Tips for mobile workers (Classic)—ArcGIS Workforce

Caution:

This topic provides tips on how to complete assignments in the Classic version of Workforce, listed as Workforce for ArcGIS. To learn how to complete assignments in ArcGIS Workforce, see Work in the field.

Mobile workers are responsible for carrying out assignments in the field, doing the work and reporting back along the way. Learn some tips and best practices to make you successful when reporting on your assignments with Workforce:

Tip: Contact the dispatcher

When working on an assignment, you may have questions, or you may want to talk to the dispatcher to locate resources that you need. To make it easy to contact your dispatcher, the dispatcher's name is included in the assignment details. If the dispatcher has a contact number in the project, their name appears as a link, which can be used to call or send a message to them.

Note:

If a dispatcher's name isn't a link, they don't have a contact number. Contact your project owner to get one added, or ask the dispatcher to update their own details in the project.

Tip: Find and contact other mobile workers

The map allows you to see the location of other mobile workers that you may need to assist you in your task. For example, they may have a tool or a skill that you need for the assignment you're working on. When viewing the map, you'll see other mobile workers marked with pins. The color of a pin indicates the mobile worker's status: green for working Working pin , yellow for on break On break pin , and gray for not working Not working pin . Keep in mind that the locations displayed when mobile workers are on break or not working reflect their last location when working and could be out of date.

Search for another mobile worker, or tap one on the map to view their details, including a contact number if one is provided in the project. Tap the contact number to call, or long press it to copy it. You can send a message, add the mobile worker to your contacts, or copy the number. .To navigate to the mobile worker, tap the location field.

Tip: Provide more information with photos and videos

Attach photos and videos to assignments to provide additional information about the work done. Some organizations use this to provide proof of work completion, while others use it to document issues noticed in the field that require additional work. To attach a photo or video to an assignment, view the assignment's details. Tap Take Photo to take and attach a photo, or tap Other Media to attach a photo or video already on your device or to take and attach a video.

Photos can be large and quickly grow your database. You can limit the size of photos that you attach to assignments by specifying Photo Size in Settings. The default for this setting is Large. When using a photo size other than Actual, images are resized, preserving the aspect ratio. With a setting of Extra Large, the longest edge of the image is resized to 1,500 pixels. Large, Medium, and Small settings correspond to longest edges of 1,280, 640, and 320 pixels, respectively. The size you should choose depends on the requirements of your project. Work with your project owner to determine the size that correctly balances the detail in the photos and the impact on your database.

Caution:

There are maximum size limits for each file you attach. If you're using ArcGIS Online, the maximum file size for each file is 10 MB. If you're using ArcGIS Enterprise, the default maximum file size for each file is 2 GB, but it can be configured by your administrator. If you are attaching a large video, Workforce will try to compress it and apply downscaling so that it can be attached.

You can also view, rename, and save files that are already attached. Another mobile worker may have been assigned and attached files previously, the dispatcher might have attached files for you, or you might want to review files you attached. Tap the thumbnail of an attachment to download it (if it's not already downloaded), and tap it again to view it full screen. To rename or remove an attachment, long press its thumbnail. To save a photo or video to your device, long press its thumbnail.

Note:

To rename an attachment or save it to your device, it has to be downloaded. If you see the download icon, first tap the thumbnail to download the attachment, and once it finishes downloading you can rename or save it.

This attaches photos and videos to the assignment, not to the asset the assignment is about. If you are looking to use attachments to record the state of an asset, or other information you'd like available outside the scope of the particular work assignment, attach it through Collector or Survey123 instead of through Workforce.

Tip: Sign in to all apps as you start your day

While the Esri apps work together, with Workforce launching the apps you have associated with your project, credentials are not passed between them. As a result, you could end up signed in to the apps on your device as different users. Perhaps your organization shares devices, and the last user didn't sign out of Collector. If you were to sign in to Workforce and launch Collector, you might not have access to the required map, or you might inadvertently collect data as the wrong user. To avoid issues such as these, sign in to all the integrated apps you'll be using at the start of your day, then sign in to Workforce with confidence that the correct identities will be used in each app.

Open Collector, Explorer, and Survey123 through Workforce

Your project owner might have configured Workforce so that it is integrated with Collector, Explorer, and Survey123. While you can still directly open and use those apps independent of Workforce, your project might be configured to open a particular map or survey, or (for Collector or Survey123) to pass information such as the GlobalID, assignment ID, or location to the integrated app. When you use Workforce to open the integrated app, the project owner's configuration is honored. The appropriate map or survey is opened. A new collection or survey can be started at the specified location, and the GlobalID, assignment ID, and location from the assignment can be shared with the new collection or survey as desired by the project owner.

When you are viewing the details of an assignment, use the overflow menu to open an integrated app. The options you see depend on the configuration set up by your project owner.

Tip: Set your status to Not working before closing the app

When you are using Workforce, your dispatcher knows your current state: working, on break, or not working. To ensure that your dispatcher has the right information, it is recommended that you set your status to Not working before you close the app.

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