Last Updated on November 19, 2022 by maximosecrets

This is the third part in a deep dive of the Crew Assignment Status action which is found in the Crews application. This article focuses on the Required Tools table window.

Required Tools – Summary

Required Tools is based on object AMCREWTOOLSQ and the Requirement Status has the following statuses:

• OK – Tool Requirements Met
• NOT ASSIGNED – No Tool Assigned
• NOT AVAILABLE – Assigned tools are not available during the shift
• MULTIPLE – Multiple assets assigned to tool sequence with overlapping times
• REQ NOT MET – Requirement Not Met

In the Tool Assignments tab, you assign tool assets for each required tool. The Tool Number (ITEMNUM) is not unique in the required tools table window, there might be multiple records that reference the same Tool Number, but different tool assets. The Tool Sequence field is a way to give an identity to each tool requirement record. 

MULTIPLE occurs when there are multiple asset records assigned to the same tool sequence and those tool assignments overlap in time, rather than multiple tool assignments running serially one after each other.

NOT AVAILABLE currently occurs if the calendar/shift of the tool asset is not the same as that for the crew. It is supposed to also be set if the status is anything other than a synonym of OPERATING. For example, a status of NOT READY, BROKEN, MISSING or DECOMMISSIONED should all result in NOT AVAILABLE, however, there is an issue, and this has been reported to IBM Support. 

REQ NOT MET – Requirement Not Met occurs if you assign a tool asset to the crew and tool sequence where the tool asset’s item number is not the same as that on the corresponding required tools record. For example, a 36 inch tractor mower is required, but only a 28 inch tractor mower is available and is the tool assigned.

Note. The Hourly Rate for the crew does not include the hourly rate for the assigned tools. 

Required Tools – OK

The Requirement Status on the Required Tools table window is either set to OK, MULTIPLE, REQ NOT MET, NOT AVAILABLE or NOT ASSIGNED. At the moment the tool, BOSBTRUCK – “Bucket Truck used by overhead line crews”, on our crew shows a Requirement Status of NOT ASSIGNED. We’ll do some tests to show the different statuses. There will be no change to this status until we create a Tool Assignment.

In the Assets application I have created asset 1422 against rotating item BOSBTRUCK, the Item Type is TOOL. When the status is at the default NOT READY it will not appear in the asset lookups and so we’ll use the Change Status action to select a status of OPERATING.

In the Crews application and Tool Assignments tab we use the New Row button in the Assigned Tool Assets table window to make a tool assignment. The Select Value in the Asset field shows our only bucket truck, asset 1422, which we will select. I’ve also set the Effective Date of the assignment to next Monday 17/05/21 at 07:00.

Notice that the Hourly Rate is 74.50. This will not change when you select a tool, even if that tool has an hourly rate. The hourly rate reflects the sum of the labor assignments only and does not include tool hourly rates.

Having saved the Tool Assignment, in the Crew Assignment Status dialog the Requirement Status for the Required Tool will remain as NOT ASSIGNED until the Date reaches 17/05/21 and then it changes to OK.

Required Tools – MULTIPLE

It is possible to make a second tool assignment against the same Tool Sequence, here I have added a second asset 1423, this time with Effective Date 14/05/21 07:00.

In the Crew Assignment Status dialog the Requirement Status for the BOSBTRUCK on Tool Sequence BTRUCK1 shows OK immediately, today is the 14/05/21. When I advanced the Date field to 17/05/21 the Requirement Status changes to MULTIPLE.

Required Tools – NOT AVAILABLE

I’ve deleted the tool assignment for asset 1423 and on the Crew Assignment Status dialog and for a Date of 17/05/21 the Requirement Status now shows OK instead of MULTIPLE.

I have added a calendar and shift to asset 1422, EVENING/EVENING this is not the same as the calendar/shift of the crew.

Back on Crews application and the Crew Assignment Status dialog, once the Date field reaches the effective date of the tool assignment, 17/05/21, then instead of it showing OK the Requirement Status shows NOT AVAILABLE.

I have set the calendar/shift on asset 1422 to DAY/DAY, and in Crews application the Crew Assignment Status shows OK on 17/05/21.

I checked to see whether if the asset status was marked as down, through downtime reporting whether this would set the Requirement Status to NOT AVAILABLE, it didn’t – not surprised there.

I also checked to see whether the asset status was NOT READY, or LIMITED USE whether either of these would change the Requirement Status to NOT AVAILABLE, they didn’t. But I was thinking, what if the tool asset was unavailable because it was broken or needed repair. I tried moving it to a Repair LocationA location with a location type of REPAIR. More, this had no effect, the Requirement Status still showed OK. Finally, I tried changing the asset’s status to BROKEN, MISSING and DECOMMISSIONED and the Requirement Status remained as being OK. I expect that there is no functionality to cater for an asset being unavailable because it is being repaired and I would have thought it should be NOT AVAILABLE if it were any synonym status of DECOMMISSIONED or NOT READY. A case has been raised with IBM Support.

PS. I heard back from IBM Support, if the tool asset is at a synonym status of NOT READY or DECOMMISSIONED then it should show NOT AVAILABLE rather than OK, this is an issue. I’m currently waiting for an APAR.

An RFE has been created so that the Crew Assignment Status shows NOT AVAILABLE if the tool asset is at a REPAIR, VENDOR or SALVAGE locationA physical place where assets exist and where work can be performed. More. You can vote for it here: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rfe/execute?use_case=viewRfe&CR_ID=150529

Required Tools – REQ NOT MET

You may have an alternate tool asset to the required tool. In Tools application I’ve created a new rotating item CHPICKER – Cherry Picker, you might know this as a boom lift, and created asset 1424 that references the rotating item.

If you select an asset that has a different rotating item to that for the Required Tool you will receive the message “You selected a tool that does not match the required tool for the crew. Do you want to use the tool you selected? (BMXAT0344)”, the dialog provides the options of Yes or No.

If you select Yes, you can save asset 1424 which has a Tool Number of CHPICKER – Cherry Picker. I left the Effective Date of the tool assignment as today 14/05/21 07:00.

When you use the Crew Assignment Status action, you’ll find that the Requirement Status is REQ NOT MET – Requirement Not Met.

The Requirement Status of REQ NOT MET occurs when the assign tool asset has a different rotating item (ITEMNUM) to that referenced on the Required Tools for the same Tool Sequence identifier.