Topics
Basic Concepts
Understanding the fundamental concepts of Rostery's scheduling and optimization system.
Schedule Template
The schedule template is the foundation of your scheduling work. It consists of:
- Staff rows: Each row represents one staff member.
- Day columns: Each column group represents one day in your schedule.
- Shift cells: Each cell is the intersection of a staff member and a shift on a specific day.
- Requirements row: The blue cells below the main table specify how many staff are needed for each shift.
- Configuration area: The section below the requirements row contains constraint settings.
The template is automatically generated based on your parameters (number of staff, days, and shifts).
Cell Markings
Rostery uses specific markings in the schedule cells to communicate availability, preferences, and assignments:
Input Markers
- X
Unavailable
Staff cannot work this shift.
- P
Preferred
Staff prefers to work this shift.
- A
User Fixed Assignment
Staff is assigned to this shift by the user. This assignment is fixed and will always be honored by the optimization system.
Output Markers
- S(A)
Assigned
The optimization system honored the user-supplied fixed manual assignment ("A").
- S(P)
Assigned
The optimization system managed to assign a preferred shift ("P").
Scheduling Constraints
Constraints control what makes a valid schedule. Rostery supports several types of constraints:
| Constraint | Description |
|---|---|
| Max Shifts Per Day | Maximum number of shifts a staff member can work in a single day. |
| Max Shifts Per Week | Maximum number of shifts a staff member can work in one week. |
| Required Staff | Number of staff needed for each shift. |
| Availability | Staff cannot be assigned to shifts marked with 'X'. |
| User Fixed Assignments | Shifts marked with 'A' are locked and won't be changed by the optimizer. |
Scheduling Priorities
Rostery's AI scheduling engine balances different priorities when creating schedules, following this hierarchy:
- User Fixed Assignments: Shifts marked with "A" are always respected, even if they conflict with other constraints. If user fixed assignments cause constraint violations, the system will highlight these issues in the diagnostics.
- Maximum Shifts Constraints: The system respects the maximum shifts per day and per week limits you've set. These should only be violated due to user fixed assignments.
- Required Staffing Levels: The system tries to meet the staff requirements for each shift and day as specified in the blue requirements row.
- Staff Preferences: Once the above constraints are satisfied, the system prioritizes assigning staff to their preferred shifts (marked with "P").
After scheduling is complete, Rostery provides detailed diagnostics about how well each of these priorities was met, helping you identify areas where the schedule could be improved in the next iteration.