[moltenfe]

I was just going through our current schedule (for the 10th time) due to some unseasonable weather. Does any one know of a program or spreadsheet they could share to make this process easier than using a paper calendar or a dry erase board?

[Lanelle]

We use a spreadsheet on Excel. We can change it multiple times a day if need be.

[moltenfe]

Could I see how you have it formated?

[jwholden]

Lanelle,

That sounds very cool! I hope it's not proprietary.

[Matt Kulp]

We are going to be purchasing Microsoft Projects for our managers to use for scheduling work and managing projects. The structure of the program looks like it will work well, especially with changing schedules frequently. Plus, you have all the project management tools you need to give you up to date data on how your job is performing.

My business coach owns a large construction company and all of his 30+ project managers use it and swear by it. Might be something to look at.

[BigD]

Microsoft Project is a very good scheduling program. Assuming you have everything linked properly, by changing one date it will change all of the appropriate linked dates. It is also relatively easy to use, it took someone about a 1/2 hour to explain the basics and I was able to set up an entire project.

[Green4Me]

Each business is different. I have experience with MS Project and it is a great program for larger projects. My projects are smaller and last only a few days at best and so I use MS Excel and plan out my week with that tool. Daily updates are just penciled in. If someone has a schedule for smaller projects using MS Project and wouldn't mind sharing a project I would like to take a look.

I don't know how to attach a file to this post but will email a copy of my schedule if anyone wants.

[moltenfe]

I would like it if someone could email me a "sample schedule" in Excell. My address is: jons@us-landscapes.com

[thegreenman_us]

I've been using my Palm handheld and Palm Desktop to schedule, but I've also looked at online calendars like Google and Yahoo!'s. They are okay but tied to the computer.
Palm desktop is free, and works with or without the handheld if anyone is interested, but it's only good for one computer and doesn't have any networking features. It does have some robust scheduling features, like perpetually recurring items, and concurrent items and alarms.

http://www.palm.com/us/software/desktop/

anyone tried this? GantPV project manager, it's free and open source

http://www.pureviolet.net/ganttpv/

[Forge]

i just use ms outlook....

[Lanelle]

Our spreadsheet is proprietary for our company however I can give you a couple of guidelines for setting one up. Set up a schedule for each division of your company, such as one for grounds maintenance and one for landscape installation.
Put the Crew/foremen names across the top and the dates down the left side. On the far right, create a field to list who will be on vacation or other special events.
As you scroll through the schedule, it helps you look at blocks of time to make better use of the crews.
Also, I learned the value of leaving an occasional day open so if weather or change orders slow down a crew, you aren't having to move a month's worth of work. You can always fill it in with small jobs, warranty work or emergency work.
By using color in various fields and colored type fonts, you can create a 'shorthand' way of seeing things.

Hope this helps.

[thegreenman_us]

Another Free MS project alternative for windows mac and linux:

http://openproj.org/openproj

[Lawn Lad]

We use a public Outlook calendar for scheduling crews. It doesn't give a lot of detail other than where our crews will be and on what day. We're in the process of setting up QXpress, don't know how this will work for projects and crew scheduling as opposed to maintenance and turf care services. The nice thing about Outlook is that you can color code for crews, include some details in the note sections and drag and drop or easily change dates as needed.

[Tanner]

I have my own spreadsheet that I designed that only counts the days of the week...monday to friday. if a project is delayed, I just change the amount of days I was planning on. If I was planning a project that would take four days and it takes an extra day, I just change the four to a five. It changes all the subsequent projects by a day. It also takes into consideration the statutory holidays.

If you're interested, I can forward it along.

Bert

[moltenfe]

Tanner- I would like to see it if you can send it to jons@us-landscapes.com I would appreciate it. Thanks-