---
title: "Smart Planning in Dispatch Panel V2"
canonical: "https://help.fieldbuddy.com/space/FBDOCS/6052118548/Smart%20Planning%20in%20Dispatch%20Panel%20V2"
format: markdown
---
## Introduction

Smart Planning is a module of the [FieldBuddy Service Center](https://upperdeck.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FBDOCS/pages/5041750021) that allows planners to optimize the schedule of mechanics for specific date ranges (or individual days) as well as plan other selected work orders into the schedule.

Each optimization job (Smart Planning Job) is a process that optimizes these schedules (mechanics, days and/or unplanned work orders), and updates the planning after completing.

> ℹ️ Use the Theme “Smart Planning” to have a better overview of which appointments have been optimised, failed to optimise or are still in progress.
> ℹ️ 
> ℹ️ ![image-20260220-083249.png](media://70f4555d-8bc4-49ea-afdf-c59e0014cf50)

Smart Planning supports 2 modes - [Optimize Existing Schedule](https://upperdeck.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FBDOCS/pages/6052118548/Smart+Planning+in+Dispatch+Panel+V2#Optimize-Existing-Schedule) and [Optimize Work Orders](https://upperdeck.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FBDOCS/pages/6052118548/Smart+Planning+in+Dispatch+Panel+V2#Optimize-Work-Orders).

![image-20250715-130007.png](media://0106dc7b-8be1-4d52-a521-32f91487cdff)

## Optimize Existing Schedule

Optimize Existing Schedule allows to optimize current agenda of the mechanics by re-planning existing appointments and reducing the total travel time and and amounts of shifts used if possible.

It can be invoked by the doing a right button click on the planning section or resource(s) and clicking Optimize.

After that a popup will appear that will allow you to select the date range to optimize (or individual days), respective resources and other planning options.

![image-20260220-083837.png](media://20c9c458-5292-4c17-ba60-dc21e65801e1)

The following options are available:

- Ignore timeframe locks
  - If enabled, any time locks will be ignored during Smart Planning
- Ignore Resource locks
  - If enabled, any resource locks will be ignored during Smart Planning
- Ignore skills
  - If enabled, skills will not be considered when Smart Planning
- Ignore Weekends
  - If enabled, nothing will get planned on weekends
- Auto-adjust shift options
  - If enabled, smart planning will improve it’s results at the cost of planning time
- Continuous Routes
  - If enabled, smart planning will assume that each technician stays overnight near the location of the last work order of the day and start from the same location on the next day
- Country
  - If smart planning is set-up with multiple countries, it allows you to change the country where the work will be optimized

If one of the resources has an absence planned on the optimized dates, the smart planning job will behave slightly differently:

- If absences in smart planning have been enabled in the admin configuration panel, the smart planning solution will **only optimize the largest continuous block of time without an absence**.
- If absences in smart planning have been disabled, the day with an absence in it will **not be optimized** at all.

After all the options are specified and the optimize button is clicked, a Smart Planning job will start and all affected appointments will display a rotating clock icon indicating that they are being optimized.

![image-20260220-084219.png](media://6393153c-6d12-48bd-8398-0cfc8d675e8d)

Within few minutes the smart planning job should be completed. You can see the progress in top right corner.

![image-20250207-155801.png](media://a86d62d3-4ebe-4266-9589-763b1532a83b)

After the job is completed, the respective appointments will be updated with new start/end times and resources.

![image-20260220-084430.png](media://a3cc732d-6d36-4b2f-8389-d48d7d2cbc75)

## Optimize Work Orders

It is possible to also launch Smart Planning with a pre-selected set of Work Orders in the bottom panel from a specific [listing](https://upperdeck.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FBDOCS/pages/6066700302). In that case, an exiting agenda will be re-arranged and new work orders will be fitted-in.

![image-20260220-084535.png](media://845e8f1b-c23c-4655-8539-4b7f018f01ca)

![image-20260220-084903.png](media://473629d8-09d7-4346-91d4-fca19ba41f3c)

There are a few additional options that allow you to keep the existing schedule intact.

In the case that an existing appointment can not be planned within the selected dates, it will be marked as failed. Planners have to manually address these appointments or run smart planning again with more generous options and/or dates.

![image-20260220-084332.png](media://f55d059b-2623-4470-a9f8-d0516d71c921)

## List of Smart Planning Jobs

It is possible to see a table of all the smart planning jobs in the [bottom section](https://upperdeck.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/FBDOCS/pages/6004375557) of the Dispatch panel.

![image-20260220-085702.png](media://06b1b389-e60a-4f0e-b5d7-80abd578c6e3)

The table contains information the about the smart planning job, any included resources and all work orders that were planned or failed to be planned with detailed information.