Shift Planning

Module Overview

Purpose

The Shift Planning module serves for efficient planning of human and technical resources for staffing jobs and shifts. It allows users to define their time availability, administrators to create shifts with required positions, and subsequently assign specific employees and technical resources to individual shifts based on their availability.

Key Features

• Entering employee time availability (when they can/cannot work)
• Defining custom technical resources (cars, classrooms, projector, laptop, etc.)
• Setting time disposition of custom resources
• Creating shifts with definition of required positions and number of people
• Automatic search for available resources based on time availability
• Assigning specific people and custom resources to shifts
• Automatic sending of assignment information via email or SMS
• Preparing shifts before their publication (optional section)
• Displaying own assigned shifts
• Exporting shifts to Excel
• History of changes and notes

Target Audience

The module is designed for organizations that need to plan employee shifts and technical resources. It will be especially useful for:

• Regular employees: Enter their time availability and view their shifts
• Fleet/equipment managers: Set availability of cars, classrooms, and other resources
• Shift planners: Create shifts and assign employees and resources to them
• Department managers: Monitor shift staffing and resource availability
• Module administrators: Manage module settings, define custom resources, and have access to all functions

Settings and Configuration

Module Settings

Path: Settings → Shift Planning

In the module settings, you can configure the following functions:

Defining Custom Resources

Custom resources are technical or material resources that you need to assign to shifts. In settings, you can define:

• Type: Resource category (e.g., "Car", "Classroom", "Equipment")
• Name: Specific resource name (e.g., "Skoda Octavia 4T5 1234", "Classroom 201", "Epson Projector")
• Default availability: Default resource availability
  • Never: Resource is unavailable by default
  • Always: Resource is available all day by default
  • Working days only: Resource is available only on working days
  • Non-working days only: Resource is available only on weekends and holidays

Note: Default availability serves as the initial setting that is automatically pre-filled when setting the resource's time disposition. You can change this setting individually for each day.

Allow Resource Assignment to Multiple Shifts Within 1 Day

This setting allows assigning one resource (employee or custom resource) to multiple shifts during one day, as long as they don't overlap in time. By default, each resource is available for only one shift per day.

Example: If an employee has time availability from 8:00 to 20:00 and there are two shifts (8:00-12:00 and 14:00-18:00), they can be assigned to both shifts when this function is enabled.

Enable Shifts - In Preparation Section

Enabling this section provides a separate space for preparing shifts before publication. Shifts in preparation are visible only to users with corresponding rights, and regular employees won't see them in the overview. After completing preparation, mark the shift as "Scheduled" to move it to regular shifts.

User Rights

The module offers five levels of user rights that determine what functions a user can use:

No Access

User has no access to the Shift Planning module and won't see it in the menu.

Enter Own Time Availability and View Own Shifts

Basic level for regular employees. User can:

• Fill in their time availability for individual days (My Time Availability section)
• View shifts they've been assigned to (My Shifts section)
• Add notes to their time availability
• Display history of changes to their time availability

Recommended use: Regular employees who work shifts

Enter Own Time Availability, View Own Shifts, and Set Custom Resource Disposition

Extended level for technical resource managers. User has everything from the previous level plus:

• Set time disposition of custom resources (Resources - Custom section)
• Manage availability of cars, classrooms, equipment, and other resources

Recommended use: Fleet managers, classroom administrators, IT technicians managing technical equipment

View Everything and Assign Resources to Shifts

Planning level. User has everything from previous levels plus:

• View time availability of all users (Resources - People section)
• View all shifts (Shifts section)
• Assign specific people and custom resources to existing shifts
• Mark shifts as "Scheduled"
• Send assignment information via email or SMS
• Export shifts to Excel
• Edit notes on shifts

Recommended use: Department managers, shift planners

View Everything, Assign Resources to Shifts, and Create and Delete Shifts

Full module administrator level. User has everything from previous levels plus:

• Create new shifts
• Edit existing shifts (date, time, name, cost center, note)
• Delete shifts
• Add and remove required positions (human resources) on shifts
• Add and remove required custom resources on shifts
• Access the Shifts - In Preparation section (if enabled)
• Edit time availability of other users (Resources - People section)

Recommended use: Module administrators, HR personnel, company management

User Interface

Main Screen

After opening the Shift Planning module, the main panel with tabs for individual module sections is displayed. The displayed sections depend on your user rights.

Module Sections Overview

Resources - Custom

Visible to users with rights: Enter own time availability, view own shifts, and set custom resource disposition and higher

In this section, you set the time disposition of custom technical resources (cars, classrooms, equipment). You determine when a given resource is available for assignment to shifts.

Resources - People

Visible to users with rights: View everything and assign resources to shifts and higher

Displays time availability of all users in the system. Allows administrators to view and edit employee availability for shift planning.

My Time Availability

Visible to all users with access to the module

Here you enter your time availability - when you can/cannot work. Based on this information, the system will offer you for assignment to shifts.

Shifts - In Preparation

Visible to users with rights: View everything, assign resources to shifts, and create and delete shifts (if the section is enabled in settings)

Space for preparing shifts before publication. You can completely prepare shifts here and move them to regular shifts only after completion by marking them as "Scheduled".

Shifts

Visible to users with rights: View everything and assign resources to shifts and higher

Overview of all scheduled and published shifts. Here you can view, filter, and manage shifts.

My Shifts

Visible to all users with access to the module

Displays only shifts you are personally assigned to. Allows you to quickly find out when and which shifts you are scheduled for.

Navigation

Switch between sections by clicking on the corresponding tab in the top panel. The active section is highlighted in green.

Buttons and Actions

Add Button

Located in the Shifts and Shifts - In Preparation sections. Opens the form for creating a new shift. Available only to users with full module administrator rights.

Scheduled Button

Displayed in the detail of a shift that is in "preparation" status. Clicking moves the shift from the Shifts - In Preparation section to the Shifts section, making it accessible to all authorized users.

Select Resources Button

Located in shift details for individual required positions and custom resources. Opens a dialog with selection of available people or resources for the given position.

Send Info to Users Button

Allows sending email or SMS to all users assigned to a given shift. Located in shift details.

Export to Excel Button

Exports the shift overview to an Excel file. Located in the Shifts and Shifts - In Preparation sections.

Add Required Resources Button

In shift details, allows adding a new required position (human resource) or custom resource.

Basic Operations

For Regular Users

Entering Time Availability

Time availability determines when you can work. Based on this, the system will offer you for assignment to shifts.

1. Open the Shift Planning module
2. Click on the My Time Availability section
3. Select the Month and Year for which you want to enter availability
4. Optional: For faster filling, you can pre-fill the from-to time:
   • In the Pre-fill "Available from-to" as field, select the start and end time (e.g., 8 - 16)
   • Click the Set button
   • This will pre-fill all "from-to" fields with the selected time
5. For each day of the month, select one of the options:
   • Cannot: You cannot work on this day
   • Available all day: You can work anytime during the whole day (0-24 hours)
   • Available from-to: You can work only within a specified time range
     • Check the Available from-to option
     • In the first dropdown, select the start of availability (hour from)
     • In the second dropdown, select the end of availability (hour to)
6. Optional: In the Note field, you can write the reason for unavailability or other important information
7. Changes are saved automatically after filling in

Notes:

• Green column indicates "Available all day" option
• Red column indicates "Cannot" option
• Blue column indicates "Available from-to" option
• Days off and weekends are highlighted with lighter color in the table
• If you are already assigned to a shift on a given day, shift information is displayed instead of selection option

Viewing Made Changes

At the bottom of the My Time Availability section, there is a Made Changes table that displays the history of all modifications to your time availability for the selected month. For each change, you can see:

• Date and time of the change
• Who made the change
• Description of the change (e.g., "Set availability from 8 to 16 for January 15, 2025")

Viewing My Shifts

To view shifts you are assigned to:

1. Open the Shift Planning module
2. Click on the My Shifts section
3. A table with your shifts is displayed
4. You can filter shifts by status:
   • All: Displays all shifts (past and future)
   • Past: Displays only shifts that have already occurred
   • Planned: Displays only future shifts
5. For each shift, you can see:
   • Shift date
   • Shift name
   • Time from - to
   • Assigned resources - people (other employees on the shift)
   • Assigned resources - custom (cars, equipment, etc.)

For Custom Resource Managers

Setting Custom Resource Disposition

If you have the right to manage custom resources (cars, classrooms, equipment), you can set their availability:

1. Open the Shift Planning module
2. Click on the Resources - Custom section
3. In the Resource field, select the resource whose availability you want to set (e.g., "Car - Skoda Octavia")
4. Select Year and Month
5. The system displays a table with all days in the month
6. For each day, set the resource availability:
   • Unavailable: Resource cannot be used on this day
   • Available all day: Resource is available anytime during the day
   • Available from-to: Resource is available only within a specified time range
     • Check the Available from-to option
     • In the first dropdown, select the start of availability (hour)
     • In the second dropdown, select the end of availability (hour)
7. Changes are saved automatically

Note: The system automatically pre-fills availability based on the resource's default setting defined in Settings → Shift Planning. You can modify it for individual days as needed.

For Shift Planners

Creating a Shift

Complete procedure for creating and scheduling a shift:

Step 1: Creating the Shift

1. Open the Shift Planning module
2. Go to the section:
   • Shifts - In Preparation (if the section is enabled and you want to prepare the shift first)
   • or Shifts (for direct creation of a published shift)
3. Click the Add button
4. Fill in basic shift details:
   • Name: Shift name (e.g., "Training", "Afternoon Shift", "Warehouse") - required field
   • Date: Day of the shift - required field
   • Cost Center: You can select an existing cost center or enter a new one
   • From: Shift start (hour:minute) - required field
   • To: Shift end (hour:minute) - required field
   • Note: Any additional information about the shift
5. Click the Save button
6. The shift is created and its detail opens

Step 2: Adding Required Positions (Human Resources)

1. In the shift detail in the Resources - People section, click the Add Required Resources button
2. In the dialog, fill in:
   • Position: Select the required position from the list (e.g., "manager", "IT technician", "trainer")
   • Count: Enter how many people with this position you need (e.g., 2)
3. Click Save
4. The position is added to the list of required resources
5. Repeat for all needed positions

Example: For training, you can add "trainer" (count: 2) and "IT technician" (count: 1)

Step 3: Adding Required Custom Resources

1. In the shift detail in the Resources - Custom section, click the Add Required Resources button
2. In the dialog, fill in:
   • Type: Select the resource type (e.g., "Car", "Classroom", "Projector")
   • Count: Enter how many units of this type you need
3. Click Save
4. The custom resource is added to the list of required resources
5. Repeat for all needed custom resources

Example: For training, you can add "Classroom" (count: 1) and "Projector" (count: 1)

Step 4: Selecting Specific People for Positions

1. In the shift detail in the Resources - People section, click the Select Resources button for a specific position
2. A dialog with an overview of available users is displayed:
   • The system automatically offers only users with the corresponding position
   • Displays only users who have time availability for the given day and time
   • Already assigned users are not displayed (unless multiple shifts per day is allowed)
3. Check the users you want to assign to the shift
4. Click Assign
5. Selected users appear in the "Filled" section
6. Repeat for all positions until all are filled

Note: If the system doesn't offer any available users, it means no one with the given position has time availability for that time or all are already assigned to another shift.

Step 5: Selecting Specific Custom Resources

1. In the shift detail in the Resources - Custom section, click the Select Resources button for a specific type
2. A dialog with an overview of available resources of that type is displayed
3. The system offers only resources that:
   • Are set as available for the given day and time
   • Are not already assigned to another shift (unless multiple shifts per day is allowed)
4. Check the resources you want to assign
5. Click Assign
6. Selected resources appear in the "Filled" section

Step 6: Completing and Publishing the Shift

1. Verify that all required positions and resources are filled:
   • For each position, you see the "required/filled" ratio (e.g., 2/2)
   • Green checkmark indicates sufficient staffing
   • Red X indicates insufficient staffing
2. If the shift is in preparation, click the Scheduled button:
   • The system asks for confirmation
   • After confirmation, the shift moves to the Shifts section
3. Optional: Send information to assigned users (see below)

Editing a Shift

To edit an existing shift:

1. In the Shifts or Shifts - In Preparation section, click the edit icon for the relevant shift
2. Or open the shift detail and click the pencil icon for individual fields
3. You can edit:
   • Date, name, cost center
   • Time from - to
   • Note
   • Required positions and their count
   • Required custom resources and their count
   • Assigned people and resources
4. Changes are saved automatically or after clicking Save

Warning: If you change the shift time, verify that assigned people and resources are still available at the new time.

Deleting a Shift

1. In the Shifts or Shifts - In Preparation section, click the trash icon for the relevant shift
2. The system asks for deletion confirmation
3. Click Yes to confirm
4. The shift will be deleted and assigned users will no longer see it

Warning: Deleting a shift is an irreversible operation. Before deleting, consider whether it would be more appropriate to just edit the shift.

Sending Assignment Information

After assigning users to a shift, you can automatically send information via email or SMS:

1. Open the shift detail
2. In the Resources - Custom section, click the Send Info to Users button
3. In the dialog, select the sending method:
   • Email: Sends email to all assigned users
   • SMS: Sends SMS to mobile number (if provided and in correct format)
   • Email and SMS: Sends both
   • SMS or email: Attempts to send SMS, if unsuccessful, sends email
4. Click Send
5. The system sends messages to all assigned users with shift information (date, name, time, position)

Copying a Shift

To quickly create a similar shift, you can copy an existing one:

1. In the Shifts section, click the copy icon for the shift you want to copy
2. A form for creating a new shift opens with pre-filled data from the old shift
3. Modify the date, time, and other details as needed
4. Click Save
5. A new shift is created with required positions and custom resources from the old shift

Note: Only required positions and custom resources are copied, not specific assigned people. Those must be assigned again.

For Administrators

Viewing Resources Overview - People

As an administrator, you can view time availability of all users:

1. Open the Shift Planning module
2. Click on the Resources - People section
3. In the User field, select the user whose time availability you want to view
4. Select Month and Year
5. A table with the selected user's time availability is displayed
6. You see the same information as the user in their My Time Availability section
7. At the bottom, you see the history of changes to the user's time availability

Editing Time Availability of Other Users

If needed (illness, vacation), you can edit time availability of other users:

1. In the Resources - People section, select a user
2. Select month and year
3. Optional: Pre-fill from-to time for faster filling
4. For each day, set availability same as in the My Time Availability section:
   • Cannot
   • Available all day
   • Available from-to (with time selection)
5. In the Note field, you can write the reason for change (e.g., "Illness", "Vacation")
6. Changes are saved automatically
7. All made changes are recorded in history with your name as the author

Note: Use editing of other users' time availability only in justified cases. Normally, each user should manage their own time availability.

Advanced Functions

Export to Excel

For analysis or printing of shift overview, you can export data to an Excel file:

1. Open the Shifts or Shifts - In Preparation section
2. Set the filter as needed (all/past/planned, date range)
3. Click the Export to Excel button
4. The file downloads to your computer
5. Excel contains all visible shifts with their details

Filtering Shifts

In the Shifts, Shifts - In Preparation, and My Shifts sections, you can filter displayed shifts:

Filter by Status

• All: Displays all shifts without restriction
• Past: Displays only shifts that have already occurred (shift date is in the past)
• Planned: Displays only future shifts (shift date is in the future or today)

Filter by Date

In the Shifts section, you can filter by date range:

1. In the Only between field, enter the from date (e.g., 1/1/2025)
2. Enter the to date (e.g., 1/31/2025)
3. The table automatically updates and displays only shifts in the specified range

Search

In shift tables, you can use the search field to quickly find a specific shift:

• Enter shift name, cost center, or person's name in the search field
• The table automatically filters based on the entered text

Assignment to Multiple Shifts Within One Day

If the "Allow resource assignment to multiple shifts within 1 day" function is enabled in module settings, the system allows the following behavior:

For Human Resources

• An employee can be assigned to multiple shifts in one day
• Condition: Shifts must not overlap in time
• When selecting resources, the system checks if the user's time availability covers the entire duration of both shifts

Example: A user has time availability 8:00-20:00. They can be assigned to shift 8:00-12:00 and also shift 14:00-18:00.

For Custom Resources

• A custom resource (car, classroom) can be assigned to multiple shifts in one day
• Condition: Shifts must not overlap in time
• When selecting resources, the system checks resource availability for the time of both shifts

Example: A car is available all day. It can be assigned to morning shift 6:00-10:00 and afternoon shift 14:00-18:00.

Disabling the Function

If the function is not enabled, each resource can be assigned to only one shift per day, regardless of time overlap.

Change History

The system automatically records all important shift changes in history.

Viewing Shift History

1. Open the shift detail
2. Go to the History section (located at the bottom of the shift detail)
3. The table displays a chronological overview of changes:
   • Recorded by: Who made the change
   • Date: When the change was made
   • Action: Description of the change made

What is Recorded

The following events are automatically saved to history:

• Shift creation
• Change of basic details (date, time, name)
• Adding or removing required positions
• Adding or removing required custom resources
• Assigning or removing specific people
• Assigning or removing specific custom resources
• Status change (preparation → scheduled)
• Note modification
• Sending information to users

Time Availability Changes Made

In the My Time Availability and Resources - People sections, there is a Made Changes table that records the history of modifications to user's time availability.

What is Recorded

• Each time availability change for a specific day
• Date and time of the change
• Who made the change (user themselves or administrator)
• Description of change (e.g., "Set availability from 8 to 16 for January 15, 2025")

Usage

• Checking when changes were made to time availability
• Verifying who made the change (important if made by administrator)
• Tracking availability history for control or audit purposes

Integration

Connected Modules

Settings

The Shift Planning module is closely connected to the Settings module:

• Settings → Shift Planning: Here you define custom resources, their default availability, and other module parameters
• Settings → Users: Here you set user positions, which are then used for shift selection
• Settings → User Rights: Here you assign access levels to individual users for the Shift Planning module

Users

User positions defined in the Users module are directly used in Shift Planning:

• When creating a shift, you select required positions from the list of defined positions
• When selecting resources, the system offers only users with the corresponding position
• Change of user position is immediately reflected in the offer of available resources for shifts

Example: If a user has the position "IT technician" assigned in the Users module, the system will offer them only for shifts that require the "IT technician" position.

SMS Gateway

If you have an SMS gateway configured, you can send SMS notifications about shift assignments:

• The function is available in shift details via the Send Info to Users button
• SMS is sent only to valid mobile numbers
• SMS content: "Assignment to shift [date] [name] [time from]-[time to]"

Email

The system automatically sends email notifications about shift assignments:

• Email contains complete shift information (date, name, time, position, note)
• Email is in HTML format with a clear table
• Sent to the user's email address specified in their profile

Data Flows

User Positions → Shift Selection

1. Administrator defines positions in Settings → User Groups (e.g., "Trainer", "IT technician", "Manager")
2. Administrator assigns positions to individual users in Settings → Users
3. Shift planner creates a shift and defines the required position (e.g., "Trainer", count 2)
4. When selecting resources, the system:
   • Loads all users with position "Trainer"
   • Checks their time availability for the given day and time
   • Verifies they are not already assigned to another shift
   • Offers only those who meet all conditions
5. Planner selects specific people from the offer and assigns them to the shift

Custom Resources → Disposition → Shift Selection

1. Administrator defines custom resources in Settings → Shift Planning (e.g., "Car - Skoda Octavia")
2. Sets default resource availability (e.g., "Working days only")
3. Custom resource manager in the Resources - Custom section sets specific availability for individual days
4. Shift planner creates a shift and defines the required custom resource (e.g., "Car", count 1)
5. When selecting resources, the system:
   • Loads all resources of type "Car"
   • Checks their disposition for the given day and time
   • Verifies they are not already assigned to another shift
   • Offers only those that are available
6. Planner selects a specific car and assigns it to the shift

Time Availability → Availability for Shifts

1. User enters in the My Time Availability section when they can work (e.g., January 15, 2025: Available from 8 to 16)
2. The change is saved to the database
3. Planner creates a shift for January 15, 2025 from 10:00 to 14:00
4. When selecting resources, the system checks user's time availability:
   • User has availability 8-16, shift is 10-14 → MATCHES
   • System offers the user for assignment
5. If the shift were e.g., 7:00-9:00, the user would not be offered (doesn't have time availability from 7:00)

Dependencies

Need to Define Positions

For proper functioning of the Shift Planning module, user positions must be defined in advance:

1. Go to Settings → User Groups
2. Create positions you will need (e.g., "Trainer", "IT technician", "Manager", "Warehouse worker")
3. Go to Settings → Users
4. Assign corresponding positions to each user

Important: Without defined positions, the system won't be able to offer suitable users for shifts. Each user can have multiple positions assigned.

Time Availability Before Creating Shift

Recommended workflow:

1. First ensure users enter their time availability for the relevant period
2. Only then create shifts and assign users to them
3. If a user doesn't have time availability entered, the system won't offer them for shift assignment

Defining Custom Resources Before Use

Before you can use custom resources in the Shift Planning module:

1. Go to Settings → Shift Planning
2. Create all needed custom resources (cars, classrooms, equipment)
3. Set their default availability
4. Only then can you set their specific dispositions in the Resources - Custom section
5. And subsequently assign them to shifts

Troubleshooting

System Doesn't Offer Any Available Users for Shift

Possible causes:

• No user with the required position has time availability entered for the given day and time
• All users with the required position are already assigned to another shift on that day
• Users have time availability but it doesn't cover the entire shift duration (e.g., availability until 15:00 but shift ends at 16:00)
• Position is not correctly set for users

Solution:

1. Check in the Resources - People section whether users with the required position have time availability entered
2. If not, ask them to fill it in or set it yourself
3. Verify that users have the required position correctly assigned in Settings → Users
4. Check that user time availability covers the entire shift duration (from start to end)
5. If multiple shifts per day is allowed, check that shifts don't overlap in time

System Doesn't Offer Any Available Custom Resources

Possible causes:

• Custom resources of the given type are not defined in settings
• Custom resources don't have disposition set for the given day and time
• All custom resources are already assigned to another shift on that day
• Default resource availability is set to "Never" and wasn't changed for the specific day

Solution:

1. Verify in Settings → Shift Planning that custom resources of the required type are defined
2. Check resource disposition for the given day in the Resources - Custom section
3. Ensure disposition covers the entire shift duration
4. Check if resources are not already assigned to another shift on that day

User Doesn't See Section They Should Have Access To

Possible causes:

• User doesn't have sufficient rights to the Shift Planning module
• The "Shifts - In Preparation" section is disabled in module settings

Solution:

1. Check user rights in Settings → Users
2. Verify the rights level for the "Shift Planning" module
3. If you want to enable the "Shifts - In Preparation" section, enable it in Settings → Shift Planning

Cannot Save "Available from-to" Time Availability

Possible causes:

• You didn't select a value in one of the fields (from or to)
• You didn't check the "Available from-to" option (blue checkbox)

Solution:

1. First check the blue "Available from-to" option
2. Then select the start hour in the first dropdown
3. And the end hour in the second dropdown
4. The change is saved automatically after filling in both values

User Didn't Receive Email About Shift Assignment

Possible causes:

• User doesn't have an email address filled in their profile
• Email address is incorrectly entered
• Email ended up in spam
• Sending method including email wasn't used

Solution:

1. Check in Settings → Users that the user has a correctly filled email
2. Ask the user to check their spam folder
3. Verify that you selected a sending method including email in the "Send Info to Users" dialog (Email, Email and SMS, or SMS or email)
4. Try sending the email again

Shift Doesn't Appear in "My Shifts" Section

Possible causes:

• Shift is still in "preparation" status and wasn't marked as "Scheduled"
• User is not assigned to the shift
• "Past" filter is active and shift is future (or vice versa)

Solution:

1. Check in the Shifts or Shifts - In Preparation section whether the user is actually assigned
2. If shift is in preparation, mark it as "Scheduled"
3. In the My Shifts section, try the "All" filter to display all shifts

Cannot Delete Required Position from Shift

Possible causes:

• You don't have sufficient rights (need full module administrator rights)
• Specific users are already assigned to the position

Solution:

1. If users are assigned to the position, remove them first
2. Only then can you delete the entire required position
3. If you still cannot delete, check your user rights

System Reports Shift Overlap

Possible causes:

• You're trying to assign a user or resource to two shifts that overlap in time
• The "Allow resource assignment to multiple shifts within 1 day" function is not enabled

Solution:

1. Check the times of both shifts and ensure they don't overlap
2. If you need to assign a resource to multiple shifts per day and they don't overlap, ask the administrator to enable the function in Settings → Shift Planning
3. If the function is disabled and you need it, adjust shift times so they are on different days

--- Last update date: 2025-11-10