A schedule repeats the work for you. Set it up once and Colobbo hands each date to the right person, reminds them, and shows it on the Resource Planner. Make one from a Schedules page, or with Repeat… on a work order.
What is a schedule?
A schedule says what repeats, who does it, when and how often. Each date it makes is a row with its own state.
Kind | What each date gives the person | Where its Schedules page is |
Inspection | An inspection to start, from your template | Inspections list, Schedules button |
Action | A new action, assigned and notified like any new action | Actions list, Schedules button |
Work order | A copy of a work order you choose, assigned and booked | Work Orders list, Schedules button, or Repeat… on a work order |
For admins and planners: setting schedules up
How do I repeat an inspection?
Open Inspections, choose Schedules in the toolbar, then New schedule.
Under What, give the schedule a Title and choose the Template.
Under Who and when, choose Who. With more than one person, choose Everyone each time or Take turns (below).
Choose the date it Starts, then At a time (set Due at) or Any time that day.
Choose how it shows on the planner: To-do, no hours, or Book time with a length under Takes.
Under Repeats, choose how often, Every how many, and how it ends: After a number of times, or On a date. A schedule can run for up to a year.
Choose Save schedule.
A schedule cannot start in the past, and can be for up to 20 people.
How do I repeat an action?
Open Actions, then Schedules › New schedule. The form is the same, except that under What you write What to do and choose a Priority. Colobbo creates each action when the previous one is due.
How do I repeat a work order?
Open the work order you want to repeat.
In the page header, next to Download, choose Repeat….
The schedule form opens with the work order filled in. Choose who (several people take turns), when it starts, and how often it repeats.
Choose Save schedule.
You need permission to create work orders to see Repeat…. Each copy is made about a week before its date, assigned to the person, and booked on the Resource Planner for them.
Copied: type, site, address, priority, description, notes, teams, custom fields and tags. Not copied: photos and files, rate lines and materials.
Who does it: one person, everyone or taking turns?
Choice | What happens |
One person | Every date is theirs. |
Everyone each time | Each date is for everyone chosen. Inspections and actions only. |
Take turns | Each date goes to the next person in the list, then starts again. The form shows the order, for example Turns go Sam Lee, then Jo Park, then start again. |
A work order has one technician, so several people always means taking turns.
How often can it repeat?
Daily, weekly on chosen days, or monthly (the same day of the month, or the same weekday such as the second Tuesday), within a year.
What happens on each date?
State you see | What it means |
To start (inspections) or Upcoming | Still to come. |
Overdue | The day passed and nothing was done. |
Started or Done | The inspection was started, or the action finished. |
Action made or Work order made | The action or work order has been created for that date. |
Skipped | Someone skipped that date. |
Paused | The schedule was paused over that date. |
How do I see one schedule and change it?
Open any schedule on a Schedules page. A side sheet shows its results (On time, Late, Not done, Skipped), dates to come and Past dates, with these buttons:
Button | What it does |
Edit schedule | Changes the dates still to come. Dates already started, or with their action or work order made, stay as they are. |
Pause then Resume | While paused, nothing is made or reminded. On resume, the dates that passed are marked skipped and the rest carry on. |
Stop | Asks Stop from today? Dates still to come are cancelled. Past dates, results and anything already made stay. |
Skip and Put back | Skip a single date (no action, no reminder, not counted as missed) and put it back while it is still ahead. |
Start or Open | Starts that inspection, or opens the work order copy. |
Once a work order copy is made, it is an ordinary work order. Pausing or changing the schedule never cancels it.
How do I see what is coming and what is late?
A Schedules page has two tabs. Schedules lists each schedule with its counts; filter with Open, Overdue, Paused, Stopped or All, or by Who it's for, Template and How often. Upcoming lists the dates to come and the overdue ones, for Everyone or Mine.
How do I download results?
Choose the download icon (Download results (CSV)) and pick a range: 30 days, 90 days or 12 months.
For technicians: what you see and get
Inspections. You are reminded the afternoon before (4 pm) and the morning of the day (7 am, or an hour before its time if earlier). The link starts the inspection.
Actions. Each new action is assigned to you with the usual reminders.
Work orders. A copy is assigned to you about a week ahead and booked on your day.
On the planner. A date with time booked shows as a read-only block marked Scheduled work order · Upcoming. A date with no time shows as a to do tag on your row.
On your dashboard. Your dates also appear in the Agenda section, with Start for inspections.
See Planner and schedule notifications for who is told what.
Switching schedules on
The Colobbo team switches schedules on for your company. Where they are on, you see a Schedules button on the Inspections, Actions and Work Orders lists; if not, ask your Colobbo contact. You also need the usual permission for what is being scheduled.
Who can do what
Role | What they see and make |
Admin | Sees and manages every schedule, for anyone. |
Technician (office or subcontractor) | Sees schedules they are on. Makes, changes or stops only schedules for themselves. |
Subcontractor admin | Sees schedules with any of their company's people. Makes, changes or stops only ones that are all their company's. |
Tips for getting the most out of it
Use Skip for a public holiday rather than stopping the whole schedule, and Pause for a shutdown.
Check the Overdue filter weekly.
Frequently asked questions
Why can I not see Schedules?
Switched on per company, and you need permission for that area. Ask your Colobbo contact.
Can I change a schedule after it starts?
Yes, the dates still to come.
What does Stop do to what has already happened?
Nothing. Past dates, results, actions already made and work order copies stay.
Can a technician make a schedule for someone else?
No. A subcontractor admin can make them for their own company's people.
Why does a started inspection still say Not done in the results?
The date reads Started as soon as you start, but the results judge on-time or late from when the inspection is completed. Complete it and the result updates.
Does each repeat of a work order copy photos?
No. Photos and files, rate lines and materials are not copied.
Who is reminded?
The people on an inspection date, the afternoon before and on the morning. Whoever made the schedule is told once if a date goes overdue. See Planner and schedule notifications.
Related: Planner and schedule notifications, How to book, move and assign work on the Resource Planner (the planner can also repeat bookings) and What is the Resource Planner? A tour for new users.