In the eTASK.Desksharing module, workstations can be made available as shared desks that multiple employees can book at different times. A booking form displays the available workstations that have been set to bookable, and these can be reserved for specific time slots. This article describes all the necessary steps for setting up and enabling the system for operational use.
Preparatory Activities
Determine the intended use
To begin with, it makes sense to clarify the scope of desk sharing in your company. First, determine which workstations are to be offered as shared desks via eTASK.Desksharing. Depending on the outcome, individual implementation steps can be adjusted.
Clarify the following questions in advance:
Which workstations should be made bookable as shared desks?
In which buildings and floors should bookable workstations be offered?
What booking intervals should be available to users? (e.g., morning, afternoon, full day)
Which equipment features should be documented for the workstations?
Which individuals or groups of people should be allowed to book workstations?
Check rights and requirements
First, define the responsibilities within the team. From these responsibilities, you can then easily derive and assign the appropriate rights to each employee. You can find instructions for assigning rights here: 📄 The standard group IC1060
Once the respective responsibilities have been determined and the corresponding rights assigned, first check whether each employee can actually see and access all menu items relevant to them.
Note: Missing permissions often result in content being invisible or uneditable.
Prerequisites
Installed portal 📄 Install plugins / workflows IC2587
Admin access
License for the 1000 eTASK.FM Portal product
License for product 1025 eTASK.Desk
License for the 5531 Best Practice Workflow plugin
All employees must be entered in the personnel list 📄 Create new users IC1516
At least one location, one building, and one floor must be created 📄 The location form IC1262 📄 The building form IC1263 📄 The floor form IC1264
1.) Populate the portal with basic data
Once the preparatory tasks are complete, you can begin the actual implementation of the Desksharing module.
a. Map the property: Create at least one location, one building, and one floor. 📄 The location form IC1262 📄 The building form IC1263 📄 The floor form IC1264
b. Create involved persons: Create all persons involved in the process. 📄 Create new users IC1516
2.) Create workstations and configure them as shared desks
Now you can begin entering specific workstations into the system. It makes sense to first create a few workstations manually using the “New” form in the workstations section so that you can get a good overview of the system and its capabilities. 📄 Create workstation IC2736
The following data must or can be entered:
Room (required field): The room in which the workstation is located
Description (required field): The description of the workstation (format: APxx, max. 4 characters)
Workstation type: Selection of the workstation type
Optional: Assignment to a workstation group
Note: Be sure to check the box for "Active Workstation." Only active workstations are recognized by the system.
Note: Check the "Bookable in desk sharing" box to make the workstation available to users in the booking interface.
Enter equipment information
In the "Workstation Information" section, you can use the checkboxes to enter basic equipment details for the workstation: phone, PC, laptop, and monitor. Additionally, in the "Workstation Equipment" section, you can assign further equipment features from the Workstation Equipment master data table. This information is used to document the workstation equipment.
Note: It is advisable to use consistent terminology and avoid duplicates. The master data for the workstations should be carefully coordinated in advance.
3.) Set booking intervals
Specify the times at which workstations are offered to users in the booking form. 📄 Set time intervals for desk sharing IC2672
Select the intervals so that your users can book flexibly without being overwhelmed by too many appointments. Separating morning and afternoon slots has proven to be a best practice. Depending on your company culture, this can be supplemented with an evening or night booking option.
Each time slot consists of a code, a description, a start time, and an end time.
Note: Booking intervals must not overlap. When saving, the system validates whether the start and end times are logically correct.
Note: When making a booking, users receive a separate appointment for each day and each interval, which can be canceled individually.
4.) Set up desk-sharing configuration parameters
Set the configuration parameters for desk sharing. These parameters allow you to control the behavior of the booking form and the desk sharing workflow. 📄 Configuration parameters of eTASK.Desksharing IC2647
5.) Create a permission group for bookers
To allow employees to book workstations, a permission group for bookers must be created.
Under System Settings → Portal Options → Rights Management → Groups and Rights, create a group for bookers (e.g., “Workflow.Desk-Sharing.Bookers”). Either make this the default group or assign individual users to this group. 📄 The standard group IC1060
6.) Check and configure the workflow
Under Control Panel → MyFM → Configuration Services/Workflows → Workflows, open the entry for the Desk Sharing workflow. This contains a traffic light view in the Commissioning section.
If a red traffic light is displayed there, the issue mentioned in the note must be addressed so that the traffic light turns green. Check all traffic lights and resolve any outstanding issues before putting the workflow into operation.
Finally, you must assign the menu item MyFM → Order Services → Book Workstation to the Workflow.Desk-Sharing.Booker permission group so that bookers can use the service. 📄 Assign rights to menu, info areas and API paths IC1065
Result: If all indicators are green, the workflow is correctly configured and ready for use.
7.) Functional Test and Approval
Finally, you should perform a final check to ensure that all master data is present and that workstation booking functions correctly.
Recommended test steps:
Create several test bookings for different workstations and time intervals.
Check whether the workstations are displayed correctly in the booking form.
Check whether bookings are displayed correctly in the Desksharing calendar.
Tip: Before releasing the Desksharing product, it is recommended to create a series of test bookings and run through the entire booking process once.
Desksharing can now be used by operational users, and approval for operational use can be granted.