Abstract: Methods for providing an enhanced scheduling process are discussed. One embodiment of the present invention includes a method for assigning an order to an opening in a schedule after a customer has selected an appointment window in the schedule. The opening and the appointment window are specified. The method includes generating a list of schedulable time blocks for a shift identified in the opening, intersecting the opening and the appointment window to obtain a time range, and choosing the opening in which to assign the order if a schedulable time block from the list of schedulable time blocks includes the opening. The opening is within the time range obtained by the act of intersecting.

Abstract: Provided herein are data structures, processes and systems to facilitate scheduling of complex work orders to a mobile workforce. Complex work orders are comprised of several distinct sub-orders that require coordinated scheduling because the start of one sub-order is dependent on the start or completion of another. The data structure provided herein identifies a set of member sub-orders required for completing complex work orders and relates those sub-orders to one another by precedence criteria that establish which sub-orders are dependent on which other sub-orders. This data structure is used in computer processes integrated with workforce management systems to permit such systems to schedule and/or assign individual work orders in a coordinated manner to satisfy the precedence criteria.

Abstract: Systems and methods for enhancing connectivity are discussed. An illustrative aspect of the invention includes a method for enhancing connectivity. The method includes scheduling an order to be performed by a worker into a schedule, accessing the schedule by a mobile device via a server on the Internet, and substituting the schedule by a proxy to allow an application on the mobile device to interact with the proxy when the mobile device is temporarily disconnected from the schedule.

Abstract: A graphical user interface is provided for creating a set of validation rules. A form is represented in a tree structure with nodes representing fields to be filled out in the form. Rules are added to the fields using a dialog box and are represented as subnodes of fields. Expressions are added to the rules as subnodes of the rules through a menu. The completed tree structure is translated into a set of validation rules.