NW Scheduler/Publisher - Updates, Support, and Suggestions

[AndyCase]

Hi Brothers and Sisters

 

Just to update you. We went live with using NWS / NWP today. 

So far we have 73% of the congregation using NWP. Which is fantastic. It's been well received.

All schedules and publishers are in the software, and I've added 43 out of 79 maps for the territory. It takes a while but will be worth it. 

 

I've got to tweak the Public Witnessing times and locations which will not be easy, but so far we haven't had any major problems or complaints. People don't usually like change, so coming from Hourglass to NWS, I expected some grumbling. But so far so good. 

 

Thank you all for your help. 

[Brother Den]

2 hours ago, AndyCase said:

Hi Brothers and Sisters

 

Just to update you. We went live with using NWS / NWP today. 

So far we have 73% of the congregation using NWP. Which is fantastic. It's been well received.

All schedules and publishers are in the software, and I've added 43 out of 79 maps for the territory. It takes a while but will be worth it. 

 

I've got to tweak the Public Witnessing times and locations which will not be easy, but so far we haven't had any major problems or complaints. People don't usually like change, so coming from Hourglass to NWS, I expected some grumbling. But so far so good. 

 

Thank you all for your help. 

We have been using NWS/NWP now for about 3 months. Unfortunately, only half of our congregation of 220 want to use NWP. This means that our Territory Servant is assigning territories both the old way and the new way. Same is true for collecting field service time.There is presently no push by our Service Committee to encourage greater participation. For our 162 territories, we just uploaded the PDF maps that we already had. We did, however, need to compress them first so that they were under 300k in size.

[AndyCase]

1 hour ago, Brother Den said:

We have been using NWS/NWP now for about 3 months. Unfortunately, only half of our congregation of 220 want to use NWP. This means that our Territory Servant is assigning territories both the old way and the new way. Same is true for collecting field service time.There is presently no push by our Service Committee to encourage greater participation. For our 162 territories, we just uploaded the PDF maps that we already had. We did, however, need to compress them first so that they were under 300k in size.

That's a shame, and frustrating I'm sure.

 

If all publishers are in NWS then the territory servant can still assign them territory in the system. They will just need to have the pdf version sent to them separately. At least the servant will still benefit from seeing when they were last worked etc.

 

We haven't pushed anyone really, but we just said that this is what the body of elders have decided to use, if you want to then let us know. But the main thing that has forced people to use it is that we were using PWTools for booking the literature carts. 

Now we are using NWP. So if someone wants to reserve the cart.....they need to use the app. 

Of course they could ask their group overseer to book it for them, they shouldn't be penalised for not using it. But it has been a great incentive. 

[foghorn]

2 hours ago, Brother Den said:

only half of our congregation of 220 want to use NWP

Just curious - does that mean they don't even want to load NWP on their phone/tablet so they can see their school assignments and other duties? If so, that really makes double work for the brothers, doesn't it?

[carlos]

5 hours ago, Brother Den said:

There is presently no push by our Service Committee to encourage greater participation.

 

I understand the body not wishing to pressure anyone, but when the friends cooperate using the app, the workload for responsible brothers (territories, secretary, midweek meeting overseer...) is much lighter.

 

The first month I scheduled the midweek meeting most of the congregation was not using the app yet, so I had to send some 120 assignment slips by WhatsApp. That took several hours. Now I just click Send and everyone receives their notifications, except for one or two brothers I know I have to tell by WhatsApp.

 

Or the secretary. A week or so into the month all the reports are already sent and ready. A couple clicks and he has the S-1 ready and the publisher cards when necessary.

[Brother Den]

5 hours ago, foghorn said:

Just curious - does that mean they don't even want to load NWP on their phone/tablet so they can see their school assignments and other duties? If so, that really makes double work for the brothers, doesn't it?

Yes and yes. 

[Ezra]

Hello, a question. We used to be able to print a list of the Aux Pioneers and Regular Pioneers every month under Secretary...........Reports.........Pioneers.  Now it does not, and only allows Oct 2023-Jan. 2024 time range. That is it. Has there been a change? The system is fully updated.

[molnarj]

Correct. It's a bug. They have been notified and hopefully they will fix it with the next update.

[Tortuga]

5 hours ago, molnarj said:

Correct. It's a bug. They have been notified and hopefully they will fix it with the next update.

Wow. I just received an update and it is fixed already!

[Tortuga]

9 hours ago, Ezra said:

Hello, a question. We used to be able to print a list of the Aux Pioneers and Regular Pioneers every month under Secretary...........Reports.........Pioneers.  Now it does not, and only allows Oct 2023-Jan. 2024 time range. That is it. Has there been a change? The system is fully updated.

Minor Update 7.5 #1373 Fixes: S-10 Congregation Analysis, Pioneers report, Auxiliary Pioneers, and more

 

[Ezra]

Yes, fixed, thank you.

[Tonis]

Hello everyone,

Since we will have our circuit overseer visit in a month, I am currently working on preparing the schedule. The circuit overseer would like to go out in the ministry one afternoon with his wife. Unfortunately, I don’t see a way to enter this into the scheduler. Do you have any ideas?

[Sooner Guy 89]

That is an interesting issue. On the CO Visit schedule, you could add it in the notes section for that day's service arrangements. Our CO likes to do a group lunch at the KH, so we just add the info to the notes rather than assigning a publisher.

[➕👇 ꓤꓱꓷꓠꓵ🎵Tone]

PIE CHART

I have a question regarding the "couples" category

The NWP Home Page congregation 'Pie Chart' has a  Red 'Couples' key.

However, I cannot see how to set a couple as a couple.

We have lots of 'couples' in our Cong, and I'd like to make my pie look pretty.

Any tips on how to set a 'couple' would be welcome.

TIA

TonyW

[molnarj]

First make sure that you have connected couples/families in the Persons section by selecting a brother as Family Head. Link the rest to the Family by ticking Link to Family. 

 

Go to Congregation > Groups and Families > Families (Top right corner)

 

Chose a Family on the left, select the members from the right and then chose in the middle on top in the drop down menu what you want. Make a distinction between couples and families.

 

I think this should work.

 

[➕👇 ꓤꓱꓷꓠꓵ🎵Tone]

...
I think this should work...

Yes. It worked Ty.
Correcting the 'singles' is more problematic.

Old (Downunder) Tone

[Tortuga]

I found an interesting "undocumented feature" in NWS.

 

As a Group Overseer I have limited access to most of the NWS program. Everything in the Schedule section is View Only for me.  However, I do have editing access to everything in the Persons section.

 

I just discovered that I could go to any Persons Information area, look at their History that shows their past and current assignments, and I can permanently delete any assignment or duty.

Edited September 15 by Tortuga

[Mike047]

May they never upset you, Richard

[Manwithnoname]

Hi all.

Can i just draw on the accumulated knowledge here please.

i am Maintenance Coordinator/op.commitee chairman in my hall so use the maintenance section of the program.   only issue i have found is there is an occasional weekly task - eg testing the fire alarm that needs scheduled.

as far as i can see the maintenance tasks can only be assigned monthly.

has anyone any suggestions as to what i could do here?

 

i know it could be possible to schedule a custom task in one of the other schedules but i dont especially want to have edit rights for the other schedules unless necessary.

 

any suggestions welcome.

 

thank you

Kevin

[Tonis]

Hello everyone, is there a way to schedule the visits of the service overseer to the field service groups in the NW Scheduler?

[molnarj]

You can find it under Congregation Events. Select a specific group below.

 

Edited September 18 by molnarj

[Micheli]

RE NWP territories

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,   

 

I am new to NWPublisher. I just moved to a Congregation that uses it. It looks really great. 

WE currently do not use it (yet) for territories. They keep trying to Install this option (territories) for 9 months.

 

At last Elders's meeting, I was asked to look at/purchase a new PC Windows for KH in order for the Brothers in charge of territories to be able to give territories at the KH, before and after meetings,  for publishers asking for one, and be also to return them.

They already have one, even if looks like 3 years old.

I am surprise they told me this CANNOT be done on a Android device, smartphone or tablet).

Before I spend the widow's money, can someone tell me if managing territories, in and out, can be done with appropriates right by the brothers in charge of the territories on android ?

 

Thank you for you help,

Agape,

Michel

 

[computerwiz]

1 hour ago, Micheli said:

managing territories, in and out, can be done with appropriates right by the brothers in charge of the territories on android ?

 

The management of territories (checking in/out, adding, changing, etc.) must be done on a Windows PC.  The only thing you can do on a phone or tablet is view the territories you've been assigned & check them in when you are finished.

Edited September 18 by computerwiz

[Cruzer]

2 hours ago, Micheli said:

Before I spend the widow's money, can someone tell me if managing territories, in and out, can be done with appropriates right by the brothers in charge of the territories on android?

 

What some of us have done & what I've done as our congregation's territory servant is, use a remote desktop software to remote back into my Windows system while I'm away from home. I've been using TeamViewer but know others have used Chrome Remote Desktop & other similar software.

[jwhess]

It also depends on the rank or level of the software you have purchased.  The 'Silver' level and  lower do not have territory ability.  You need the 'Gold' level app.