Scheduler

Essentials Plus Edition Required
If you’re not on the Essentials Plus Edition, you can still access this feature, but you must upgrade to the Essentials Plus plan to continue using it.

• Introduction
• Overview
• Pre-requisites
• Getting Started
  • Scheduler Workspace
  • Creating a Schedule
  • Scheduler Canvas
  • Planning Events
  • Automatic-Solver Constraints
  • Planning Events based on past schedules
  • Scheduler Dashboard
  • Conflict Checking
  • Creating and Booking Events
• Common warnings and how to resolve
• Current Limitations
• Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction

Planning and organizing training can be challenging and time-consuming, especially when considering factors such as Instructor availability, time zones, planning many events, and adapting to unavoidable changes.

The Administrate Scheduler provides a convenient and efficient way to plan your training. It also uses automatic-solving capabilities and decision support to help enhance your planning process. With Scheduler, you can dynamically react to availability changes and other factors, making it easier to stay on track with planning.

Benefits

1. Eliminate the need for multiple tools and spreadsheets when planning.
2. Improve time and efficiency by a forecasted 10x.
3. Create new schedules faster by using past schedule and event data.
4. Use the Scheduler’s Automatic Solver functionality to suggest a plan for you.
5. Sync MS Teams Outlook calendars to pull in Instructor availability in real time.

Overview

Users can create schedules and use options such as bulk imports, past schedules, and drag-and-drop planning to speed up the scheduling process. Scheduler displays Instructor and Resource conflicts, bookings, and availability while you plan.

The Issue Navigator highlights issues present in a schedule and lets users cycle through them quickly.

Users with less complex requirements can use Scheduler to automatically create and plan a schedule. This is typically completed within minutes, and users can still adjust the proposed schedule afterward.

Pre-requisites

• Scheduler requires that you have already set up and generated Course Template Sessions with start and end times.
• If you use Resources and plan to schedule and book them, Resource requirements must be configured on the relevant Course Templates.

Getting Started

Locating the Scheduler in your Instance

From the top navigation menu, click Training to find the Scheduler feature.

Scheduler Workspace

Schedules are plans for Events that you are considering creating with the required Instructors and Resources. The Scheduler screen presents a list view of schedules that are currently being worked on, already scheduled, or archived. Use filters to find a schedule quickly or create a new schedule from this view.

Scheduler Status can be:

• Draft: The schedule is still a work in progress.
• Scheduled: The schedule is planned and Events have been created. This is an end state and no further work is needed.

Solver State is related to the status of the solution you have run for a schedule:

• Success: The schedule was successfully solved and a plan was generated.
• Failed: The schedule failed to solve part or all of the plan. If partially solved, a solution is provided that can be checked and modified.
• In progress: Scheduler is working out a solution for your plan.

Creating a Schedule

The first step in creating schedules and planning is to define your schedule settings and boundaries.

Steps Click Create Schedule. Fill in the fields presented within the dialog modal. Click Create Schedule in the modal to create your schedule and be redirected to the Scheduler Canvas. This creates a Schedule canvas with the boundaries, constraints, and configuration you set. Fields Name: Give your schedule a name, for example “Spring Events Plan”. Location: The location of the Events you are planning for. Start/End Date: The date boundaries of your Schedule. Days of the Week: The days available for scheduling and planning. Start/End Time: The time boundaries of your Schedule.

Scheduler Canvas

This is where planning takes place. You can add Events, import inventory, add Instructors and Resources, and plan your training within the boundaries and settings you selected when creating the schedule.

A quick guide on the user interface

Planning Events

To start planning, tell Scheduler how many Events you plan to run, which Instructors to include, and which Resources are required. Scheduler supports Classroom and Blended Events.

Adding Events

Under Inventory, click Add. Click Course to plan a fresh schedule for a set number of Events. Search by Course Code or Course name. Select the Course and enter the number of Events. Add the desired starting date for the first Event. Click Save. Options Import: Import Events from a previous plan or from existing Events within a past date range. Course: Plan a fresh schedule for a set number of Events. Instructors: Include the Instructors you want to deliver training. Resources: Include the Resources you want to use or that are required. Notes for Blended Events LMS information is pulled from the latest Course Template schedule. LMS information is not displayed on the Scheduler Canvas.

Adding Instructors

Under Inventory, click Add. Click Instructors. Select the Instructors needed to deliver the training. Click Save. The modal displays all Instructors in your instance and is not limited to those on the Course Templates added to your plan. You can filter by: Instructors who can teach a specific Course Workplace or Location Name or Account

Adding Resources

This step is optional if none of the selected Courses include required Resources.

Under Inventory, click Add. Click Resources. Select the Resources needed for the training. Click Save. You can filter Resources by name, type, and/or Location.

Availability and Booking checking tooltips

Instructor and Resource availability and bookings are displayed in the canvas to help you plan.

A blue arrow in the bottom-right corner indicates a booking exists but is not necessarily conflicting. Hover over it to show more details.

Continue with planning

Things you need to do:

• Assign Instructors and Resources to Sessions.
• Rearrange Sessions and Events by editing them or dragging and dropping them.
• Create and book your Events.

With clear availability alerts, you can replace Instructors or Resources with qualified, available alternatives.

You can drag and drop Sessions individually, or group Sessions that belong to the same Event to drag whole Events. To group Sessions, right-click a Session that is part of a multi-session Event and click Group. To ungroup, right-click and click Ungroup.

At any time, you can review the total hours an Instructor or Resource is utilized within a Schedule.

Let the Scheduler suggest a plan for you

Use Solve to let Scheduler suggest a schedule based on your inputs and configuration.

1. Course Template configuration acts as the constraint rules for scheduling each Course. For example, if a course must start on Mondays, Scheduler considers that when suggesting a plan.
2. Event Sessions are grouped by default.
3. Events are spread evenly across the plan’s time bounds.
4. Scheduler tries to balance workload among available Instructors and Resources.
5. Scheduler attempts to avoid overbooking Instructors or Resources. If it cannot avoid overbooking, it may still suggest a plan.

Once a plan is generated, you still have full control to change and update it.

When using Solve, you can choose:

1. Use exact Session times: Uses the exact start and end times defined in the Course outline.
2. Use durations of Sessions: Uses Session duration and plots Sessions based on the provided earliest start and end times.

You can close the browser or navigate elsewhere while solving. This will not pause or cancel a solution in progress.

Possible outputs are Successfully Solved or Cannot Solve. Once solved, the Events appear in the calendar. You can click a Session to view details or edit it.

Editing a Session allows you to change the start and end date, Instructor, and/or Resources.

• You cannot add Resources if there are no Resource requirements for the Session.
• You cannot assign multiple Instructors for a Session using the solver. You can manually edit Events afterward to change or add multiple Instructors.

Automatic-Solver Constraints & Requirements

The solver considers the following when attempting to suggest a schedule:

• Schedule settings
• Instructor and Resource requirements
• Course Template Session configuration
• Course Template allowed training days and duration
• Instructor and Resource availability
• External events, if two-way calendar sync is enabled

Planning Events - Based on Past Schedules

Scheduler lets you import and replicate previously scheduled training programs into new date ranges. This is useful for recurring training cycles, such as carrying over a Q1 schedule to Q2. Event details, Instructor assignments, and Resource allocations are included and updated with real-time availability data.

1. Create a schedule with the required date bounds.
2. Under Inventory, click Add, then Import.
3. From the Import modal, filter the date range you want to import from.
4. Click Next Step.
5. Select or deselect Courses, Instructors, and Resources as needed.
6. Click Import.

The Courses shown are those with Events running in the selected date bounds. These Events must not be Draft or Cancelled. Instructor and Resource lists are based on those assigned to the Events at the time.

Once imported, the Events, Instructors, and Resources are mapped into the Scheduler Canvas in an initialized state. Assign Instructors and Resources to Sessions, plan them manually, or use Solve.

Scheduler Dashboard

The Scheduler dashboard helps users assess the quality and effectiveness of their training plans without extensive manual review.

Planning Stats Widget

• # of Events: Number of Events scheduled. This does not count individual Sessions.
• Days Used: Unique working days with at least one Session scheduled.
• Training Hours: Total duration of all Sessions scheduled.
• Total Capacity: Maximum places available across all Events, even if some Events are duplicated.

Instructors & Resources Hours Widget

Displays minimum, maximum, and average hours used by Instructors and Resources. Hovering over displayed hours shows the relevant Instructor or Resource.

Unused indicates Resources and Instructors not assigned to any Event or Session in the plan.

Issues Widget

The Issues Widget summarizes problems in the plan, such as Instructor conflicts or missing requirements. Issues are grouped as Critical and Other, and categorized into Course-related Issues, Instructor Issues, and Resource Issues.

Critical Issues examples

• A required Resource or Instructor is missing from the plan.
• A Course Template is misconfigured, such as missing default start and end times.
• An Instructor no longer exists or has left the organization.

Other Issues examples

• Conflict with an Instructor or Resource.
• Events do not match the intended Course Template schedule.
• A Session was not assigned a required Resource.

Conflict Checking

Throughout planning, Scheduler displays issues or conflicts caused by changes such as Instructor swaps or Sessions being moved manually to another date.

Use the Issue Navigator to locate issues and learn more about how to resolve them.

Creating and Booking Events

Once you are happy with your plan, click Create and Book Events to show a confirmation modal of what will be created. Click Create Events and Book again to create your Events. A Blended Event is created when: Necessary LMS settings exist on the Course Template, which are used to determine LMS dates. Otherwise, Scheduler defaults to the Event start/end dates. You can now continue to manage your Events from the Event screen as usual.

Common warnings and how to resolve

Warning	Suggested Solution	Screenshot
Cannot solve Schedule without Sessions for Course Template <CourseName>	Go to the Course and ensure Sessions have been generated. Click the Course title to open the Course Template, open the Schedule tab, then click Generate Sessions.
Cannot solve Schedule without Session Start and End times for Course Template <CourseName>.	Go to the Course and ensure start and end times are configured, then submit and generate Sessions.
Required Resources are missing	Add the required Resources to Scheduler. Click Add next to Inventory, then add the missing Resources.
Course Template <CourseName> has changed its Resource Requirements, invalidating the current solution.	This can happen if Resource requirements are changed after the Course Template is included in a Schedule. Ensure Resources are included in the required Sessions by editing Sessions and adding the Resource, or use Automatic-Solve to reschedule.

Related articles

• Creating a Schedule
• Creating and Booking Events from Scheduler
• Calendar Sync

Current Limitations

• Supports Classroom and Blended based Courses and Events.
• When using the Solve function, Scheduler can only schedule one Instructor. You can manually edit Events afterward to change or add multiple Instructors.
• Supports scheduling for a single Location at a time.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much time does the Scheduler take to suggest a plan?

   1. On average, Scheduler takes between 3–5 minutes to find an optimal plan for a large schedule (approximately 200 Events). Depending on size and complexity, this time may vary.

2. What constitutes a “full day unavailability”?

   1. An Instructor is considered unavailable for a full day if their unavailability begins before the scheduled time and ends after the scheduled time.

3. How does the Scheduler determine which days of the week it should create schedules for?

   1. Non-working days displayed in the Courses row within the Scheduler canvas are determined based on the Course Template defined days.
   2. Non-working days displayed in Instructor and Resource rows are determined by the days specified in Company settings.
   3. When using automatic solver functionality, the solver considers the schedule outlined in the Course Template when creating Sessions.

4. When dragging an Event/Session across multiple months, it eventually stops showing conflict highlights within the cells

   1. While dragging Events or Sessions, Scheduler conflict highlighting displays for a span of 2 months. This is a current limitation within Scheduler.

5. Is the Scheduler free during the open beta period?

   1. Yes, Scheduler is free to use during the open beta access period, which lasts for 6 months from release. After the open beta phase, you can decide whether to continue using the feature. To reactivate it, contact Support.

6. Does the Scheduler support planning for Private Events?

   1. No. Scheduler currently supports Public Events. Private Events are typically more ad hoc and less structured, so Scheduler may not be the best tool for them.