About the Activate Day Screen
Use the Activate Day screen to prepare each day for service.
When you activate a day, Trapeze OPS does the following:
- Prepares schedules for dispatching.
The system checks the source schedules from scheduling software like Trapeze FX or Trapeze PASS, and determines if there are exceptions, special service groups, or holidays on the day. Service on a day is typically defined in scheduling software. If it's a holiday, this may be defined by Operations in conjunction with other departments to decide which schedule should operate. The system also brings in extra work.
- Matches work assignments with bid employees.
- Opens work where bid employees can't perform their assigned duties. For example, employees might not be able to perform their work if they have conflicting absences, have expired licenses or medical dates, are no longer qualified for the work, the work assignment would violate work assignment rules, or they're no longer active in the system.
- Prepares the day’s extraboard and volunteer lists. Employees on these lists may rotate order according to the terms and conditions of their union contract.
The system starts with all scheduled work assignments and adjusts for exceptions that occur because of driver hold-downs, known absences, expired driver’s licenses (or other missing skills), and extra work.
Depending on agency policies, service days are typically activated at least one day in advance. This allows extraboard and volunteer assignments to be posted before the work day. Agencies typically have a deadline for posting the next day’s assignments so that operators know when to come to work. This deadline may be dictated by union contract. Operators who are returning from absences may need to contact the agency before this deadline if they want their original bid work assignments on the day.
Once a day is activated, you can view its employees and pieces of work in the Daily Activity screen, and perform dispatch and yard management activities.
If OPS is integrated with Trapeze PASS, the system checks Trapeze PASS for runs when the day is activated.
If employees don't have assigned bid units for the day, OPS assigns default bid units according to their employee type. If no days off are found for an active operator during a week when a day is activated, OPS creates days off for the operator as specified by the property.
When a day is activated, if there are Vacation Relief operators, they can inherit division of the employee whose work they are performing based on the property. If the day activation is undone, the operators are returned to their home divisions.
If you activate a day that was previously activated, the system deletes any existing block activities on the day. If a vehicle was previously assigned to one block and is then assigned to a new block, a message appears in the activate day log.
Work subtypes that don't represent operational service can be excluded from day activations. These work subtypes are also excluded from work assignment rule calculations, bid work shown in the Employee Activity screen, and Employee Self-Service pages, but can be used in bidding and work planning. The property specifies the Work Subtypes ancillary group excluded from day activations.
OPS also checks whether documentation is required for employees returning to work after absences. If an employee’s Documentation Required checkbox is selected in the employee card (in the Employee Profile screen) or the absence type's Return To Work Flag shows Return to Work Processing Required, the system generates an Absence documentation is required message and the employee is prevented from signing on to work using Sign-In Terminal.
When finished, a message in the log pane indicates that the activation is complete.
If a day has already been activated, you can undo the day activation. For example, if major errors were made in preparation for the operational day.
When you undo a day activation, the system removes daily assignments, block activities, and the extraboard list. Absence records and scheduled work assignments are kept as-is.