Work Face Frequency dialog
You use the Work Face Frequency dialog to adjust the work face frequency, or rate of production, of a gang, trade or stage that is working on activities in a Line of Balance graph. You may want to do this if a Line of Balance graph shows that a stage is working discontinuously or that there are conflicts between different stages that need to be resolved.
You adjust the work face frequency of a stage by specifying the number of gangs, trades or stages that will be working in parallel on the tasks to which that stage is assigned; the higher the number you enter, the greater the rate of production. The new work face frequency applies to the tasks that relate to the selected segment of the Line of Balance graph, and to all uncompleted tasks that relate to the same stage either to the right or to the left of the selected segment - you can specify which. When you change the work face frequency of a stage, the affected tasks are rearranged in parallel groups of the given number of work faces accordingly.
For example, if a particular stage relates to teams of carpenters and you change the work face frequency of the stage from 1 to 2 going forward from the selected segment, you are indicating that two teams of carpenters will work in parallel from that point onwards. Tasks that relate to the same stage - ie tasks on which carpenters will work - are therefore rearranged in parallel groups of 2 from the selected segment onwards, to reflect the fact that two tasks can be worked on at the same time, each one by a different team of carpenters. Conversely, if you reduce the work face frequency from 2 to 1, tasks are rearranged to reflect the fact that only one task can be worked on at a time.
How to access the Work Face Frequency dialog
To access the Work Face Frequency dialog, right-click a segment of a Line of Balance graph and select Work Face Frequency.
Explanation of the fields on the dialog
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Current stage/location | The unit network and stage that correspond to the line that you right-clicked in the Line of Balance graph. |
| Number of work faces | Enter the number of gangs, trades or stages that will be working together on tasks in the Line of Balance graph at the same time. Enter 1 in this field to indicate that one gang, trade or stage will work on tasks; enter 2 to indicate that two will work in parallel; and so on. The higher the number you enter in this field, the greater the rate of production of the selected stage. |
| Forward | Click this radio button to specify that tasks to the right of the selected segment that relate to the same stage should be rearranged in parallel groups of the given number of work faces, to reflect the revised number of gangs, trades or stages that will be working in parallel. |
| Backward |
Click this radio button to specify that any non-completed tasks that relate to the same stage to the left of the selected segment should be rearranged in parallel groups of the given number of work faces, to reflect the revised number of gangs, trades or stages that will be working in parallel.
Note that only tasks that can be rearranged without affecting the position of tasks relating to other stages are moved. |
| Reschedule after move | Adjusting the work face frequency of a gang, trade or stage can affect the start and finish dates of other tasks in a project. Select this check box to specify that the project should be rescheduled automatically once the tasks that are affected by the change in work face frequency have been rearranged, or clear the check box to specify that the project should not be rescheduled automatically. |
How do I...
... adjust the work face frequency of a gang, trade or stage?
- Enter the number of gangs, trades or stages that will be working together on tasks in the Line of Balance graph at the same time in the Number of work faces field.
- Click the appropriate From this point radio button to specify whether tasks to the right or to the left of the selected segment that relate to the same stage should be rearranged in parallel groups of the given number of work faces, to reflect the revised number of gangs, trades or stages that will be working in parallel.
- Select the Reschedule after move check box to specify that the project should be rescheduled automatically once the tasks that are affected by the change in work face frequency have been rearranged, or clear the check box to specify that the project should not be rescheduled automatically.
Adjusting the work face frequency of gangs, trades or stages