Websphere Business Modeler 6.1 Tutorials: How to create a timetable

Quickstart tutorial 1-How to create a timetable

How to create a timetable
How to add timetable attributes
How to associate a timetable with a resource

How to create a timetable

Introduction

A timetable indicates when a particular resource is available or when a particular cost applies. It enables you to schedule a resource or determine when a cost will apply to specified tasks or processes.

In most businesses, employees are available for a certain period of the day. For example, the majority of the staff at an accounting office might work the day shift from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Similarly, costs will often apply only for a certain time period; depending on its location, the accounting office's heating costs might only have to be paid out from October to April. For more information, see Timetables in the information center.

How to create a timetable

Step 1

In the Project Tree, right-click the Personnel resource catalog and select New > Timetable. A wizard opens.

Step 2

Type the following name for the timetable: Day Shift
Type the following description for the timetable: Shift for regularly scheduled daytime employees.
Click Finish. The Day Shift timetable opens in the Timetable editor.

Step 3

The new timetable is displayed in the Project Tree similar to the following image on the right.

Now that you have created a new timetable for your office's day shift, you can add the attributes that will uniquely define the timetable.

How to add timetable attributes

Introduction

Timetable attributes define the timetable, indicating such parameters as the date the timetable begins and the number of times it should be repeated.

You can determine how long you want your timetable to apply, whether for a few days or weeks, or for an unlimited time. Timetable attributes enable you to define the length of the time period, how often it repeats (for example, daily or weekly), and how long it will continue to repeat.

You can also set recurring time intervals for your timetable. The Recurring time intervals list is used to define a particular period of time within the timetable. For example, if you run a manufacturing plant 24 hours a day, your electricity costs might be higher during peak hours; you can define these segments in your timetable and then use the timetable to schedule power-intensive tasks at less expensive times.

How to add timetable attributes

Step 1

In the Project tree, double-click the Day Shift timetable to display the Timetable editor.
Click the Recurring time intervals tab at the bottom of the Timetable editor.
In the Number of times to repeat field, leave the Forever check box selected. You will keep the same hours for your day shift for the foreseeable future, so there is no need to impose a limit to the number of times the schedule will repeat.
In the Repetition period fields, you specify the length of the repetition cycle. For example, if your timetable repeats every week, with recurring time intervals encompassing the weekdays, you would specify 7 days to indicate that the timetable repeats every 7 days. Because, in this exercise the timetable repeats every day, you will specify 1 Day in the Repetition period fields.
Next to the Beginning on field, click the Select time button. A calendar opens.
In the Time zone field, select GMT -5.
In the calendar, select today's date and specify the time as 12:00:00 A.M. Click OK.
In the Recurring Time Intervals pane, ensure that Time interval is highlighted.
In the Selected interval details pane, click the Select duration button and specify 8 Hours. This is the number of hours in the day shift at Quickstart Finance.
In the Start time calendar, select today's date and set the start time to 9:00 A.M. Your Day Shift timetable now starts at 9:00 a.m. each day and lasts for 8 hours. The Attributes view displays the time intervals in a graph. Your timetable should now look like the one in the following image:

How to associate a timetable with a resource

Introduction

By associating a timetable with a resource, you can indicate the time period when that resource is available to be used in tasks and processes.

How to associate a timetable with a resource

Step 1

Double-click a resource (i.e Kim Lee resource) in the Project Tree. The resource opens in the Process editor.
At the bottom of the Process editor, click the Availability tab.
In the Availability pane, click Add. A window opens.
In the Select Timetable window, select the Day Shift timetable from the tree. Click OK. The Day Shift timetable is added to the Kim Lee resource's availability list, as in the following image: