Overview: When creating scheduled events in L2L you have a few options to set for various event dispatch dates. These dates not only impact the way the event launches but also how it's viewed within the system when it does launch. Below are descriptions of the various functions.
Launch Date: This is the date that the scheduled event will become an open dispatch in the system. It is also the date that the Resources will be able to see it on the dispatch screen.
Scheduled Date: The date you expect the work to be completed. You may launch an event on Monday, for example, and have it due on Friday. If you have planned ahead and scheduled production to be down on Wednesday to physically complete the work, you would set the scheduled date to Wednesday.
Due Date: This is the date that the work is expected to be completed. Not completing the event by the set due date will impact your scheduled on-time completion percentage and may also trigger notifications if configured.
Launch Prior: This is a background event time setting. How it works is that in L2L all scheduled events are based on the due date. So, for example, if you create a new event and set it originally to be due on the 15th of every month and launch on the 1st, than your launch prior would be equal to 15 days. Let's say a few months later, you decide to push the due date out 5 additional days to now be due on the 20th: it will change your launch prior to 20 days.
Note: If your launch prior spans multiple months, your next launch date won't always be the same because not all months have the same number of days. It will still be due on the same day, but the launch date may vary.
Key Point: If you only want to change the due date of one scheduled event and not all subsequent events, than simply change the due date of that specific event within the dispatch itself and not on the scheduled event.
Key Point: If events are launching immediately upon completion, you may want to consider using our "Bring Schedule Current" functionality or investigate the "Schedule History" to ensure the launch prior set point is correct.
Key Point: We often hear that schedules are due at the end of a month, but in months with fewer days, the scheduler then sets the next due date as the last day of whatever the previous month's last day was. For example, if you set your schedule up to be due on the 31st of each month, when February comes around, the due date changes to the 28th and continues to be due on the 28th for each subsequent month.
Changing Due Date in Launched Scheduled Event (Edit Dispatch Screen)
How to Update Schedule Dates
Sometimes schedules are misconfigured, or dates drift outside of the desired range. The "Next Launch," "Next Scheduled," and the "Next Occurrence" can be modified if there is no active dispatch.
If there is an active dispatch, we recommend to wait for the dispatch to be closed, then edit the schedule. If, however, dispatches are launched as soon as a dispatch is closed, here's how you can update the schedule:
- Inactivate the schedule, then click "Save." Don't worry, you'll re-activate the schedule in a few moments.
- Complete the pending dispatch. Be sure to make a comment that you are making a schedule adjustment.
- Return to the schedule, modify the desired fields.
- Activate the schedule, then save.
Your changes will take effect the moment you re-activate the schedule.
Note: Due Dates on Open Dispatches can be adjusted and in turn will adjust the due date on the Scheduled Event if you have enabled this feature. If you do not want the due date to change on the Scheduled Event, only on the Open Dispatch, disable this feature in the Scheduler Settings.