Need for a Building scheduler??

I am feeling like i don't need building schedulers with the new calendar, since the submitter can list the location and the resource. What do you see as the need for the building scheduler?

porterjl wrote:I am feeling like i don't need building schedulers with the new calendar, since the submitter can list the location and the resource. What do you see as the need for the building scheduler?

The role of building scheduler is quite different from what it was on the classic LUWS calendar, or other systems that may have been used in the past. There is no need to have someone who keeps the master calendar and approves or denies all requests for the building.

However, I wouldn't go so far as to say that a building scheduler is no longer needed. There is a good description of the role in the Calendar help system under Building Schedulers. The key roles are:

1. Make sure that the resources are correct for the building.
2. Manage assignments (blocks of time when only one particular ward can schedule a resource).
3. Adjust scheduled events to have the correct resources.
4. Work out conflicts.

Of course, a stake-level calendar approver could fill most of these roles, but it is helpful to have someone who actually attends church in the building to take on these roles.

What about scheduling private events such as weddings, birthday partys, etc? Someone is needed to be a point of contact with the ability to enter those in the designated resource calendar.

RussellHltn wrote:What about scheduling private events such as weddings, birthday partys, etc? Someone is needed to be a point of contact with the ability to enter those in the designated resource calendar.

Any ward calendar editor could do this via a ward calendar, but there are some benefits in having a building-oriented calendar for such events.

We've used our coordinators quite a bit since we've switched to the new system. We have taken advantage of reserving days (or times of day) for each of our wards in their buildings. If someone from the stake or another ward attempts to schedule an event during those time, they get an error message that directs them to contact the appropriate scheduler. This is really in our stake center that houses 4 wards and many of our stake activities.

It's interesting to see this perspective. It seems there are both extremes when it comes to the building scheduler. Some wards would prefer that all events be scheduled through the building scheduler. Others feel the role is superfluous. I suppose it depends on your ward's dynamics and past scheduling methods.

tomjohnson1492 wrote:Some wards would prefer that all events be scheduled through the building scheduler. Others feel the role is superfluous.

It's fine when things go well, but it really helps to have a designated person in authority to make decisions when something like a funeral disrupts other scheduled activities and some rather hasty reshuffling of resources is required.

porterjl wrote:I am feeling like i don't need building schedulers with the new calendar, since the submitter can list the location and the resource. What do you see as the need for the building scheduler?

Perhaps I'm missing something too. Even though I reserve resources on the building resource calendar, the ward calendar does not show these events. No sync! I'm having to create the event twice, once on the building resource and another on the ward. In theory, another member will get a conflict when they try to create an overlapping event, but there is no resource reservation viewable to them so they can see what's open. Do I have our system configured wrong? It seems silly.

Thanks!

mawhiteley wrote:Perhaps I'm missing something too. Even though I reserve resources on the building resource calendar, the ward calendar does not show these events. No sync!

If you're talking about the Classic LUWS calendar, you're right, there is no sync.

If you're talking about the new calendar, then I'd suggest placing the event on the ward calendar and then reserving those resources you need.

RussellHltn wrote:If you're talking about the Classic LUWS calendar, you're right, there is no sync.

If you're talking about the new calendar, then I'd suggest placing the event on the ward calendar and then reserving those resources you need.

Yes, the new calendar. I'm the building schedular for 2 wards. The event is on the ward calendar with resources reserved. But then there is also a Building Resource calendar that is not sync'd (either direction). I'm creating two events: 1) on my ward calendar, and 2) in the building resource calendar so the other ward gets conflict warnings (albeit no resource availability prior to them *trying* to schedule something).

Something doesn't seem correct/efficient in this new calendar tool.

mawhiteley wrote:The event is on the ward calendar with resources reserved. But then there is also a Building Resource calendar that is not sync'd (either direction).

What do you mean by "Building Resource calendar"? Is that a regular calendar that has the name "Building Resource"? Or are you referring to the option "Manage Resource Assignments"?

If it is the latter, then I would recommend that you read the help section Assigning Locations and Resources -- that will explain the distinction between a calendar event with a resource reservation (which any calendar editor can do as he or she schedules an event) and a resource assignment (which is not an actual reservation, but simply means that only the assigned ward or a building scheduler or approver can reserve that resource at that time). An actual reservation connected to an event will stop anyone else from reserving that resource at that time, but a resource assignment does not create any event and thus does not create any reservation. That's why no one can see the assignment on any calendar.

mawhiteley wrote: In theory, another member will get a conflict when they try to create an overlapping event, but there is no resource reservation viewable to them so they can see what's open.

With the new calendar, most members don't see what's open on the normal calendar view. Instead, they should schedule the event and see if a conflict exists. If it does, they won't be able to save the event.

If they do want to see what is reserved for a particular building, they can check the box by the location name under Subscribed Locations. Only calendar editors have this option. However, this only shows the events that use any resource in the selected building. It doesn't tell you exactly which resources are reserved -- you still have to examine the event details to see that.

So it's generally easiest to just try to schedule the event, specifying the desired resources. Then let the system determine if there are any conflicts for those specific resources at the specified time.

Thanks. I've read the referenced document a couple times. However, I still must have a conceptual misunderstanding on how it is supposed to work, or my permissions on the calendar must allow me to do anything, conflicting or not.

I'll go play around some more.....appreciate the help.

mawhiteley wrote:Thanks. I've read the referenced document a couple times. However, I still must have a conceptual misunderstanding on how it is supposed to work, or my permissions on the calendar must allow me to do anything, conflicting or not..

Yes, that is sometimes a point of confusion. If you have made a resource assignment for a particular ward, then only that ward can schedule that resource at that time. But regardless of a resource assignment, a building scheduler can schedule any resource, even if he or she is not in the assigned ward. So if you want to test whether a resource assignment actually stops others from scheduling the resource, you will have to ask someone with regular editor permissions from another ward to give it a try. You have too much power, so your ability to schedule the resource tells you nothing about whether the resource assignment is set up properly.

aebrown wrote:If they do want to see what is reserved for a particular building, they can check the box by the location name under Subscribed Locations. Only calendar editors have this option. However, this only shows the events that use any resource in the selected building. It doesn't tell you exactly which resources are reserved -- you still have to examine the event details to see that.

I've tried this before. It only shows the building resources assigned to my ward. I cannot see the resources I have assigned to the other ward. If it did, this would solve a lot of problems.

mawhiteley wrote:I've tried this before. It only shows the building resources assigned to my ward. I cannot see the resources I have assigned to the other ward. If it did, this would solve a lot of problems.

I think you're still confusing reservations with assignments. The only place you can see assignments is on the Manage Resource Assignments page. When you (or any other editor) checks the box by the location under Subscribed Locations on the main calendar view, you will see the events that are scheduled for the building.

You will never see assignments on the main calendar view. If you think you're seeing your ward's assignments on the main calendar view, that is only because you created both an assignment and a reservation for the same event (as you said you were doing in your original post).

Assignments should generally not be created for specific events; rather, they are generally used for purposes of blocking out recurring times. For example, in a building shared by two wards, the cultural hall might be reserved for Ward A on Tuesday evenings and for Ward B on Wednesday evenings. Someone still needs to make reservations. For example, the Laurels in Ward A may reserve the cultural hall by creating an event on a particular Tuesday that uses the cultural hall. On another Tuesday, the Scouts in Ward A would reserve the cultural hall by creating their own event that uses the cultural hall. But the same recurring weekly assignment for Tuesday would prevent Ward B from ever scheduling the cultural hall on any Tuesday.

mawhiteley wrote:Something doesn't seem correct/efficient in this new calendar tool.

It seems that the calendar doesn't know that the resources used by the two wards are one in the same. Either the resources are not set up right, or perhaps there's an error in the FM Group's database such that it appears that the two wards are in separate buildings.

aebrown wrote:I think you're still confusing reservations with assignments. The only place you can see assignments is on the Manage Resource Assignments page. When you (or any other editor) checks the box by the location under Subscribed Locations on the main calendar view, you will see the events that are scheduled for the building.

You will never see assignments on the main calendar view. If you think you're seeing your ward's assignments on the main calendar view, that is only because you created both an assignment and a reservation for the same event (as you said you were doing in your original post).

Perhaps I can't get past the concept. It seems silly that a calendar editor has to go through a crap shoot to try and find an open resource for the building. Only to be told after they tried a *blank* day, and fill out the event form, then they are only notified the other ward has the building for that time. There seriously has to be a better way. Why can't building resource reservations from either ward, or the building resource assignment schedule, show up on a ward calendar (sync) so someone can see at a glance where an opening is. This crapshoot is a waste of time and what I'm trying to prevent, well, reduce anyway.

Don't be too frustrated with this. The calendar is not completely finished. We have enough complaints about not being able to view resources scheduled and feedback to the developers that there is pretty good reason to believe that is a feature coming down the road.

For now it is a crap shot, in a way, to determine what has not been reserved. The resources that have been reserved can be determined by viewing the details for each scheduled event on any given day. From that, if you have the patience, you can determine the resources that have not been scheduled.

jdlessley wrote:The resources that have been reserved can be determined by viewing the details for each scheduled event on any given day. From that, if you have the patience, you can determine the resources that have not been scheduled.

Not if the other ward has the resources. You are blind and have to roll the dice to try and find an open resource/date/time. Even I, as the building scheduler, cannot see the other ward's calendar to try and alleviate the resource reservation lottery between wards.

That's good news. As I was looking for a method to submit complaints to the developers, I ran across this site. Great resource! Thanks.

mawhiteley wrote:Not if the other ward has the resources. You are blind and have to roll the dice to try and find an open resource/date/time. Even I, as the building scheduler, cannot see the other ward's calendar to try and alleviate the resource reservation lottery between wards.

That's good news. As I was looking for a method to submit complaints to the developers, I ran across this site. Great resource! Thanks.

In the subscribed locations section if I select a location I can see the details of all the events in that location regardless the ward that has them reserved.

kd7mha wrote:In the subscribed locations section if I select a location I can see the details of all the events in that location regardless the ward that has them reserved.

Oh, that's encouraging! When I select that option, I only see reservations pertaining to my ward. It would solve a lot of problems *if* we could see the other wards building reservations. Any setting/configuration that needs to be enabled for this? Thanks.

mawhiteley wrote:Oh, that's encouraging! When I select that option, I only see reservations pertaining to my ward. It would solve a lot of problems *if* we could see the other wards building reservations. Any setting/configuration that needs to be enabled for this? Thanks.

No configuration is necessary. That's just how it works. But note that you can only see actual reservations associated with events -- you can't see resource assignments this way.

aebrown wrote:No configuration is necessary. That's just how it works. But note that you can only see actual reservations associated with events -- you can't see resource assignments this way.

Oh, thanks! I wonder if someone could grant me permissions to the other ward's calendar so I can associate reservations with events. Then members could see building use reservations from either ward.

mawhiteley wrote:Even I, as the building scheduler, cannot see the other ward's calendar to try and alleviate the resource reservation lottery between wards.

An approver, calendar editor, and building scheduler is able to see all calendars for a location no matter which ward the calendar is from.

mawhiteley wrote:Oh, thanks! I wonder if someone could grant me permissions to the other ward's calendar so I can associate reservations with events. Then members could see building use reservations from either ward.

You do not need to be granted permissions you already have as a calendar editor. See the View Calendars of Other Wards section of the Viewing Calendars page in the Help for the calendar for the instructions on how to view the calendars of other wards at your location. If you have not done so, review the Rights and Roles page in the Help for the calendar for calendar editor and building scheduler rights. Note only the events scheduled can be viewed. There is no resource calendar to view the resources and see which dates and time blocks have been reserved. "This will be fixed in the 2.0 calendar release (targeted for June 2011)." (quoted from calendar Help)

I have seen several people request that events and resource assignments be "synchronized" so that scheduling an event automatically schedules a resource or vice-versa. I would argue against this. In most cases you need to reserve the resource for a considerably longer time than an event to allow for setup and cleanup time.

rpyne wrote:I have seen several people request that events and resource assignments be "synchronized" so that scheduling an event automatically schedules a resource or vice-versa. I would argue against this. In most cases you need to reserve the resource for a considerably longer time than an event to allow for setup and cleanup time.

The new calendar does combine event and resource scheduling in the same part of the user interface. For most events, this is very convenient way to make sure that the resource gets scheduled, and if the event gets moved or deleted, so does the resource reservation.

There was a discussion of scheduling additional time for setup and takedown in the thread New Calendar: reserving resource for event setup/teardown.

OK, the 4 items are great but the question is how does the building scheduler override conflicts? Also is there a difference between the rights of a building scheduler and the Stake Building Specialist?

srweight wrote:OK, the 4 items are great but the question is how does the building scheduler override conflicts? Also is there a difference between the rights of a building scheduler and the Stake Building Specialist?

The building scheduler has full rights over any events scheduled for his building. He can delete those events, adjust resources, or adjust dates and times. For an overview, see Building Schedulers in the Calendar help system.

srweight wrote:Also is there a difference between the rights of a building scheduler and the Stake Building Specialist?

For calendaring, there's a huge difference -- the Stake Building Specialist has no rights at all for the calendar. An approver can grant rights to a person who serves as a Stake Building Specialist, but that's the same as for any other member.

aebrown wrote:The building scheduler has full rights over any events scheduled for his building. He can delete those events, adjust resources, or adjust dates and times. For an overview, see Building Schedulers in the Calendar help system.



For calendaring, there's a huge difference -- the Stake Building Specialist has no rights at all for the calendar. An approver can grant rights to a person who serves as a Stake Building Specialist, but that's the same as for any other member.

Ok, I have seen this information but don't see "How" a building scheduler does these functions. Maybe it is because I am not just a Building Scheduler but am also the Stake butt't Clerk - Tech Specialist.

As to the Stake Building Specialist - what is his/her role and where do I fine that in the Help section?

Thanks for your feedback!

srweight wrote:Ok, I have seen this information but don't see "How" a building scheduler does these functions. Maybe it is because I am not just a Building Scheduler but am also the Stake butt't Clerk - Tech Specialist.

From the perspective of the calendar, being an assistant stake clerk makes you an Approver for the stake calendars. Being a building scheduler is not related to your calling, but is an assignment made per location in the Calendar system (under Manage Locations and Resources). Since you are a stake Approver, you do have the rights to assign yourself as a building scheduler for any location.

But I personally have that same calling, and have also been designated a building scheduler for one of our buildings. Having both the calling and that assignment have not created any problems for me. If your question is how a building scheduler adjusts events, he simply edits events and makes changes. There is one little trick for seeing events, since you usually only see events that are on subscribed calendars for your ward or the stake: On the main calendar view, there is a section on the right for "Subscribed Locations"; check the box by the building you are interested in, and you will see all events that are scheduled for any resource in that building, even if they are scheduled by another ward.

srweight wrote:As to the Stake Building Specialist - what is his/her role and where do I fine that in the Help section?

The role of Stake Building Specialist has no role in the calendar, so you won't find any documentation that mentions that calling -- it's no different from the CTR 5 teacher, or any other calling that has no connection to the calendar. Of course, any member can be given a role as a building scheduler or as a calendar editor.

aebrown wrote:From the perspective of the calendar, being an assistant stake clerk makes you an Approver for the stake calendars. Being a building scheduler is not related to your calling, but is an assignment made per location in the Calendar system (under Manage Locations and Resources). Since you are a stake Approver, you do have the rights to assign yourself as a building scheduler for any location.

But I personally have that same calling, and have also been designated a building scheduler for one of our buildings. Having both the calling and that assignment have not created any problems for me. If your question is how a building scheduler adjusts events, he simply edits events and makes changes. There is one little trick for seeing events, since you usually only see events that are on subscribed calendars for your ward or the stake: On the main calendar view, there is a section on the right for "Subscribed Locations"; check the box by the building you are interested in, and you will see all events that are scheduled for any resource in that building, even if they are scheduled by another ward.



The role of Stake Building Specialist has no role in the calendar, so you won't find any documentation that mentions that calling -- it's no different from the CTR 5 teacher, or any other calling that has no connection to the calendar. Of course, any member can be given a role as a building scheduler or as a calendar editor.

This is very helpful - Thanks.

Stake Building Specialist is a Standard Calling in MLS - Building Scheduler is not. I am just wondering why there is a Standard Calling for a Stake Building Specialist.
Thanks again,

srweight wrote:Stake Building Specialist is a Standard Calling in MLS - Building Scheduler is not. I am just wondering why there is a Standard Calling for a Stake Building Specialist.

I'm just speculating here, but it makes sense that a building scheduler has to be connected to a particular building. There is nothing about any calling that connects a person to a building (it's conceivable that a database linkage to the building via CDOL could be made, but that would reduce needed flexibility in the calendar). So the calendar system has to allow stakes to designate building schedulers in the calendar system itself, and not automatically as a result of a calling.

There may be any number of reasons it is helpful to have a standard calling for Stake Building Specialist which have nothing to do with the Calendar system. And there may be many people who are appropriately designated as a Building Scheduler but do not have a calling of Stake Building Specialist. In our stake, we have building schedulers who are bishopric counselors, executive secretaries, clerks, and organists. Building Scheduler is more an assignment than a calling.

Is the "building resource calendar" you are talking about under the "subscribed calendars" section or the "subscribed locations" section on the Calendar page?