A customer driven, sponsor controlled network-based graphical scheduling system and method effectuates bi-lateral customer driven appointment scheduling with a sponsoring organization. The scheduling system facilitates the sponsoring organization, such as a doctor's office, clinic, auto repair shop or the like, to communicate an invitation to the customer, such as a patient, client or consumer, whereby the customer schedules an appointment with the sponsoring organization. The scheduling system may include a controller which receives an appointment time offered by the sponsoring organization. The schedule is synchronized with a desktop and an on-line component allowing the sponsoring organization to schedule on the local desktop/file server and allowing the customer to schedule through an Internet World Wide Web site. The controller can offer time slot options to the customer via a well-informed electronic scheduler. The display of the schedule is filtered to show only time segments which meet the criteria associated with the individual customer. The criteria will include sponsoring organization availability, contiguous time slot availability and resource availability. The customer will have the opportunity to accept the most desirable appointment time. The controller will communicate the information to the sponsoring organization.