What is a group block?
A group block is a unit used in space planning to make sure the right people will be booked at desks near each other when Calven auto-books your office. Each block is booked desks together based on the same set of rules.
A group block consists of the primary members of each group within it who are also members of this office. If your directory has hierarchy, parent groups are at the top of the block, and child groups will be auto-booked within their parent groups' neighborhoods.
Using the group blocks table
Calven understands that the company directory does not always reflect the way that groups or project teams actually work together. The group blocks table makes it easy to see the list of blocks for your office, and use real booking data to make informed decisions on changes to block hierarchy and neighborhood allocations.
In the table, each group will have columns to display different attendance metrics, based on real booking data in your office. To change the date range that this booking data is based on, use the date selector near the top right side of the table.
The attendance metrics displayed are:
- Average daily attendance: calculates daily attendance and then averages the values
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Calven recommended size: the recommended amount of space that should be provisioned to adequately support each group based on compiled booking data for your office
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Weekly peak attendance: calculates attendance by identifying the peak attendance day for each week, and then finds the median of those days
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Weekly low attendance: calculates attendance by identifying the low attendance day for each week, and then finds the median of those days
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Primary members: count of primary group members
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90th percentile attendance: 90% of days in the selected period have attendance equal to or below this value
Note: Only groups with primary members or allocated neighborhoods in this office will show up on the blocks table
Coming soon: add groups without primary members or allocated neighborhoods
Allocate blocks to neighborhoods
When members of a group auto-book desks, their desk are booked according to the neighborhood allocations and anchor desks configured here. Configuring these allocations is an important part of setting up your office for desk booking.
Open the allocated neighborhood popup for a block to a neighborhood by clicking in the allocated neighborhoods column in the blocks table. The allocated neighborhood is where this block will be auto-booked when Calven auto-books desks in this office. Add alternate neighborhoods if you'd like to control where the block is booked after the allocated neighborhood fills up.
If you'd like to control more specifically where a block will be auto-booked within a large zone, you can use the 
button to add an anchor desk. When an anchor desk is added, the block will be auto-booked around the anchor desk within this neighborhood.
Separating sub-groups into their own blocks
To allocate a child group to a different neighborhood from its parent, you can click the 
button on the blocks table and choose 'promote to self managed' - this will remove the child group from its original block and allow you to allocate it to a different neighborhood. You can return a group to its parent at any time by choosing 'return to parent'.
This is useful for scenarios where a child group has specific requirements such as:
- The child group needs to be in close proximity to a particular amenity on a floor such as a wireless access point (WAP)
- The group needs to be contained in a separate zone or neighborhood with specific monitor setup, for instance away from the Parent and other related child groups.
What happens if I don't allocate blocks to neighborhoods?
In offices that use the group togetherness booking algorithm, Calven recommends making as few allocations as possible - this allows the auto-booking algorithm to find the best fit for each group with less constraints.
In offices that use the individual preference algorithm, not allocating blocks to neighborhoods will result in individuals being auto-booked at their favorited desks, regardless of the groups they're a member of.
What neighborhoods will unallocated group blocks be booked into?
To choose neighborhoods to be auto-booked by unallocated group blocks, use the neighborhood booking order table in booking settings:
