Delays

In the Equipment Source Path topic, how to add a delay into the path itself (Date Delays and Time Delays) is described as shown below:

Time delays can be specified using the format ‘Time Delay: TimeDelay TimeUnits <NonProductiveProcess>’ where TimeDelay is a number specifying how long the delay should occur for, TimeUnits is a unit of time that the TimeDelay is measured in and NonProductiveProcess is the name of a non productive process to use for the delay (e.g. ‘Time Delay: 6 hours <Relocation>’). Valid time units are ‘Minutes’, ‘Hours’, ‘Days’ or ‘Weeks’.

Date delays can be specified using the format ‘Date Delay: DelayToDate <NonProductiveProcess>’ where DelayToDate is text that describes the date to delay until (in the format of the user’s region settings) and NonProductiveProcess in the name of a non productive process to use for the delay (e.g. ‘Date Delay: 1/1/2016 <Delayed Start>’)

 Prefix: Demo\Stage 1\
 Order: Pit\Stage\Strip\Block\Seam\Bench
 AllowAdvance: On
 *\1-5,7\*\* <Blasted>
 Date Delay: 1/1/2024 <Maintenance>
 Time Delay: 5 hours <Relocation>

This is useful when you need a delay to occur after a certain Task is completed such as a relocation or a delayed start. However, you will also have delays which occur no matter the condition of the schedule such as public holidays and planned maintenance. These are addressed separately from the Path in the Delays window.

A key feature of Delays is Recurrence which allows you to repeat your delay as often as is required. Note that the Recurrence is based on the Start Date, for example, if you wanted 2 days of maintenance a month, the recurrence is 1 month, not 1 month - 2 days.

Delays can be prioritised using an increment/decrement control to adjust the Priority. The higher the number, the lower the priority (1 = High).

On the Home tab, in the Setup group: Select More > Delays to view and manage the delays that affect the schedule.

Add Delay

To create a new Delay container:

  1. Right-click "Delays" in the side panel and choose Add > New Delay.

  2. Enter a Name for the Delay:

Add Entry

  1. Each Delay can include multiple entries, create a new entry by clicking the Add Entry button:

Name

Enter a Name for the Delay (it will typically match the Process).

Priority

Accept the default priority (1 = High) or use the increment/decrement control to adjust the priority. The higher the number, the lower the priority.

If there are multiple delays starting at the same time, the scheduling engine will choose the delay with the highest priority.

If there are multiple delays starting at the same time and with the same priority, the delay with the lowest index (first in the list) is chosen.

In Settings | All Settings, a scheduling_delay_picking_algorithm setting defaults to "V2". Set this value to "V1" to enable the old behaviour (Priority values are ignored. If there are multiple delays starting at the same time, there is no guarantee which delay will be picked).

Active

Use this check box to select which Delays the Schedule will be subject to.

Start & End Date/Time

Use the drop-down controls to select a Start Date/Time and an End Date/Time. The Duration (below) is automatically calculated/updated.

Duration

Use the drop-down control to specify a Duration. The End Date/Time (above) is automatically calculated/updated.

Process

The (Non-productive) Process that is subject to the delay.

Recurrence

A key feature of Delays is Recurrence which allows you to repeat your delay as often as is required. Note that the Recurrence is based on the Start Date, for example, if you wanted 2 days of maintenance a month, the recurrence is 1 month, not 1 month - 2 days.

When creating a delay with a non-productive process, default delay recurrences are calculated periodically based on the Start and End of Schedule.

If the Remove Delays After Last Productive Task check box option is selected (in the Scheduling group on the General tab of the Scenario Settings dialog), the scheduling engine will ensure that delays are only added if there is a productive task that starts AFTER the start date of the task.

Delays can be prioritised using an increment/decrement control to adjust the Priority. The higher the number, the lower the priority (1 = High).