Scheduling overview

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When you accept the scheduling assignment in your inbox, you are launched to the Changes application; the Change to be scheduled is opened. After supplying basic scheduling information in the Schedule tab, you create a project in the Graphical Scheduling application, where you can generate a schedule automatically or do so manually. The Graphical Scheduling application can consider resource constraints when looking for a schedule.

Note: The set of resource constraints that Graphical Scheduling can use depends on the edition of this product that you are using. If you are using the Entry edition, blackout periods and change windows are not available; however, other constraints can be used, such as source and target CIs, task owners, and task predecessors. The Standard and Advanced editions provide all of the resource constraint categories.
When you schedule a Change, you perform the following activities, all of which are described in detail in the topics that follow:
  1. Ensure that the resource constraints that you want considered are defined. Graphical Scheduling uses resource constraints to ensure that the performance of tasks does not disrupt the IT infrastructure. For example, tasks that change a CI are scheduled outside of blackout periods for that CI, and during defined CI change windows. A system property determines the number of days, prior to the current date, before which the constraints expire; you can modify this system property.
  2. In the Changes application, supply initial schedule information. In this step you ensure that all of the tasks to be scheduled are defined, that each task has an estimated duration, and so on.
  3. Create a Graphical Scheduling project. A project is a graphical workspace in Graphical Scheduling where you can create the schedule.
  4. Run an automated scheduling operation. You can instruct the critical path method (CPM) to find a schedule.
  5. If no schedule is found automatically, use the graphical tools to manually produce a schedule. You have several options for scheduling tasks that could not be scheduled automatically. The effect of one or more resource constraints can be disabled at this time.
  6. After a schedule is created, save the Graphical Scheduling project and commit the schedule to the Change that you are scheduling.