# How do I use the Dispatch Board to manage today's work?

> The Dispatch Board (/a/dispatch) is your live view of today: who is on site, late, or blocked, plus a Needs You inbox of everything waiting on a person. Use it to log disruptions, make quick crew swaps, and fill gaps from the Available crew list.

- Product: WorkSkedge
- Section: Scheduling & Dispatch
- Canonical: https://workskedge.com/help/scheduling/use-the-live-dispatch-board
- Updated: 2026-08-29T21:34:24.305643+00:00
- Source: DISPATCH.md — The Live Dispatch Board; ADVANCED-SCHEDULING.md — Board vs Advanced Scheduling
- Keywords: dispatch board, today, available crew, disruption, sick call, reassign, needs you

## Steps

1. Open the Dispatch Board (/a/dispatch) — it loads today by default
2. Check the Needs You inbox for disruptions, customer replies, and failed texts
3. Scan the board lanes for who is on site, late, or blocked
4. Open a card's actions menu to reassign crew, move the time, or plan a reschedule
5. Use the Available crew list to fill gaps — Add to a job or Schedule new work

## The board is about today

The Dispatch Board deliberately focuses on the current day. Anything further out — reshuffling jobs across days, filling the next 7–14 days — lives on the Advanced Scheduling page.

## The four zones, top to bottom

**1. Command bar** — the date picker, live counts for the day, and customer messaging (message log and test send). Rule editors for crew pairing, reschedule policy, and customer texting live behind the gear menu on Advanced Scheduling.

**2. Needs You inbox** — one unified list of everything waiting on a person: open disruptions, draft plan days awaiting a customer reply, contacts waiting for your OK, call requests, and texts that failed to deliver.

**3. Board lanes** — one lane per crew member for the selected day, plus an unassigned lane. Every card has an actions menu: Reassign crew, Move date or time, Offer appointment slots, Plan reschedule, and a phone-call-only setting.

**4. Available crew** — a collapsible list of everyone who can still take work today: active field crew (employees whose app role is Site Lead or Site Worker) with no schedule that day, no approved time off, and no blocking booking. People who finish early appear as **Partially booked** with the time they free up. Each row can **Add to a job** already on today's calendar or **Schedule new work** from the unscheduled queue.

## Vendor work on the board

Work orders assigned to a vendor or subcontractor appear on the board for monitoring, but they are not scheduled to internal crew. Reassign, move, and plan-reschedule actions are blocked on vendor cards — you can still track them and report issues.

## Quick fixes stay on the board

Single-step fixes (like one crew swap) happen inline in the recovery dialog, so you never leave the board. When a fix needs a complex step, the button becomes **Open in Advanced Scheduling** and carries the work order, the disruption, and the chosen step with it — the workbench opens already pointed at the problem.

## Screenshots

- WorkSkedge Team Schedule board with employees down the left and days across the top: https://workskedge.com/api/public/help-image/app/team-schedule.webp

## FAQ

### Who shows up in the Available crew list?

Active field crew — employees with the Site Lead or Site Worker app role — who have no schedule that day, no approved time off, and no blocking booking. Office roles (Administrator, Manager, Scheduler, Project Owner, Finance, Office Admin, Safety Manager) are never offered as crew.

### Can I plan next week from the Dispatch Board?

No — the board is deliberately a today view. Use Advanced Scheduling to reshuffle jobs across days or fill the next 7–14 days from the unscheduled queue.

### Why can't I reassign a vendor work order on the board?

Vendor work orders appear for monitoring only. Vendors manage their own resources, so reassign, move, and plan-reschedule actions are blocked on vendor cards.

### What is a 'Partially booked' crew member?

Someone whose work finishes early that day — the board shows the time they free up so you can slot more work into their afternoon.