Special Function: Asset to Task Relationships

The relationship between Assets and Tasks in Lucity's Work Order function enables agencies to track the number of assets involved in a task and determine the cost of working on each asset.

The relationship between Asset and Task records is critical to the following calculations:

• the Work Order Asset record's WO Cost field.*
• the Work Order Task record's # of Units field.*

  *Note: Both of these calculations, in turn, rely on the Work Order Asset record's Units fields.

 
Asset Units

The Asset record's Units field indicates the number of units of work that the asset represents. Typically, an asset represents one unit of work, however, if work is measured by a metric of the asset (e.g., length or area), then the asset may represent more than one unit of work.

An Asset's Units quantity is configured through the Work Order's Category and Unit of Measure designations.

More information about work quantity calculations

Asset/Task Relationships

For the Cost and Units fields to work properly on a Work Order, Tasks must be related to Assets. You can manually create assign this relationship or allow the system to assume a general relationship between Tasks and Assets.

Assigned Tasks

Assigned Tasks are Tasks that are linked to Assets in one of two ways—either directly or by date.

 
Directly Linked Tasks

A Lucity user creating a Work Order can directly link Tasks to Assets using the Work Order > Asset > Associated Tasks grid. When a Task is directly linked to multiple Assets on a Work Order—that is, when the Task appears in multiple Assets' Associated Tasks grids—the cost of the Task is evenly divided among those Assets. Although directly linking Tasks to Assets is labor-intensive, it provides the most accurate cost data.

This strategy is typically used on complex Work Orders. An agency might link Tasks directly to Assets when:

• the Work Order calls for a specific Task(s) to be completed on a particular Asset(s);
• there are multiple assets on the Work Order, and the person creating the order wants to clarify which Tasks apply to which Assets; or
• the Tasks and/or the Assets on the Work Order are very different, and the agency wants to know the cost of working on them.
  • Example: A Work Order calls for two Tasks to be performed on two Assets: 1) Clean a specific pipe. 2) Repair a manhole attached to that pipe. The user directly links the Tasks to the Assets, allowing the agency to see that, while the entire Work Order cost $1,100, it cost just $100 to clean the pipe and $1,000 to repair the manhole.

How to link a Task to an Asset

 
Date-Linked Tasks

When Tasks are linked to Assets based on the Tasks' Start Date/End Date values and the Asset's Completion Date, the Tasks are considered date-linked Tasks. This strategy allows users or members of management to see what was accomplished each day.

Example: A Work Order calls for 100 water valves to be exercised. The work will take more than one day and task is created for each day of work. When filling out the work order the user updates the valve Asset's > Completion Date with the day the work was done. Similarly the Task is marked with a Start Date and End Date. The system then links the tasks and assets based on the date completed allowing the agency to see how much work was completed each day.

If the system does not find any directly linked Assets/Tasks on a Work Order, it then checks for Assets and Tasks linked by date.

The Cost of date-linked Tasks is evenly divided among all Assets that have a Completion Date that falls between the Task Start Date and the Task End Date. Note, however, that:

• The Task records must have Task Start Date and Task End Date values.
• The Asset record must have a Completion Date value.
• Tasks that are linked to an Asset through the Associated Tasks grid are not considered date-linked Tasks.

Unassigned Tasks

Tasks that are not linked to Assets directly or by date are considered unassigned Tasks. Lucity divides the cost of an unassigned Task evenly among all records in the Work Order's Asset grid.

An agency might leave Work Order Tasks unassigned when:

• There is only one Asset on the Work Order.
  • Example: Work Order #123 lists five Tasks to be performed on Fleet Vehicle #BHA-984. Lucity applies all Task costs to the single Asset (vehicle) that the employee worked on.
• Any variation in the amount of time spent on each asset or the costs associated with each asset is irrelevant.
  • Example: Work Order #587 requires a painter to repaint 12 doors within a City office. The City only cares how much time the painter spent on the entire job, not how long it took him to paint each door. Lucity divides the Task cost evenly among all of the Assets (doors).
• The task is for work that isn't for any specific asset on the work order but represents a general task like driving. The cost of this time would be divided evenly over the assets.
  

Asset Costs

Once Task and Asset relationships are established or calculated, Lucity can determine the cost of working on each asset.

WO Costs

A Work Order > Asset's > WO Costs field shows how much money was spent on the asset. It is calculated using both the assigned and unassigned relationships.

Assigned Costs

• Calculates Per-unit cost for each Task linked directly, or by date, to the current Asset by:
  • Collecting the Total Cost value from a Task linked to the current Asset directly.
    • Collects the Units value of each Asset linked to the that Task.
    • Adds the Units values together determine the Task Units sum.
  • Divides the Task's Total Cost/Task Units value to get the Per-Unit Cost for the task.
  • Repeats this process for each task linked to the current asset directly or by date.
• Sums the Per-unit cost for each Task linked to the current asset to get the Grand Per-unit Cost for the tasks linked to the current asset..
• Divides the Grand Per-Unit Cost by the current Asset's Units field to get the Assigned Asset Cost for the current Asset.

Unassigned Costs

• Identifies any Tasks that are not directly linked to an Asset.
• The Total Cost Act field from each unassigned task is added together.
• The Units field from each asset is added together. If the units field is 0 it is treated as a count of 1.
• Calculates summed total cost act/total units = total cost per unit.
• Calculates total cost per unit x each assets Units field.
• The product is entered into the Asset records' Unassigned Costs fields.

  Note: Each asset is affected, whether or not each is already assigned to a Task.

Total

The system adds each Asset's > Unassigned Cost to the calculated Assigned Asset Cost. The result is written to the WO Cost field and provides the complete cost for working on the asset.

Special Situations

The following situations require special treatment:

• If any Tasks are not directly linked to Assets, Lucity divides their cost among all Assets on the Work Order.
• If there are multiple Asset Types on the Work Order, the system counts the Assets to calculate the # of Units, even if some of the assets are configured to calculate a sum.

Asset Module > Work Task Grids

Each Asset module includes a Work Tasks grid that displays all Work Order Tasks associated the Asset. This grid, however, does not indicate how an Asset is related to such Tasks.