Right for Usability Lab scheduling for differant companies?
 

I want to use this software for scheduling time for the usability lab testing for different companies. Will this software "flag" scheduling conflicts? Will I be able to view multiple companies testing schedules on the same screen?


Thanks for your support


James

This may sound a little convoluted at first, but here's how I would set it up:
I would set up the usability lab as an equipment resource. (If you have multiple labs that can be booked separately, then set each one up as a separate resource. Create a task group for each company. (Each task would be a testing session.) In the task view, you can see all the companies' testing schedules at once (with a bit of scrolling, perhaps).
In the resource view, you can display the resource load graph. This will show green when the lab is in use and pink where the lab is overbooked.
In the calendar view, you can customize the work schedule for the lab. This will allow you to indicate when the lab is closed for maintenance or internal use or something like that.
Hope that's enough to get you started. You can download OmniPlan from our website and try it in demo mode for up to 20 tasks, or request a free 1 day full license from our online store.
Feel free to post more questions here, or send email straight to our support ninjas at [email]omniplan@omnigroup.com[/email].

Wow! Thanks for the detailed description. One more question, is there a way to allow a group of people (2 or 3) to view and edit the schedule?


Thank for your support


James

You can give multiple people read access to the file by exporting to an HTML Report and posting that on an internal website.

Right now, there's no good way to have multiple people editing the file simultaneously. This is a very popular request that we're seriously considering for an upcoming version. Depending on your exact environment, you might have some success using version control to check the file in and out, but you'll need to be pretty careful if you need to merge versions.