This troubleshooting guide provides a list of common problems that people encounter with their optimizations and suggests some causes and solutions. If you can’t find a solution here please contact us through support@vworkapp.com and one of our team will be in touch to help you out.
In this article:
Here are some common problems people have with their optimizations. Click the link to go to the section that tells you more about each of these.
- I can’t find my jobs - they aren’t on the optimization map
- I have a warning: “We were unable to assign some jobs”
- The optimization didn’t work - no jobs were scheduled
- My optimization looks odd - it has sent workers all over the place
- Why are jobs not evenly distributed between my workers?
- Why can’t I see the optimization in View?
- I can’t find workers on the map to use in the optimization
Click the link from the list above to go to that topic. You can return to this topic list by clicking this icon:
I can’t find my jobs - they aren’t on the optimization map
Jobs won’t show on the map when:
- They are already assigned to an unpublished or published optimization that you can see in the View function.
- Jobs in an unpublished optimization are reserved by the optimization and are waiting to be scheduled by it. To make these jobs visible on the optimization map and available to include in another optimization, delete the unpublished optimization.
- Jobs in a published optimization (or published jobs in a partially published optimization) are already scheduled and published on workers’ mobile apps. If you delete a published optimization and want to reoptimize the jobs, make sure you either:
- unpublish jobs from workers’ phones. (This is an option when you delete the optimization and can also be done manually through the jobs list.), Or
- use the search filters on the optimization map to find the assigned jobs and show them on the map.
- You entered search parameters in the optimization map Search that filtered the jobs out of the optimization selection. Check the search filters to make sure the filters select the jobs that you want to optimize.
- The jobs don’t have a step with a geocoded address. You need at least one (and a maximum of two) geocoded steps in a job for them to show on the map. The exception to this is jobs that are scheduled as Automated breaks - these should not have a geocoded step.
- What Group do you have selected (if you have the optional Groups feature)? If you have selected the wrong Group you will only see jobs for that Group and not the Group you want to optimize the jobs for.
- Time Windows on Jobs and Assets may exclude them from the time period selected for the optimization.
🔔 Note: Time Windows saved with Jobs and saved with Assets are incorporated into the optimization. The optimization must work around the Time Windows set for the Job and for the Asset. A Job with an Asset doesn't have its Time Windows overridden by the Asset’s Time Windows - they are both included.
I have a warning: “We were unable to assign some jobs”
This warning means the workers selected for the optimization are unable to complete all the jobs in the optimization.
Things to check:
- Does the time range for the optimization go beyond the hours your workers have allocated during their shift? If some or all workers’ shifts end during the optimization time range we may not be able to assign all jobs as there may be no workers left on the shift to complete these jobs.
- Do you have too many jobs in the optimization time range and need more workers to complete all jobs? You can use the Infinite workers option to see how many more workers you need. You may need to schedule more workers or schedule some jobs for a different time range.
🔔 Note: You can't use the 'Infinite workers' option if you are using Capacity. - Have you used the Infinite Workers option when you have Capacity saved with the jobs? 'Infinite Workers' and 'Capacity' are not compatible and should not be used together.
- Have you exceeded the Capacity of workers (or vehicles) you have on shift? If your jobs require more 'capacity' to complete them than your workers have, some jobs won't be scheduled in the optimization. Can you add more workers to the optimization or use workers with a greater capacity than the ones currently available?
- Are there big travel times between jobs because they are geographically distant from each other? This can make small jobs take a long time to complete as your workers need to travel big distances to get to each job.
- Do your jobs have Time Windows saved with them and how do these work with the duration of time required to complete a job? The optimization won’t schedule more jobs into a Time Window than can be completed. Consider the duration of each job against time windows saved with the jobs. You may find that the duration of the jobs limits the number of jobs that can be scheduled within a given time window. You can resolve this by optimizing some jobs for a different day or time that works with the constraints of the time window.
- Did you set a time range that was too short to complete some or all jobs without meaning to?
The default Start and Finish times for Today and Tomorrow are often suitable without the need to change them. This makes it easy to set an Optimization that uses either of these options as the time period without considering the Start and Finish time. Sometimes the default is not correct for the other settings in the optimization configuration - such as Worker shifts.
For example, when you choose Today you can only schedule the Start Time from the current time. If the current time is 3 pm and the end of the business day is 5 pm you may not have enough time to complete some or all of the jobs in the optimization before your workers go home, even if you accepted the default finish time of 11:59 pm. - Jobs with Tags may not be scheduled if there are no workers who have the Tags in their user profiles that match the Tag requirements for the job.
The optimization didn’t work - no jobs were scheduled
You ran an optimization and nothing happened - the optimization completed but did not show in View; or the optimization ran but no jobs were scheduled by the optimization tool.
No jobs were scheduled when this optimization was run.
Things to check:
- Often the things that stop an optimization from scheduling jobs are the same as the things that cause some jobs not to be scheduled within an optimization when others are scheduled. Check the topic above: I have a warning: “We were unable to assign some jobs”
- Did you use the Custom Time Range but not update the Start and Finish time? When you select the Custom Time Range and select a date the Start Time and Finish Time both default to the current time. This means you have an optimization duration that spans zero time. Jobs can’t be assigned to a time period with a duration of zero. For example; if you scheduled the Custom Time Range at 11:31 am, the Start and Finish times both default to 11:31 am. This gives you a Duration of 0.
My optimization looks odd - it has sent workers all over the place
Sometimes it looks like the optimization has chosen a really strange route. This is because the optimization schedules all jobs efficiently while respecting constraints saved with the jobs and the other commitments workers have outside of the optimization. Sometimes those constraints make the optimization look odd.
In this example, this route is affected by Time Windows on jobs 2 and 7.
Things to check:
- Do you have Time Windows on some jobs in the optimization that restrict when those jobs can or can’t be done? The optimization schedules these jobs based on the restrictions of their Time Windows then schedules all other jobs around them. Can you remove the time windows or manage these jobs outside of this optimization? Alternatively, can you create the optimizations based on the time windows so that all jobs with the same time window are completed in one optimization?
- Do your workers have other jobs already assigned that fall within the optimization time period? These jobs don’t show up in the optimization but are still included in the schedule for the worker. The optimization takes account of these jobs and schedules other jobs around them. This may show as a route having a long driving time between jobs.
- Check the Start Times saved on jobs. If some jobs have scheduled Start Times, and you have not chosen the Ignore Planned Start Times option in the configuration, jobs with planned start times are scheduled for the times saved with the job, and other jobs are optimized around them.
Why are jobs not evenly distributed between my workers?
Optimization always tries to find the most efficient route for your entire fleet. This can mean that one worker is scheduled with more jobs than others in the optimization.
Things you can check:
- Did you select the Minimum Workers option? This option actively tries to condense all jobs into as few routes as possible and may allocate one worker with substantially more jobs and a longer route than others. Try running the optimization without selecting this option.
- Are you using Capacity and do some of your workers have a greater capacity than others? More jobs are likely to be assigned to workers with greater Capacity. You may be able to reassign some jobs to another worker whose capacity is not fully utilized or add another worker to the optimization to take some of the jobs.
- Are some jobs grouped geographically close together in a cluster but away from other jobs in the optimization? The optimization may have assigned these to one worker to reduce the total distance traveled by the entire fleet. You could add another worker to the optimization to share the jobs for this route.
💡 Tips:
- To add more workers to an optimization you need to delete and reconfigure it.
- When you move jobs between routes this may increase the total distance traveled by the fleet. Sometimes you may choose to trade off the distance traveled by the fleet with the number of workers you use to complete the optimization.
Why can’t I see the optimization in View?
If you look at View and the optimization you have run is not visible check the time period and status of the optimizations you are looking at.
Things to check:
- Look at the Over field. Is the optimization you want in the time period you have selected in 'View'? 💡 Tip: Use 'Any Time' for optimizations set in the past.
- Look at the Status field. Is it filtering out the optimization you want to see because you have chosen a status that is not All? Change the Status to All to see all optimizations for the time period selected in the Over field.
I can’t find workers on the map to use in the optimization
Are you trying to create an optimization in a time range where you have no workers on shift?
Things to check:
- Review the time range for your optimization. Have you selected pm instead of am, or selected a day that is a public holiday or not a workday? Compare the time range with your account working hours and workers’ shift hours. Is there anyone scheduled to work in the hours and on the days you have set for the optimization? If a worker isn’t scheduled to work on the day you selected you will have no workers to add to the optimization.
- What Group are you in (if you have vWork's optional Groups feature)? If you have selected the wrong Group you will only see workers for that Group and not the Group you want to assign the jobs to.