A dispatcher's primary role is to create assignments and assign them to mobile workers to complete in the field. Use the Workforce web app to create assignments in your project.
Note:
To create assignments, you must be a dispatcher in the Workforce project. Contact your project owner if you can't open the project.
Open the Workforce project
Sign in to the Workforce web app and open the project you are assigned to as dispatcher.
- In a browser, sign in to your organization and open the
Workforce web app from the app launcher in ArcGIS Online or the app launcher in ArcGIS Enterprise.
The Projects page appears, showing projects that you've created or that you participate in as a dispatcher or mobile worker.
- Open the project you want to create assignments in.
You see all current assignments and mobile workers. You see them both on the map and in the list next to the map. If the project was just created, your map and assignments list are empty, but the worker list contains the mobile workers who were added to the project.
Create assignments
Create an assignment from either a feature, location, or search result on the map.
Create assignments from features
You can use features displayed on the map in the Workforce project to create assignments. For information on how to add features to the dispatcher map, see Add layers. To create an assignment from a feature, complete the following steps.
- Select a feature and click + Create Assignment to create an assignment at the feature's location.
The Create Assignment pane appears. The Location of the assignment is already set to the location of the feature and the feature's pop-up title is used as the location text.
Tip:
If the feature's pop-up title doesn't make it clear where the assignment is located, you can edit it. Do this by clicking Edit
under Location. - For Assignment Type, choose from the list of assignment types created for the project.
You can start typing to filter the list of assignment types.
- Under Assigned to, click Assign and select the mobile worker who will complete the work.
You can leave assignments unassigned until you know who will handle them.
- For Priority, choose a priority level for the assignment.
Note:
Mobile workers are notified when work is assigned to them. If you have work that is critical, upon receiving the notification, the mobile worker is prompted to acknowledge the work, and you're notified that they have seen the assignment. If they don't acknowledge it quickly enough, you can reassign the assignment to another mobile worker.
- Click Due Date to show the date picker, and click a due date and time for the assignment to be completed by.
- If you use a work order management system, type the work order for this assignment in the ID field.
- In the Description box, enter all the information the mobile worker needs to know to complete their assignment.
You can include references to specific assets and information about the specific location.
Note:
Descriptions are limited to 4,000 characters.
- Add any relevant attachments to the assignment under Attachments.
Add an attachment if you need to provide more information than the 4,000 allowable characters, or if you have a file available to share with the mobile worker.
There are maximum size limits for attached files. If you're using ArcGIS Online, the maximum 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.
- Click Create Assignment to create the assignment and assign it to the mobile worker specified. This will notify the mobile worker on their mobile device.
Note:
If the mobile worker is working offline, they will receive the notification the next time they sync in a connected environment.
Create assignments from search results
You may need to create an assignment at a particular location or feature. You can search for that location or feature and create an assignment from the result. To create assignments from search results, complete the following steps:
- Click Search
and type the address, place, or feature information for where you want to create an assignment. The address, place, or feature shows in the results.Note:
If a large number of features is returned in the search results (e.g. 1000), the responsiveness of the web app may be impacted.
- If you have a single place, click + Create Assignment.
- If you have a single feature result, click the result to view its details and click + Create Assignment.
- If you have multiple features or places, check the boxes next to the results you want to use to create an assignment, and click + Create Assignment (or + Create Assignments if you've selected multiple results).
Note:
If your results include multiple layers of features, or a combination of places and features, you'll see a categorized list instead of individual entries and check boxes. Select the category to see the list of results for it, and then continue selecting the results to make assignments from them.
The assignment location is placed at the search result's location. If it is a polygon or line, the center of the feature is used as the assignment's location. The assignment's location text is populated from the feature's pop-up title or the address or place's information and address.
- Provide the rest of the details for your assignments, and click Create Assignment (or Create Assignments if creating more than one).
The assignment is created.
Create multiple assignments at once
If you are creating a number of assignments that have the same details, you can create them all at once so you don't have to enter the details multiple times. You can provide the assignment locations in the following ways:
- Click + Assignments in the assignments list and search or click the map to add a location. Search or click again to add the locations for the other assignments you are creating.
- Search and use the search results as the basis of your assignment. See Create assignments from search results for details.
- Use Identify by rectangle
to select a set of features in an area on the map. Draw a rectangle on the map by dragging the corners to the extent. You'll get a list of results much like you do when searching, and you can use them to create assignments the same way you do with search results. - Use Identify by lasso
to select a set of features in an irregular area on the map. Draw an irregular area on the map dragging the pointer to create the shape. You'll get a list of results much like you do when searching, and you can use them to create assignments the same way you do with search results.
Once you have provided the assignment locations, continue providing the rest of the assignment information as you would with any assignment, including setting their type, assigning them, setting their priority, and providing a due date. Once you have entered all the locations where you want to create an assignment with these details, and your details are complete, click Create Assignments. An assignment with the details you provided is created at each of the locations you specified.
Review your added assignments
The assignments you added are now in the assignments list shown in the web app. When mobile workers start assignments, you'll see the statuses change as the assignments progress toward completion. If you want to see more information about an assignment, or if you notice a mistake in an assignment, click its type to view its details and center the map on that assignment. In the details, you can also edit the assignment, as long as the work isn't in progress. If a mobile worker adds a note to an assignment, a note icon 
displays for the assignment in the list, and viewing the assignment's details also shows the note. Attachments added by you, another dispatcher, or a mobile worker are also included in the details of an assignment.
A dispatcher can reassign an assignment, clear the assigned mobile worker, or cancel assignments at any point until the mobile worker starts the work (that is, as long as the assignment doesn't have the status In Progress). Once a mobile worker starts the assignment, the mobile worker is in control of the assignment, since they are in the midst of completing that work. If not actively worked on (for example, if the status is Assigned, Unassigned, Paused, or Canceled), the dispatcher controls the assignment. When mobile workers are added to assignments, removed from them, or have work canceled, they are notified, and their To Do list updates. If the mobile worker is working offline, they will receive the notification the next time they sync in a connected environment.
Tip:
While you are editing an assignment, you can also edit its location. To do so, click the map or use a new search result. You can also edit the text for the location field, which doesn't affect the assignment's location on the map.