Movements

Introduction

The Movements module provides a comprehensive transportation management system designed for military exercises. It enables coordinators to plan, execute, and monitor the movement of participants between various locations, including airports, accommodations, and exercise venues.

Key Features

  • Manages three movement types: Inbound, Outbound, and Internal with return journey support
  • Assigns vehicles and drivers to movements with automatic capacity tracking
  • Allocates participants to specific vehicles and tracks their status
  • Provides an Operations View for real-time pickup and dropoff tracking
  • Sends notifications to all involved parties at key movement stages
  • Supports multiple vehicles per movement with capacity management
  • Includes support staff assignments with definable roles
  • Comprehensive status tracking for both movements and participants
  • Detailed time tracking and reporting capabilities

Core Concepts

Movement Types

  • Inbound: Transporting participants from arrival points (e.g., airports) to accommodations
  • Outbound: Transporting participants from accommodations to departure points
  • Internal: Moving participants between exercise locations, with optional return journeys

Movement Statuses

The system supports the following movement statuses:

  • Scheduled: Movement is planned and awaiting execution
  • In Progress: Movement has started and is currently underway
  • Delayed: Movement has been delayed from the original schedule
  • Cancelled: Movement has been cancelled and will not proceed
  • Completed: Movement has been successfully completed

Each status is visually represented with color-coded badges and icons throughout the system:

  • Scheduled: Gray with a clock icon
  • In Progress: Blue with a play icon
  • Delayed: Yellow/amber with a warning triangle icon
  • Cancelled: Red with an X-circle icon
  • Completed: Green with a check-circle icon

Movement Lifecycle

  1. Planning: Movement created with locations, times, and participants
  2. Vehicle/Driver Assignment: Vehicles and drivers allocated to movement
  3. Participant Assignment: Participants assigned to specific vehicles
  4. Execution: Movement started, pickups/dropoffs recorded
  5. Completion: All participants delivered to destination

For internal movements with return journeys, additional steps include:

  1. Starting the Return Journey: After all participants are dropped off at the first leg
  2. Return Pickups/Dropoffs: Recording when participants are picked up and dropped off for the return journey
  3. Completing the Movement: Once all return journey drop-offs are complete

Participant Statuses

Participants in a movement can have the following statuses:

First Leg:

  • Pending: Awaiting pickup
  • Picked Up: Participant has been picked up and is in transit
  • Dropped Off: Participant has been dropped off at the destination
  • No Show: Participant did not appear for pickup

Return Journey (for internal movements):

  • Return Pending: Awaiting return pickup
  • Return Picked Up: Participant has been picked up for return journey
  • Return Dropped Off: Participant has been dropped off at the final destination
  • Return No Show: Participant did not appear for return pickup

Business Logic

The movement system enforces several important business rules:

  1. Participants must be marked as either picked up or no-show before they can be marked as dropped off
  2. All participants must be accounted for (either dropped off or marked as no-show) before the return journey can be started
  3. Return journey drop-offs are only available when all participants in the vehicle have been accounted for (picked up or no-show)
  4. A movement with a return journey cannot be completed until the return journey is completed

Time Tracking

The system tracks timing for all operations:

  • Time when participants are picked up and dropped off
  • Status based on scheduled pickup and drop-off times (early, on-time, late)
  • Return journey timing with the same level of detail

Dynamic Navigation Badge

The Movements navigation item includes a badge showing the count of movements scheduled for the current day:

  • Shows the total number of movements with pickup times scheduled for today
  • Displays with a gray color
  • Tooltip indicates "The number of movements scheduled for today"

This simple but effective badge helps coordinators quickly identify how many transportation operations need to be managed on the current day, facilitating daily planning and resource allocation.

Managing Movements

Viewing Movements

Coordinators can view all scheduled movements on the Movements List Page, accessed via the Movements menu item in the left-hand navigation menu. The list includes:

  • Movement number/identifier
  • Movement type (Inbound, Outbound, Internal)
  • Pickup and dropoff locations and times
  • Number of assigned participants
  • Vehicle registrations
  • Current status

You can filter movements by:

  • Type (Inbound, Outbound, Internal)
  • Status (Scheduled, In Progress, Completed, Cancelled)
  • Date (Today, Upcoming, Past)

Creating New Movements

To create a new movement:

  1. Navigate to the Movements List Page using the Movements menu item on the left Navigation bar

  2. Click the Add Movement button

  3. Complete the four-step wizard:

    • General Information:
      • Movement Type (Inbound, Outbound, Internal)
      • Pickup Time and Location
      • Dropoff Time and Location
      • Return Journey details (for Internal movements)

    {info} Smart Defaults: The system automatically pre-configures your form based on movement type:

    • Inbound: Sets pickup location type to Airport and dropoff location type to Accommodation
    • Outbound: Sets pickup location type to Accommodation and dropoff location type to Airport
    • Internal: Sets pickup and return dropoff location types to Accommodation, and dropoff and return pickup to Venue
    • Dropoff time is automatically set to 2 hours after pickup time if not specified

    • Vehicles:

      • Add vehicles from the available pool
      • Assign drivers to each vehicle
      • System tracks available capacity automatically

    • Support Staff (optional):

      • Assign support personnel like Liaison or Security officers
      • Allocate them to specific vehicles if needed

    • Participants:

      • Assign participants to specific vehicles
      • System ensures vehicle capacity is not exceeded

  4. Click Save to create the movement and return to the Movements List Page

Managing Movement Operations

The Movement Operations workflow follows a clear sequence:

  1. Starting a Movement: Click "Start Movement" to begin operations
  2. Recording Pickups: Record when participants are picked up (individually or in bulk)
  3. Recording No-Shows: Mark participants who don't appear for pickup
  4. Recording Drop-offs: Record when participants are dropped off at their destination

For internal movements with return journeys, the process continues:

  1. Starting the Return Journey: After all participants are dropped off, click "Start Return Journey"
  2. Return Pickups/Drop-offs: Record when participants are picked up and dropped off for the return journey

Recording Pickups

To record a participant pickup:

  1. In the Operations View, find the participant in the list

  2. Click the Record Pickup button next to their name

  3. Complete the popup form:

    • Status: On Time, Late, or Early
    • Notes: Optional additional information

  4. Click Save to record the pickup

The participant status will update to "Picked Up" and the system will notify relevant personnel.

Recording Dropoffs

To record a participant dropoff:

  1. In the Operations View, find the participant in the list (must be in "Picked Up" status)

  2. Click the Record Dropoff button next to their name

  3. Complete the popup form:

    • Status: On Time, Late, or Early
    • Notes: Optional additional information

  4. Click Save to record the dropoff

When all participants are dropped off, the movement will automatically be marked as completed or ready for return journey if applicable.

Handling No-Shows

If a participant doesn't show up:

  1. In the Operations View, find the participant in the list

  2. Click the No Show button next to their name

  3. Enter a reason for the no-show in the notes field

  4. Click Save to record the no-show

The system will notify coordinators about the no-show for follow-up.

Managing Return Journeys

For Internal movements with return journeys:

  1. Complete the outbound journey as described above

  2. In the Operations View, use the Start Return Journey button (only visible when all participants have been dropped off for the first leg)

  3. Record return pickups and dropoffs similarly to the outbound journey:

    • Use the Record Return Pickup button for participants
    • Use the Record Return Dropoff button for participants who have been picked up
    • Use the Mark as Return No-Show button as needed

  4. When all participants are dropped off at the original location, the movement is automatically completed

Editing and Cancelling Movements

Editing Movements

  1. From the Movements List Page, click the Edit button next to a movement

  2. Update the necessary information in the form

  3. Click Save to apply changes

Note: Some fields may be restricted from editing once a movement is in progress.

Cancelling Movements

  1. From the Movements List Page or Operations View, click the Cancel Movement button

  2. Enter a reason for cancellation in the popup form

  3. Click Confirm to cancel the movement

The system will notify all assigned participants, drivers, and support staff about the cancellation.

Operations View

The Operations View provides a real-time dashboard of all current and upcoming movements:

  1. Navigate to the Operations tab in the Movements section.
  2. The dashboard displays:
    • Active movements with real-time status
    • Upcoming movements within the next 24 hours
    • Recently completed movements
    • Movements with issues requiring attention

Features of the Operations View include:

  • Interactive map showing vehicle locations (if GPS tracking is enabled)
  • Timeline of scheduled movements
  • Status alerts for delayed or problematic movements
  • Quick action buttons for common operations

Movement Operations View

The operations view displays:

  • Movement details (type, number, status)
  • Pickup and drop-off location information
  • Return journey details (if applicable)
  • Assigned vehicles with driver information
  • Participant list with their current status

Action Buttons

Available actions depend on the movement status and participant state:

  • Movement-level Actions:

    • Start Movement
    • Start Return Journey (only visible when all participants have been dropped off for the first leg)
    • Complete Movement (for non-return journeys)
    • Complete Return Journey (when all return drops are done)
    • Cancel Movement

  • Vehicle-level Actions:

    • Mark All as Picked Up
    • Mark All as No-Show
    • Mark All as Dropped Off (only available when all participants are either picked up or marked as no-show)

  • Participant-level Actions:

    • Record Pickup
    • Record No-Show
    • Record Drop-off (only available when all participants in the vehicle are either picked up or marked as no-show)

Return Journey Actions

When a return journey is started, the action buttons switch to return journey mode:

  • Vehicle-level Return Actions:

    • Mark All as Return Picked Up
    • Mark All as Return No-Show
    • Mark All as Return Dropped Off (only available when all participants are either picked up or marked as no-show for return)

  • Participant-level Return Actions:

    • Record Return Pickup
    • Record Return No-Show
    • Record Return Drop-off (only available when all participants in the vehicle are either picked up or marked as no-show for return)

Notifications

The system sends automated notifications for various movement events:

  • Schedule Notifications: Alerts about upcoming movements.
  • Status Change Notifications: Updates when movement status changes.
  • Delay Notifications: Alerts about movement delays.
  • Cancellation Notifications: Notifications when movements are cancelled.
  • Assignment Notifications: Alerts to drivers and support staff about assignments.
  • Pickup/Dropoff Notifications: Alerts when participants are picked up or dropped off.
  • No-Show Notifications: Alerts when participants are marked as no-show.
  • Return Journey Notifications: Alerts for return journey operations.

Reporting

All movement operations generate events that can be used for reporting:

  • Movement started/completed/cancelled
  • Return journey started/completed
  • Participant pickup/drop-off/no-show events
  • Return journey pickup/drop-off/no-show events

These events provide a comprehensive audit trail of all transportation activities during the exercise.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. Vehicle Assignment Conflicts: If you encounter conflicts in vehicle assignments, check for overlapping schedules or double-bookings.

  2. Status Update Errors: Ensure you're following the logical progression of movement statuses. For example, you cannot change from "Planning" directly to "Completed".

  3. Missing Participants: Verify that all participants have been properly added to the movement before confirming it.

  4. Driver Qualification Issues: Ensure that assigned drivers have the necessary qualifications for the vehicle type and movement requirements.

  5. Return Journey Issues: Make sure all participants from the first leg are accounted for (dropped off or no-show) before attempting to start the return journey.

  6. Completion Issues: For movements with return journeys, verify that both the outbound and return journeys are complete before the movement can be marked as completed.