and use scheduling to distribute the tasks you choose, or move them manually to the spot and person you want.
substitution, single day, divide tasksHow do I change a task’s repeat rule?
Section titled “How do I change a task’s repeat rule?”Open the task and edit the rule shown at the top of the task card. See Changing a task’s repeat rule.
repeat rule, interval, assigneeHow do I get a task to repeat only on certain weekdays?
Section titled “How do I get a task to repeat only on certain weekdays?”Use a custom weekly rhythm. The algorithm follows Repeat starts and Repeat and interval when it determines on which day the task is carried out. See Task recurrence.
weekdays, weekly rhythm, certain daysWhy can’t I add a repeat rule to the day I picked?
Section titled “Why can’t I add a repeat rule to the day I picked?”A red message at the top of the repeat panel names the reason: the worker has no shift that day, is absent, or has too little free time left; the day is a public holiday; or the time collides with a locked task. Pick a different start date or worker. If it says scheduling is in progress, just wait and save again. See When the repeat rule can’t be added.
repeat rule rejected, cannot add repeat, red message, error, start dateA location is closed for the next two weeks — what do I do?
Section titled “A location is closed for the next two weeks — what do I do?”Individual occurrences can be deleted from the task card once they appear in its reschedulable list. If the location is closed for longer, move the recurring task’s Repeat starts date past the closure — see Repeat starts and ends.
closed location, pause visits, skip weeksWhy can’t all tasks be scheduled, or why does the schedule look unusual?
Section titled “Why can’t all tasks be scheduled, or why does the schedule look unusual?”Usually a task constraint or a data problem is limiting the optimizer. Review the checklist in Scheduling best practices.
unscheduled, tasks left over, unusual scheduleIs it worth locking a task?
Section titled “Is it worth locking a task?”Locking a task is worthwhile when its time and assignee must be kept the same, but you would otherwise like to modify the workers’ days. See the Locked state in Task states.
lock, locking, keep assignee, fixed timeWhy did bulk locking skip some tasks?
Section titled “Why did bulk locking skip some tasks?”Bulk lock only locks tasks that match your whole selection — date range, workers and Segment — and that are in a lockable state. A Lock button disabled at zero means nothing in the selection needs locking. See Task states: Locked.
bulk lock, mass lock, lock button disabled, some tasks not lockedWhy can’t a worker’s day be scheduled at all?
Section titled “Why can’t a worker’s day be scheduled at all?”Usually overlapping tasks already sit in the calendar, and Don’t move tasks to others or remove stops the optimizer from resolving the overlap. See When a day cannot be scheduled.
cannot be scheduled, overlapping tasks, impossible day, day skippedWhy does the optimizer leave one worker’s day empty?
Section titled “Why does the optimizer leave one worker’s day empty?”Usually a mismatch between the worker’s skills and the tasks’ requirements — either the worker is missing a skill the tasks need, or the tasks aren’t requiring the skill you expect. See Task details: Requirements.
empty day, underfilled, skill missing, optimizer leaves gapOnly one worker can do a task type and their calendar is full — what now?
Section titled “Only one worker can do a task type and their calendar is full — what now?”Allocator has no per-worker scheduling-horizon rules to open more days for one person. The fix is to give the required skill to more workers, or to hire into it. See Task details: Requirements.
single skilled worker, calendar full, only one worker, capacity, hireHow do I add an urgent ad-hoc task to the same day?
Section titled “How do I add an urgent ad-hoc task to the same day?”A task can be added to the same day in two ways: manually, by dragging the task to the selected worker, or by using scheduling. When scheduling, do not allow moving tasks to others or removing them, since this is only about adding a task to an existing calendar — see Optimization rules.
Ad-hoc tasks can also be fed into the calendar automatically, for example from ERP systems.
urgent, ad-hoc, same day, emergency taskHow do I divide work more evenly among workers?
Section titled “How do I divide work more evenly among workers?”By default Allocator optimizes for the lowest cost (driving distance + driving time), not the most even load — see How scheduling works. For a more even division:
- Keep the workers’ priorities equal, so the algorithm does not favor anyone. Differing values pile work onto the people with higher priority.
- Use Shorten working hours as an optimization rule; this shortens the length of the workday, which forces tasks to be given to others.
Does scheduling ever delete tasks?
Section titled “Does scheduling ever delete tasks?”No. “Removed” tasks return to the task list as reschedulable, with their original date kept. Nothing disappears from the system. See Optimization rules.
remove, delete, lost tasks, disappearWhy is the shift length more than task time + driving time?
Section titled “Why is the shift length more than task time + driving time?”Shift length is measured from the first task’s start to the last task’s end, so it includes waiting time between tasks. Locked tasks are a common cause of waiting time — see Reading the day summary and Lock as late as possible.
shift length, longer than, work plus driving, waiting timeHow do I close a worker’s day so no work is scheduled on it?
Section titled “How do I close a worker’s day so no work is scheduled on it?”Set the day’s working time to 00:00–00:00 or add a one-day absence. Do not use 00:00–23:59 — that opens the whole day. See Changing working time.
close day, block day, no work, 00:00Who can change the organization’s default settings?
Section titled “Who can change the organization’s default settings?”A MainUser. Managers can plan and schedule work but cannot change the organization-wide defaults. See System settings.
who can change settings, mainuser, manager, defaults, permissionsWill tasks be scheduled on weekends or public holidays?
Section titled “Will tasks be scheduled on weekends or public holidays?”Only if those days are switched on for your organization. A day that is switched off takes no tasks even if a worker has hours there. See Working days.
weekend, saturday, sunday, public holiday, scheduled, no tasksWhat does “allowed overtime maximum” actually do?
Section titled “What does “allowed overtime maximum” actually do?”It does not grant paid overtime — it controls how late the day’s last task may start. A 30-minute value lets a task begin up to 30 minutes before the shift ends even if it finishes a little after. See Scheduling defaults.
allowed overtime, last task start, paid overtime, 30 minutes, ends lateWhy are the capacity numbers so large?
Section titled “Why are the capacity numbers so large?”Capacity units are whatever you define. If your real units are fractional, scale every value — vehicle capacity and task loads alike — by the same factor so the figures stay whole and the maths stays exact. See Vehicle capacity.
capacity, big numbers, multiplied, units, hundred, fractionalWhy is a vehicle’s daily load larger than its capacity?
Section titled “Why is a vehicle’s daily load larger than its capacity?”Because the vehicle makes several trips in a day — for example reloading at the warehouse. Each trip stays within the vehicle’s single-trip capacity; the day’s total is the sum of the trips. See Vehicle capacity.
total capacity, more than vehicle, multiple trips, reload, day totalCan two regions or teams keep their tasks separate?
Section titled “Can two regions or teams keep their tasks separate?”Yes — put each in its own Location. The scheduler keeps each Location’s tasks and workers to itself and never moves a task across Locations. See Locations and targets.
separate teams, regions, depots, tasks not shared, independentDoes the driver see the pickup point separately from the delivery?
Section titled “Does the driver see the pickup point separately from the delivery?”Yes. A transport job is a pickup task and a delivery task, shown as two separate stops, so the driver knows to drive to the collection point first when it isn’t your terminal. See Pickup and delivery on the route.
pickup, delivery, driver, collection point, not terminal, two stopsWhy is the Total working time comparison zero when the figures below it changed?
Section titled “Why is the Total working time comparison zero when the figures below it changed?”Because total working time is the time scheduled for the selected workers, not the time they spent. It only moves when the workers selected, their shifts, or the length of the period change. The figures beneath it divide that same total differently, so they can change while it does not. See Key figures.
total working time, comparison zero, statistics, key figures, no change, scheduled not spentA device and its tasks disappeared — what happened?
Section titled “A device and its tasks disappeared — what happened?”The device list mirrors the system your organization maintains devices in. When a device is no longer there, it drops out of Allocator and its open tasks are finished automatically — they are not deleted, but they leave the task list. There is no undo in Allocator, so check the source system first. See Where the device list comes from.
device disappeared, missing device, tasks vanished, finished automatically, registry