Scheduling

Scheduling is a method of arranging, controlling, and maximizing the workloads of production process workers.

Importance of scheduling

Scheduling contributes to the prioritization of tasks. According to Dhaval, scheduling helps prioritize tasks and helps you complete them step-by-step. Although the work volume will remain the same, you will at least know what you are supposed to do next. As a result, the pressure to carry the entire workload will be alleviated. He says that as long as you persevere and stick to your schedule, you can always get there. 

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Apps used to schedule

Dhaval recommends using Outlook to schedule not only work tasks but personal tasks as well. When it comes to organizing and reviewing daily information, he considers Outlook one of the most indispensable software systems. Outlook has many features, such as sending and receiving email messages, managing your calendar, scheduling appointments, storing contact names and numbers, and tracking your daily activities.

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Scheduling within the workday

Currently, Dhaval works from home and attends his workplace only when it is urgent. Dhaval prefers to schedule any appointments or tasks weeks in advance so that he can manage his time and his day-to-day workloads. In addition, Dhaval says that multitasking plays a huge role when it comes to scheduling. He suggests that office professionals should always keep track of their tasks and be very well organized.

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Scheduling Conflicts

​Scheduling conflicts often happen in the workplace. Below are the three types of scheduling conflicts that Dhaval mentioned: 

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• Double-booking. This occurs when two events are scheduled at the same time. For instance, you might have reassigned a shift to another employee who has a shift during the same period. This often results in one or more commitments not being met.

• Scheduling a time slot that is not available. This happens when you schedule an event during a time slot that is already reserved for another event. For example, you might mistakenly assign a shift to an employee during his afternoon off. In this case, the employee would be required to miss the work shift or cancel their vacation. 

• Intersecting events. This happens when the end of one event overlaps with the beginning of another. An example would be if you had a team meeting from 11 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and a client meeting from 11:45 a.m. - 1:00 pm. To attend both, you would have to miss the team meeting or reschedule the client meeting.

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Dhaval's suggestion for fixing a scheduling conflict is to utilize a centralized work schedule. According to Dhaval, it can be a valuable tool for long-term projects and daily tasks alike. Additionally, Dhaval mentions that centralizing scheduling helps to promote transparency both within and outside the workplace because it facilitates an efficient workflow.

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