Job scheduling using Checklists and Gantts

[Note - this feature is only available in Pro & Standard subscriptions]

The MyConstruct scheduling system allows you to quickly create custom checklists for all Jobs and Opportunities, these can be used for calling up trades, forecasting jobs, maintenance lists, tendering or whatever you like!

To create a schedule for a job, you must first create a job and then apply a 'checklist' to that job.
You can create and manage your checklists in the left menu, under 'tasks' select the 'manage checklists' option, in here you will find some template checklists from the drop-down menu named 'create checklist' these are a good example to get started with, you can use or modify them to help as a starting point, or create your own. 

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Once you have a checklist with tasks created, you can add it to a job or opportunity within the 'checklists' tab, then click on 'Add Checklist' and select the checklist you created or imported.

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Next you will be asked to select the start date of this checklist, this gives us the date the work is expected to start and we can use that to forecast from.

Along with the start date, you can mark weekends as "off days" meaning there won't be any work done on these days, so the scheduling system will adjust to allow for extra work days to cover them (off-days will appear as light red squares on the Gantt).

Now you will see all of the tasks appear in the view below, here you can set your due dates, start dates and mark items as complete. These 3 dates are what will be used to draw the Gantt Chart which will appear in the 'Scheduling' tab one it has some dates to work with.

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Date are set by simply clicking the checkbox or adjusting the date in each field. There's also an "N/A" option that can be used to mark that task as not applicable, so you can use template checklists across a wide variety of projects and just cross off tasks that may not apply to this specific job.

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Once you have added and set your dates, the Gantt Chart will become active on the 'Scheduling'  tab, which is very much like Microsoft Project (you can select and drag your tasks to set dates).

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If you hover your mouse over the task, you can move the entire task by dragging from the middle, or you can change the start / finish dates by dragging from the front or back of the tasks bar. By adjusting the tasks from the Gantt view, you will also be adjusting the Checklists dates directly.

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Let's switch back to the Checklist tab and show how the email button can be used to schedule tasks.

First find a task to work with, then below the task look for text that says "Assigned to" then there's blue text that says"None" below the task where we can set a staff member or a supplier / trade.

Click the "none" and you'll be asked to assign the task to someone.

You can also send an alert to let them know you've assigned this task to them.

(Note when creating a checklist, you can also set a default contact that this task is always assigned to).

Now you have set the "Assigned to" the 'Email' button will become active on the far right.

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Clicking the 'Email' button will open up a popup that allows us to email this contact (Staff / Supplier / Trade) and call-up the works / attach files / send information and deadlines.

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Using this box you can send plans, details and even CC yourself a copy of the email.

Finally, it's important to note that checklists are used as a template that can be applied to any Job / Opportunity, if you need to make custom alterations for a specific job, you can apply a standard checklist and then alter that checklist within the Job / Opp itself, this is done by clicking "Edit" on a task and changing it to suit, or you can use the "Add Task" option to add extra job specific tasks. 

You do not need to create a custom checklist per job, it's best to just create some templates and then edit them as required on the job.

For a more detailed run through of the system, see the video below.

Check out the video for Checklists and Gantts