Why can't I optimize a technician's route?

When running the route optimization for a tech, the routes do not optimize even though all of the addresses appear to be correct and the dispatches are all in a pending status.

Cause of Issue:

When running the route optimization utility, if there is a date within the "Date Dispatch" field on any dispatch to be optimized, that particular dispatch will not be included in the optimization directions. If there is a date in the "Dispatch Date" field, it has been placed there either because it was manually entered by a user or the dispatch status code has been changed from "Pending" to another status code.

Resolution:

To solve the problem:

1. If the dispatch has a status other than "Pending", change it back to a pending status and resave the dispatch.
2. If the dispatch is already in a "Pending" status but has a manually entered date within the "Date Dispatch" field, go into the Dispatch Entry screen and remove the date leaving the field blank and save the change. You can also modify this by changing the status from pending to working and then back to pending again and save the change.