More features around activities and tasks coming soon

Soon activities and tasks for work orders will be considerably more powerful and useful.  Once these changes are complete, a user will be able to:

1. Add standard activities to a work order as needed (vs. ad-hoc only today).
2. Automatically email technicians paperwork needed for an install prefilled with information required for the site visit.
3. Automatically include pricing based on a standard activity added to a work order on demand.

Presently activities and tasks are defined via the work order template for a given project.  Once work orders have been created in a project one can still modify the activities within the template.  Activities added/deleted from the template, at the user’s choice, may or may not propagate down to work orders dependent upon them.  We are proposing this behavior change slightly to help companies standardize their processes better.

So in the new world, template activities will work like this…

1. New template activities can either be propagated to each underlying work order or saved for inclusion at a later date (not propagated).
   
   • New activities not automatically propagated to the underlying work order become available on demand for any work order in the project.
   • For a work order, if a single activity needs to be added, the user can choose one of these special activities predefined from the template (ie, Site Revisit).
   • At this point the direction is to not allow ad hoc activities allowed to be added to individual work orders. This is something that can be done today, but making the definition of allowed activities for a work order being controlled by the project manager seems like a better solution than allowing ad-hoc activities.
2. So that underlying work orders will always match their parent template
   
   • Deleted template activities will always delete in the underlying work orders.
   • Updated template activities will always update in the work orders as well.

Additionally activities can be marked to have documentation attached.  So when assignment and/or reminder emails are sent, the appropriate documentation can be sent as well.  In addition, documentation in the form of Microsoft Word files can have fields defined that are populated by BigWave when the email is sent.  This should help save the project team a lot of time in communicating with the technicians in the field.

In addition to all that, having standard activities enables the project manager to add pricing to a work order when a unplanned activity is added to the work order (like Site Revisit for example).  Once this functionality is complete pricing can be automatically added to the work order when one of these standard activities is added.  If the activity is subsequently removed, the pricing will be removed as well.

We look forward to any feedback you or your team might have on this!

Schedule auto-calculation

Today we have introduced a new project level feature that enables work order schedules to be automatically recalculated.

Your team is probably used to hitting this button to manually regenerate a work order schedule when a Requested Date changes.

This is still available, but now, within a project, you can specify the schedule to auto-regenerate removing the need to manually hit the above button.  This feature is enabled by choosing either of the last two options...

Once this is turned on for a project, the manual recalculate buttons are removed and the schedule will adjust each time the Requested Date changes.

Browsers gone wild!

We are hard at work to give BigWave a face lift.  From day 1 BigWave has employed advanced “AJAX” technologies to enhance the user experience, but over the past couple of years new technologies have emerged for web applications making them easier to use with more advanced capabilities than ever before.  The primary mission of our software is to eliminate wasted hours from your busy teams’ days by making the process of organizing and communicating rollout data as efficient as possible.  By incorporating these technologies into our product, we can further improve your efficiency providing you more time for other things.  For optimum performance these new features require the existence of a “modern” browser.  BigWave will continue to work in non-modern browsers, but the functionality will be more limited.

Today BigWave works equally well in Internet Explorer (IE) versions 7, 8, 9, and 10, the latest versions of Chrome, and the latest versions of Firefox.  When the current version of BigWave was conceived 8 years ago, IE was by far the dominant browser in the market.  Since anyone who would generally use BigWave had IE installed on their computer, we targeted IE as the platform of choice for running our software.  Other browsers weren’t really considered.  Over the past 8 years, the market has changed.  IE is still dominant, but it has fallen from its crest and replaced by other browsers better suited to an individual’s taste.  Over the years we have adjusted our software to also work in Chrome and Firefox, and today internally we use Chrome for much of our development (just personal preference really).

Sometimes a bug will appear that is related to the use of a legacy browser.  To help determine this many times I will ask a user to provide their browser and version.

Determining your browser version

With IE 8, it is more clear, but the other browsers listed above (aka “modern browsers”) use a minimalist interface and a trick is required to access the browser’s menus to get access to the version.  Since many people are on some flavor of IE 8, let’s explore how to pull up the version for that.  In your browser you will see a menu bar, click Help/About Internet Explorer.

Once selected you should see the following.  The version is highlighted in yellow.

For IE 9 and IE 10 you have to hit the ‘Alt’ key first to pull up the menu.

Once you do that, the same menu choice (Help/About…) will pull up the version.

For Chrome and Firefox, it is sufficient to tell us you are using those.  Those browsers keep themselves up-to-date automatically, so we generally assume you are using the latest version if you tell us you are using Chrome or Firefox.

IE Compatibility Mode

For some of our older components to function properly in Internet Explorer versions 8 and 9, the browser must be run in “compatibility mode”.  Some history.  Ten years ago, browsers were competing heavily with each other.  Each vendor offered different features that stretched or ignored web standards of the day.  In many cases no standards existed, and the browser makers had to innovate to fill in gaps of functionality.  Before long we had a browser Tower of Babel, and to create an application like BigWave that worked across all browsers became extremely difficult.  Microsoft, being the 500 pound gorilla, realized their own view of internet browsing that culminated with the release of Internet Explorer 6.  Because there wasn’t any alternative many applications and components were developed against these “worst practices”.

Over the past several years all browsers have rapidly converged on standards set by the W3 (http://www.w3.org/standards/) with Microsoft leading the charge.  However, due to their past practices, Microsoft had a huge mess on their hands because a significant volume of applications were developed against their own sets of rules and standards.  So they introduced “compatibility mode” into their browsers (starting with IE8) that would enable these legacy applications to continue to work.

If you use IE8+ to run BigWave, we recommend you run with compatibility mode turned “off”.  The only item in BigWave negatively impacted is the progress bars for long running operations, but the system functions just fine without them.  We will soon be releasing fixes to correct this problem.  If you really feel the need to have your progress bars, you can continue to run in compatibility mode.  But please know that looking forward over the next year, this issue will be resolved and the need for compatibility mode will no longer be needed.  From a development perspective we will drop support for compatibility mode and require that all customers who use IE8+ run BigWave in pure standards mode (which is what every other browser does).  Pure standards mode in IE simply means compatibility mode is turned “off”.

How to tell if you are running in compatibility mode?

In general there is a menu setting under Tools/Compatibility View Settings.  For IE8, the Tools menu should be visible.  For IE9+ you have to hit the ‘Alt’ key to see the Tools menu.

You will see a dialog…

From here you can add the current site you are on to be viewed in compatibility mode.  Also, you can show everything in compatibility mode by checking the last box.  Finally, you probably will see the “intranet sites” option checked.  This is checked by default and thusly shows any of your company’s internal applications in compatibility mode.  Remember this feature is to back support old internet applications developed against proprietary Microsoft standards.  Most of these applications were developed by a company’s IT department, are used internally, and it makes sense this would be checked by default.  If you are browsing the public internet (including your BigWave site), the middle option does not put the browser in compatibility mode.

If you are using IE9, then it will detect if a site is eligible to run in compatibility mode.  If so you will see a button in your browser address bar that lets you toggle it on/off.  It glows blue when enabled.  The menu option as described above is always available as well.  In the below image, the button is not glow blue but appears disabled.  This browser is in standards mode and not compatibility mode.

Notice that Microsoft chose a broken piece of paper to represent compatibility mode.  I take it as a small acknowledgement that it was a mistake to forsake standards to build their own path.  Funny thing today is that starting with IE10, they are more compliant than many of the other browsers.  Guess the shoe has shifted to the other foot.

Moving forward

Over the next year, we will be shedding our dependency on legacy components and dropping the need for “compatibility mode”.  For example we have a new grid system coupled with a new scrollbar that works fantastic.  Once it hits the streets I know everyone will be extremely pleased with its reliability, speed, and keyboard support.  Also, as we make these changes, before too long if you run in “compatibility mode”, some BigWave features will look different/funny in Internet Explorer and/or stop working completely.  However, do not be alarmed as simply turning off compatibility mode will solve the issue.  We will keep the user community informed as these changes are rolled out.  As always, look for the glowing orange BigWave Today link for alerts about new updates to the system and links to great blog posts like this one!

If you are interested in trying out Chrome, I would recommend you download, install, and dive in.  It really isn’t that scary, and you might find you like it!

Download Chrome (https://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/browser/)

And last but not least Firefox…

Download Firefox (http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/)

I would love to hear comments/concerns from our users regarding this direction.  Please email me anytime at jlivermore@bigwavesoftware.net.

Improved document uploads are here!

Today I am excited to announce the release of new file upload functionality that supports the following features:

• Visibility checkboxes can be applied before a document is uploaded.  This saves you time having to manually set the visibility checkboxes after each upload.
• Document folders can be applied before a document is uploaded.  This saves you time having to manually set the document folders after each upload.
• A select all option has been added to the work order documents screen.  Now the entire set of documents can be quickly deleted or moved into a folder.
• And the most exciting feature of all.  If you use Chrome, Internet Explorer 10, or Firefox (sorry IE 8 and IE 9 users), you can drag/drop files onto a work order document upload screen and have them immediately upload to the work order.  This eliminates the have to choose each file from your file system for upload.  A great time saver!

This enhanced document upload functionality is a subset of new and modern technologies being incorporated into BigWave to help improve your productivity and enhance the user experience.  We have many exciting things planned.

Let’s explore the new functionality.  The screenshots below are taken from Chrome so we can effectively show the drag/drop features.

When you navigate to a work order you will see a new button labeled Enhanced Upload (BETA).  In case you have issues with the new functionality the old method is still there.  Once this new feature has stabilized, we will remove the old button.



When you click the button, you will see a dialog overlay the screen.

Uploading files is a two-step process.  Choose the options that should be applied to newly uploaded files (step 1), then choose the file to upload (step 2).  In this example, we chose the document to be customer visible and filed into Folder 2.  Once you have the proper options selected, click the folder icon to open the file chooser (green arrow).

Choose a file, hit Ok, and the file uploads immediately.  Upload more files and/or hit Finished when you are done.

Our document upload is complete.  Notice the select all checkbox above the Select option in the list of documents.  Also notice the customer visibility checkbox is selected and the document has been filed in the proper folder.

If you upload a zipped document, be sure to choose the ‘Expand zipped uploads’ option before the zip file is uploaded.  Visibility options and folder settings will be applied to each document in the zip file.

Let’s take a look at how drag/drop works.  Although not required, I like to arrange my windows beforehand.  If you are running Windows 7, press the Windows key and a right or left arrow.  The current window you are on will snap to the edge of the screen.

Below have my file explorer snapped to the left and my browser snapped to the right.

Notice I have the file upload dialog active in the browser.  I can now simply select my files and drag/drop them into the browser.

I release the mouse and my files upload.  Magic!

Remember this only works in modern browsers (Chrome, IE10+, Firefox).  If you are using IE 8 or 9, drag/drop is not supported in these so you have to use the standard file upload dialog as before.

I would love to hear your feedback on this as well as ideas on how it could be improved even better!  Email me at jlivermore@bigwavesoftware.com.

Work Order Template upload feature

BigWave has a little known feature that enables you to upload a work order template vs. entering it manually into the system.  For most work order templates that need to be created, manual entry is the preferred method, but for more complex work order templates the upload is a nice thing to have in your back pocket.

To use this feature, prepare an Excel spreadsheet with the following format.  Unlike other imports, this particular one expects an exact format for the Excel file.  All columns you see below are required, and lead time and duration columns need data entered (don't leave their cells blank).  It's fine to use 0 and 1 for these values if you don't know what they should be. You can always update them later by editing the resulting work order template.

Notice the work order is specified ('Hybrid Site' in this case), and subsequent activities and tasks each occupy their own line one down from their parent.  If your project only uses Activities, then don't put anything in the Tasks column.  The column is still required to be there, however, even though there is no data entered for it.

Once you have your spreadsheet created, upload it through the project setup import/export center with the 'Work order template' option.

When importing, after you upload your Excel file, normally there is a screen presented that enables you to map fields.  No such screen exists for this import.  Rather, the process expects a spreadsheet in the correct format and uploads it right away.  If all is successful, you will see a work order template created.

Custom Field Definition Import/Export

Sometimes an individual project requires dozens of custom fields making project setup a tedious process through the standard web interface.  Today we are excited to announce the ability to import and export custom field definitions.  The original web interface for creating and editing custom field definitions remains in place, but now you are able to fully manage custom field definitions through the import/export center.  Custom field definitions can be created, updated, and deleted en masse with this functionality.  Remember, BigWave has always had the ability to import/export custom field values, but now the actual definitions of those custom fields can be imported and exported.

IMPORTANT: This new feature is destructive in that it allows you to delete your custom field definitions.  Unlike most parts of BigWave, when you delete a custom field, you lose the field and the data.  Therefore, for existing projects, extreme care must be taken to avoid losing your data.  You should always perform an export of your custom field data before using this feature to delete custom fields.  That way, if you make a mistake, you at least have a backup of your data, and it is trivial to reconstruct what you had in place before.

---

SECURITY: Access to this feature is available through the following permissions settings.

• Project.Setup.Import / Export Center.Import Custom Field Definitions
• Project.Setup.Import / Export Center.Export Custom Field Definitions

By default, these are turned on, but a role must have access to the following permissions to be able to use the Import Custom Field Definitions feature so if the role didn't have access to import/export before, it still won't now.

• Project
• Project.Setup
• Project.Setup.Import / Export Center

---

Importing custom fields follows the standard convention employed by BigWave when working with spreadsheets.  That is column headers are expected to be in the first row of your spreadsheet, and your importable data is expected to be the first worksheet.

A great template for importing custom field definitions can be obtained through the export custom fields functionality.  Let’s explore that quickly.

Exporting Custom Field Definitions

You will see a new option to export custom field definitions in your list of exportable items in the Project Setup/Import_Export Center.  Simply choose this option, hit Next, and an export of your current custom field definitions will be created.

You can use the resulting exported spreadsheet as a template to manage your custom field imports.

Importing Custom Field Definitions

Prepare a spreadsheet for import (get a template for this as described above). 

You will see a new option to import custom field definitions in your list of importable items in the Project Setup/Import_Export Center.  Simply choose this option and hit Next.

Upload your spreadsheet as usual.

The next screen allows  you to map your columns.  Just like other imports, BigWave makes a best guess map against your spreadsheet based on its column headers.  Notice it shows Group Name and Display Name as the only required fields.  If creating new fields, Type is also required.  If Type is not mapped in this step, then no custom field definitions will be created, and an import report will be created showing that the Type field wasn’t mapped.  If this happens, simply do the import again, map Type, and your fields will import.  If updating fields or deleting fields, Type is not required.

Notice the option to ‘Update’ (first red arrow).   The only fields that can be updated via import are the Group Name, Sort Order, and Required fields.  If you need to change the Display Name, then the New Display Name field must be mapped (last red arrow below) to a column that contains the new display names for your fields.  To delete a custom field definition, use the Delete action column (middle red arrow below).  Simply place a ‘1’ or ‘x’ in this column next to a field you wish to delete.

When updating/deleting a custom field definition, BigWave attempts to find a matching field in your current list of custom fields using the Group Name combined with the Display Name as a key.  If it finds a match then the update/delete operation is performed.

That’s it!  Once you have imported your fields, BigWave will provide a verbose status report showing what it did (including affirmation of successful creation of each field).  Simply open the resulting spreadsheet and inspect the comments in each cell for an explanation of what transpired.

As always we value your feedback on this or any other part of the system.  Let us know your feedback at support@bigwavesoftware.com.

Using quick search to efficiently get around the system

If you are simply opening BigWave to add a note or custom field value, and you know the site id or work order number (which you likely do), then the fastest way to navigate to the work order is to use the quick search in the upper right hand corner.  

Set the drop down to 'Work Order' and enter either the work order id or site id.  A list of matching work orders are displayed.  Choose the correct one and enter your information.

You can find work orders by entering a site id.  Notice in the results that are displayed below, a search on the work order field for '919' returns 4 records.  Two of the records have 919 in their work order numbers and the other two have 919 in their site id's.  

Use BigWave to see only your projects

BigWave provides a variety of tools to help you work more efficiently in the system.

For example, one good way to work across multiple projects is to make sure you are assigned on the Project Team for each project you are working in (Project area/Setup button/Project Team topic).  

After you are listed for the various project teams, on your home page you will see a link for My Items/Projects.  This will show a list of projects for which you are a team member.  This way you don't have to cull through the entire list of projects just to get to the one you need.

Assignments upload

Work orders can be assigned and unassigned through an Excel upload.  Below is an example spreadsheet that can be used to import assignments...

Some notes about the spreadsheet:

• The columns required for assignment import are highlighted in yellow above.
• More columns may be in the spreadsheet, they aren't used and don't affect the import process.
• Any combination of technician id, first name, last name, and first name last name can be used.
• Multiple assignments per site can be specified, just comma separate the names (cell C3).
• Names cannot be in the format of {last name}, {first name} (ie. Smith, John).  The import logic considers this two separate names.
• A technician ID can be used in lieu of a name (cell C4).

BigWave will make its best effort to match an existing technician given the information you uploaded.  It searches on technician names as well as technician id's.  If it is able to resolve a name/id down to a single technician, the assignment is made.  If it finds more than one technician, the assignment is not made and a warning spreadsheet is returned showing the names that BigWave found doing a search.

If the uploaded technician name/id resolves to a single technician and the technician is already assigned to the work order, then no changes are made.  The technician will remained assigned as before.

If you choose the option to 'delete technicians', BigWave will unassign currently assigned technicians that aren't specified in the uploaded spreadsheet.  See the chart below for different examples of how the assignment/unassignment matching logic behaves...