ByteBloc Software, LLC
9952 Grandview Dr
La Mesa, CA 91941
Phone: 760.510.9900
Fax: 760.690.4061
9952 Grandview Dr
La Mesa, CA 91941
Phone: 760.510.9900
Fax: 760.690.4061
Sales
service@bytebloc.com
Support
support@bytebloc.com
WebSked - Important Information
Explanation of some known WebSked issues
A few technical problems that providers may encounter when first using WebSked are described below, along with their solutions. Please pass this information on to anyone having difficulties. Or, you may want to just forward them now (as prophylaxis!).
Important Note: Providers can only access WebSked from their Macs using Mozilla Firefox. If using a PC, access to WebSked requires Internet Explorer or Firefox. Neither Safari nor Google Chrome correctly handle the standard XML files which are required to work with WebSked.
Problem: "I know a schedule has been published to WebSked but I did not receive my login information at my Hotmail email address." [Note: WebSked login information should be sent automatically to all providers after you publish your first schedule to WebSked.]
Solution: Providers may need to make sure that their email program is set to specifically accept emails from their schedule administrator's email address for routine WebSked emails. The reason for this is that WebSked sends emails through the WebSked outgoing mail server at websked.com, using the schedule administrator's email address as the "from" address. The "From" address will contain a domain name (the part of the email address after the @ symbol) different from websked.com. Some email programs detect this difference and incorrectly use it to identify the WebSked emails as potential spam; they then filter the email to a Junk folder or even completely block the email from reaching the provider.
Non-routine emails, such as proposals for specific schedule changes, are sent from the proposing or responding provider's email address. Providers may also need to make sure that their email program is set to specifically accept these emails.
For other email programs, the user should contact the distributor of that program for instructions.
Problem: "I can see the WebSked screen but the login window is not displayed."
Solution: This is a popup blocker problem. Click here for the fix.
Problem: "I still cannot log into WebSked. Can it be a firewall issue?"
Solution: A firewall is a part of a computer system or network that is designed to prevent damage from malicious programs outside the network. Similar to popup blockers, firewalls can prevent legitimate programs from functioning.
WebSked works well with most common firewall settings. However, if you are sure that all popup blockers have been turned off and you are still experiencing problems, you may have a firewall that is preventing your access to WebSked. You can confirm this by temporarily turning off your firewall and/or by listing www.websked.com as a trusted site, which should allow access.
If you are on a hospital computer you may need to contact your IT (Information Technology) department to assist with a firewall problem. Most commonly, a hospital server may have an ISA (Internet Acceleration Server) that blocks java scripting from unapproved sites. This helps protect against viruses and spyware, but also can block access to legitimate sites. Please have your IT department add www.websked.com to the list of approved sites, which should resolve the access problem.
Problem: "I am able to login to WebSked but some of the WebSked screens (e.g., 'Timekeeper…Confirm Hours' screen) appear to have frozen and not display correctly."
Solution: The problem is likely due to settings in Norton Internet Security. Click here for the fix.
Problem: "After entering my login information, a message is displayed that 'you submitted this request from an invalid URL' and I am returned to the login screen."
Solution: This is due to a firewall problem on your computer.
Click here for the instructions to resolve this problem.
Problem: "I use a Mac to access WebSked using the required Mozilla Firefox browser. I sometimes receive the error message, "A script on this page may be busy, or it may have stopped responding".
Solution: Increase the "dom.max_script_run_time" value in the Firefox Configuration file to a value greater than the default five seconds.
Problem: "Emails from one of my providers are being bounced back to be without being delivered. The explanation in the bounced emails is: 'Diagnostic-Code: smtp;554 5.7.1 spamdefang score exceeds maximum - message from 69.59.191.196 rejected'. What does this mean and how can this be resolved?"
Solution: Email from WebSked is being incorrectly rejected as spam by the incoming mail server of the ISP (Internet Service Provider) for your provider. The provider needs to contact their ISP and make sure that messages from 69.59.191.196 (the IP address of the WebSked mail server) are accepted.
If your providers are having difficulties other than those described above, or you are unable to resolve a problem using these solutions, please send a further description of what is happening and we will be happy to assist you and your provider.
Information explaining how EPSKED prioritizes during the automated scheduling
When you use EPSKED (with or without WebSked) you will be utilizing a powerful automated scheduling program. The intuitive setup and robust scheduling algorithms of the EPSKED program are what makes it stand ahead of the competition. EPSKED users who are familiar with other scheduling programs acknowledge our edge at the various conferences in which we exhibit.
The information below gives you a brief explanation introducing EPSKED's varying priorities during automated scheduling. Automated scheduling of a new schedule occurs in two phases.
The first is a "best guess" at filling the schedule, where EPSKED tracks how many providers are available to work each shift and how many shifts each provider is available to work, and schedules by these priorities. Once this "first pass" has completed, EPSKED then goes back and revises the schedule trying to improve balance of shifts and shift relations.
During initial "first pass" scheduling, matching the "Nights in a row!" requests has a very high priority. If the final bunching of nights is not satisfactory, it may be that unbunching was done because of higher scheduling priorities during the revision phase. You can check this by having EPSKED save a copy of its "first pass" scheduling.
To do this:
-
From most scheduling program screens, press
- A new "Debug" dropdown menu should appear at the top of the screen, adjacent to the existing "Tools" menu.
- Click the debug "On" option.
- Select the "Debug...Scheduling...Save 1st pass" menu option. Retrieve a schedule and click the "Clear computerized scheduling..." side button (icon looks like a pencil eraser clearing a schedule) to clear computer scheduled shifts, then click the "Do the automated schedule creation!" side button (icon looks like a pencil eraser clearing a schedule). EPSKED will save a copy of the schedule after its "first pass" scheduling titled "(Save of first pass:...)" with the current date and time in the "..." part of the name. After EPSKED finishes automated scheduling, exit the schedule without saving it and retrieve the "(Save of first pass:...)" schedule. The night bunching should be improved in that schedule. Is it satisfactory or at least close?
In addition, here is more information so you can better understand how EPSKED creates the schedules.
The Clustering or "Clumping" of shifts
The clustering or "clumping" of shifts in the computerized scheduling is mainly influenced by:
- the number of shifts in a row requested for each provider
- the PREFER shift relations that you establish for your shifts
- the requests for days off and requests for scheduled shifts
Shifts in a row are entered in the Customizer program. From the Customizer program Main Menu, select the "Who are your medical care providers" option to show the Provider menu, then select the "Sequences of shifts" option. Enter a value for the number of "Shifts in a row" that your providers prefer to work; if you want a higher priority for this value, you can also add an "!" to the value by pressing the key. The indicates that the provider wants to work as closely to the entered number of shifts in a row as possible. The acts like a toggle button, so if you choose to remove an “!” from the screen, press the one more time.
EPSKED does not set a minimum number of days in a row for each provider to work, but schedule configurations that establish a large number of PREFER shift relationships (using the Shift Relation screen) most closely attain the desired number of days in a row. Schedule configurations that establish few or no PREFER relationships tend to produce more isolated shift scheduling. The Shift Relation screen is reached from the Customizer main menu by selecting the "How do your shifts relate to each other?" option.
From the help screens - in regard to the actual schedule: "Shifts that result in the highlighted provider being scheduled for two or more shifts in a row beyond the preferred number of shifts in a row are displayed with a purple background. EPSKED schedules in excess of the maximum days in a row only to avoid leaving a shift unscheduled, though you may manually schedule any provider for any shift." EPSKED will give one more than the requested max in a row WITHOUT warning.
After computerized scheduling, you can use the "temporary off" feature to remove isolated shifts. This feature deletes an individual provider from a shift and makes them temporarily off for the entire day. It can be used to remove isolated shifts in a provider's schedule or force EPSKED to more evenly distribute scheduled shifts. From a retrieved schedule or a new schedule that has been computer scheduled, click the isolated shift that you want to remove, then click the "Temporary off" side button. The provider is deleted as if you had pressed the
Clumping of shifts is also affected by the shifts your providers have requested as off and by the shifts they have requested to be scheduled. Some obvious examples of this: if a provider requests every third day off, it is impossible to schedule for 5 shifts in a row; if a provider requests scheduling for a shift but requests the adjacent days off, the scheduled shift will be an isolated shift. The fewer scheduling requests EPSKED has to work around, the more likely that shifts will be scheduled in clusters.
Rigid and Predictable Pattern of Scheduling
If your providers would want a rigid and predictable pattern of scheduling such as five days on then four days off, have you considered "cycle" scheduling your schedule? From the Customizer program, click on the Cycles dropdown menu at the top of the screen, then press the
Shift Preferences and Relationships
A shift can have preset preferences and different relationships with the multiple scheduled shifts surrounding it. The description EPSKED selects for display in the availability window is based on a ranking of the possible descriptions in terms of their usual importance to you when scheduling. Locked, tacked and cycle scheduled shifts are always displayed as such; ranking is then performed in order of decreasing priority from left to right as:
<-------- highest priority ---- ---- lowest priority ------>
can't-do off conflict max-in-row dislike prefer okay
The description selected for display is the description that is the farthest to the left in the above list of the possible descriptions for that shift.
Shifts with a HiPrefer or HiDislike preference or relationship are not shown with that specific label.
* For HiPrefer shift preferences and shift relations, shifts that would normally be shown as okay or disliked by other shift relations or shift preferences are instead shown as prefer, increasing the chance that they will be scheduled. A HiPrefer overrides a dislike shift relationship or preference.
* For HiDislike shift preferences and shift relations, shifts that would normally be considered as okay or preferred by shift relations are instead regarded as disliked, decreasing the chance that they will be scheduled. A HiDislike overrides a HiPrefer. That is really it's only use.
Here are three important questions. Their answers will help you better utilize EPSKED.
Question #1: What are EPSKED's priorities in computer scheduling?
EPSKED's highest priority in computerized scheduling is to satisfy the following unbreakable rules:
- It will not give a provider a shift in which he was scheduled to be off.
- It will not give a provider a shift that is considered a "can't do" shift for that provider.
- It will not give a provider a shift if the shift conflicts with another shift that is established in "Shift Relations" screen.
- It will not give a provider a shift if his "requested hours" for that schedule is 0.
- It will not give a provider a shift if it has to change a locked or tacked shift to do so.
(If you have five shifts in a day, and only four people available, even EPSKED can't fill the shift.)
Next priority is filling ALL shifts, followed by satisfying provider requested hours, then specific shift ("Shifts!!", "Shifts!", and "Shifts") requests. Here is an example of EPSKED attempting to fill a shift. EPSKED tries to not give providers a "dislike" shift. So, if EPSKED has a choice to make, EPSKED schedules a provider for ONE more day in a row than the requested upper limit in order to avoid scheduling another provider for shifts having a Dislike preference relationship (as indicated by your entries in the Shift Relations screen). It will also schedule a provider for an additional day in a row if it is the only way to schedule a provider for his requested number of hours.
EPSKED will schedule a provider for as many shifts in a row as necessary in order to avoid leaving a shift unscheduled, but only after attempting to schedule that shift by all other means at its disposal.
Question #2: If I change my configuration, how will these changes apply to schedules that have already been created (including my present schedule which, too, has already been created)?
Changes made to the screens for site and shift definitions, shift relations, and summary categories affect all schedules, as do change to provider names (last name, first name, print name, abbreviation) and contact information. Added providers can be optionally added when an existing schedule is retrieved. Added shifts, appearance changes (including schedule keys), changes to provider requests, and changes to cycles are applied only to newly created schedules. Newly created means that the schedule was created AFTER the changes were made in the Customizer. These changes DO NOT affect existing schedules. However, the currently configured schedule keys CAN BE COPIED into an existing schedule from the EPSKED Print window. (If you really need to add the shift to the current schedule, use the "Manually enter a preexisting schedule" to reenter your schedule as created so far, but including the newly added shift. The manual entry goes pretty quickly once you get the hang of making the entries.)
The line placements existing when a schedule is created are maintained in that schedule and are not altered by later changing the Customizer values. When changing line placements, changes need to be done in three places -- display, printing, and schedule key -- for everything to work correctly. If a user modifies only some of these, then creates a schedule, then notices the problem, then fixes it in the Customizer, then retrieves the schedule created before the final fix, the schedule will still have the problem.
Question #3: How can EPSKED improve the balance of other shifts beyond the three request shift summary categories in the schedule's "Shift and hour requests" screen?
EPSKED allows you to enter target values for the total number of hours or shifts that each provider should be scheduled, and for the total number of shifts in up to three shift summary categories.
EPSKED can improve the balance of other shifts beyond the three request shift summary categories using the "bias" feature. After you create a schedule, click the Summary button from the Schedule Review screen to display the Summary screen, then click the Bias button on the left side of the screen. Use the arrow keys or the mouse cursor to move the highlighting in the summary to a scheduled value that is higher than desired, then click the Negative Bias button to mark it with a down arrow. Positive bias (an up arrow) or double negative biasing (which forces a reduction if at all possible) can also be used. EPSKED will try to reduce the number of scheduled shifts with negative bias and increase the number of scheduled shifts with positive bias during the next computerized schedule revision.
Without a predesigned template, it is nearly impossible to completely balance all shifts for a single schedule unless you allow no requests. EPSKED does, however, allow you to bias cumulative summaries so that over a period of several schedules quite exact equality of scheduling can be achieved. For balancing over several months, try using the bias feature in the cumulative summary screen: after completing the first schedule, run a cumulative summary (select Cumulative Summary from the scheduling program, then follow the screen instructions) for that schedule and apply a single negative bias to any scheduled excesses in the categories of interest.
Bias entered in the cumulative summary screen is applied to all future schedules that you retrieve or create, and will influence scheduling especially if present before the initial computerized scheduling. After the second month schedule is complete, create a cumulative summary for the first two months and again single negative bias any excesses in the categories of interest before creating the third schedule. We have at least one residency program that creates and hands out a year's worth of schedules at the beginning of the year to the residents. The schedule creation process takes them a fraction of the time it used to take and results in a rather exact overall balance of shift and hours.
AVG Anti-Virus - how to disable
A couple of WebSked schedule administrators have reported a warning message from an anti-virus software called AVG. This message occurs when the administrator is attempting to open the Admin…Provider Access screen.
To stop this from recurring, it is necessary to "white-list" the WebSked domain name on the administrator's computer so prevent that warning message from displaying. Below are instructions on how to do this.
Open the AVG Anti-Virus program and select "Online Shield" icon:
Go to Tools…Advanced settings…
In the next screen select "Web Protection." In the box provided, enter "www.websked.com" to white-list the domain name.
Click "Apply," and then "OK". You should not get any more warning messages in WebSked from the AVG program.