14  Compiling a Schedule

When you select Compile New Schedule from the Main Menu, you will see this Dialog Box:

 

This is the step that actually creates the Schedule you can view and print using your word processor. The Schedule will be made using the currently selected Database Set.

 

CV-Schedule will tell you what date you last scheduled and will automatically fill in the next date in sequence as a suggested starting date for the next schedule. Normally, this will be the correct starting date for your new schedule. You can, however, change the starting date if you wish.

 

You must fill in the number of dates you want to schedule, a number between 1 and 15.

 

After you select OK, the Scheduler will take a few seconds to compile the Schedule. When the Scheduler has finished, the Schedule and Sign-In Sheets are complete and have been saved as word processor files. See Appendix VI for a sample of what the Schedules and Sign-In sheets look like.

 

A message at the bottom of Main Menu will tell if any slots in the schedule could not be filled. The message will show which date, Service, and ministry was affected. If you do have unfilled slots please see Section 17.3 in Chapter 17 for tips on how to resolve the problem.

 

You can now view and print the Schedule and Sign-in sheets. Click the arrow at the right of the View Files box (on the Main Menu) and select Schedule. This will open the schedule you just created in your word processor program. You can print the schedule from your word processor program. You can do the same with the Sign-in Sheets. If the schedule doesn’t fit on a page or doesn’t look right, see Chapter 13 for tips on reformatting.

TIP: You can make any last minute changes and corrections by editing the Schedule and Sign-In Sheets with your word processor before you print them.

TIP: You must print your old Schedule and Sign-In Sheets before compiling a new schedule. Otherwise, they will be overwritten and lost.

14.1 Recompiling a Previous Schedule

If you compile a schedule and find there are unfilled slots or some other problems with it, you will probably want to go back and make some changes in the Databases, then try compiling the schedule again. When you do this, select Recompile Previous Schedule from the Main Menu. This will give you the correct starting date for a repeat of the last schedule you ran. More importantly, it will maintain seamless scheduling of your Volunteers.

 

Q. What does seamless scheduling mean?

A. Each time you compile a schedule, CV-Schedule saves information about which date all volunteers were last scheduled and what Service and Ministry they last served. This allows CV-Schedule to maintain seamless spacing of service dates and alternation of Ministries and Services across schedule boundaries, as if there had been no break in the schedule.

 

Selecting Recompile Previous Schedule when you want to repeat the last schedule causes CV-Schedule to use the correct saved information for that starting date. For the same reason, you should always select Compile New Schedule when you want to start at the next date in sequence after your last schedule.