Schedule Down to the Minute
Milestones Professional and Simplicity support scheduling down to the minute.  This makes all kinds of applications possible.  This article discusses some of the possibilities, including: 
 
  • lab machine schedules
  • job shop schedules
  • production process mapping
     
Lab Machine Schedule
 

Lab Machine Schedule

The schedule to the left is that of a computer lab.  People can sign up to use the computers in the lab for their projects. 

The schedule is used to show who will be using each machine at any given time.

Download this schedule: Lab Schedule
(Milestones Professional 2008)


 
 

Production Process Mapping 

The Machine Cycle Schedule to the left shows processes involved in production of a component.

Download schedule: Machine Cycle Schedule
(Milestones Professional 2008)
Job Shop Schedule
 

Job Shop Schedule 

In the schedule to the left, product batches are color-coded, showing their flow and resource utilization through the shop floor. 

Download schedule: Job Shop Schedule
(Milestones Professional 2008)
Seconds schedule


Seconds, Nanoseconds and beyond  

While Milestones Professional and Simplicity's lowest level of detail is one minute, that doesn't prevent you from scheduling in seconds, nanoseconds or any other unit of time.  Just use minutes as your level of detail and set the schedule up to reflect whatever time unit you need. 

As far as the software is concerned you are using minutes, while in reality your scheduling can be done in 10ths of a minute, seconds, tenths of a second, or even nanoseconds.  

The schedule to the left is set up as a 600 minute schedule, but it appears to be a 6 second schedule.  The symbol date format and date heading are set to display 10ths of a minute.

Download schedule: Seconds Schedule
(Milestones Professional 2008)

Tips for working with minutes, hours and seconds 

Here are some tips you'll find useful when working on a schedule which uses hours, minutes or seconds:
 
  • Turn on hourly and minute detail.  By default, schedules use daily detail.  This is convenient for schedules with a time frame of weeks, months or years, but if your schedule is for a couple days or less, like any of the above examples, you will want to turn on Hourly and minute detail.  Turn it on by choosing the Dates tab, in the Start and End Dates section choose the Full Dialog icon.  In the Schedule Details dialog box choose the Hourly/Minute tab. 
 
  • The "snap to minute" option is a great way to make Milestones Professional or Simplicity display only the minute increments you want.  For example, if you only want detail down to every 30 minutes, set the "snap to" increment to 30.  That way, when you add or move a symbol, you'll find it a snap to get a milestone symbol where you want it. Choose the Tools tab, in the Program Options section choose Dates. Under Symbol Placement choose the appropriate "Snap" to Minute Increment.  
 
  • Symbol date format.  If you want the time to be displayed along with the milestone symbols, there are many minute and hourly options to choose from:
  1. Minute Only
  2. Hour and Minute 24 Hour Format
  3. Hour and Minute 12 Hour Format
  4. Hour Only
  5. Minute from Start of Schedule
  6. Minute from Start of Schedule as NN.NN

Choose the Dates tab in the Date Related Settings section choose Set Symbol Date Format.