Purpose Statement

Advanced Rotations allow agencies to combine multiple active rotation patterns within one rotation. Each pattern applies to a configured timeframe, enabling personnel to follow different recurring schedules across portions of a shift, such as day and night periods. Advanced Rotations use the existing rotation engine and appear on the Shift Board without changing Standard Rotation behavior.

Background Information

Standard Rotations remain available for schedules that use one recurring pattern. Advanced Rotations are intended for schedules that require at least two active layers.

The system evaluates each active layer independently within its selected timeframe. Rotation results use the same on/off interpretation as Standard Rotations:

• When a layer evaluates to on, the assigned person appears as working during that timeframe.
• When a layer evaluates to off, the assigned person does not appear as working during that timeframe.

The Shift Board renders these results dynamically. Advanced Rotations do not create stored shift records and do not introduce a different Shift Board workflow. They can also be used wherever Standard Rotations are supported, including Kelly Day generation, without changing existing Kelly Day logic.

Before creating an Advanced Rotation, configure the required timeframes. Timeframes cannot be created from the rotation editor.

Required Permissions

The permissions needed depend on the action being performed:

• Access Scheduling — Allows access to the Scheduling module.
• Access Setup — Allows an administrator or scheduler to open Scheduling Setup and create or modify rotations.
• Access Shift Board — Allows access to the Shift Board and its dynamically rendered rotation results.
• Add/edit personnel into shift board — Allows authorized personnel to place or edit personnel on the Shift Board, including applying a rotation through the existing personnel-on-rotation workflow.

Agency role configuration may further limit access. Under the Advanced Rotations access model, administrators have full access, schedulers can create and edit, chiefs can view, and standard users have no access.

Video

Step-by-Step Guide

Confirm that the required timeframes exist

• Navigate to Scheduling → Setup.

• Open the existing Pre-determined Time Frames configuration.

• Confirm that each timeframe needed for the rotation is available.

• If no timeframes exist, configure them before creating the Advanced Rotation. The system blocks layer creation and saving when no timeframe is available.

Open Rotations

• Navigate to Rotations.

• Create a new rotation.

Select the rotation type

• Open the Rotation Type dropdown.
• Select Advanced Rotation.

• Use Standard Rotation when the schedule requires only one pattern.

Add the first rotation layer

• Select a Timeframe from the dropdown.

• Select the required X on / Y off pattern.

• Enter an Offset in days when the pattern should begin after the rotation start date.

Add at least one additional active layer

• Add a second layer.

• Select its timeframe and pattern.
• Configure an offset when needed.
• Confirm that the layer is active.

• Add more layers when the schedule requires additional timeframe-based patterns.

Review timeframe overlap warnings

• Review the rotation for layers whose timeframe windows overlap.
• If an overlap is detected, the system displays a warning.

Preview and save the rotation

• Preview the rotation output.
• Verify that each layer starts from the rotation start date plus its configured offset.
• Confirm that the on/off pattern repeats as expected within each timeframe.

• Select Save.

Best Practices

• Use Standard Rotation for a single recurring pattern and Advanced Rotation only when at least two active timeframe-based patterns are required.
• Name timeframes clearly so schedulers can distinguish their intended coverage.
• Confirm the rotation start date and each layer's offset before saving.
• Review overlap warnings carefully. Saving is allowed, but unintended overlap can make schedule results difficult to interpret.
• Preview the output before assigning personnel.
• Verify several recurrence cycles on the Shift Board after configuration.
• End an existing rotation before starting a replacement rotation to preserve assignment history.
• Validate Kelly Day results when an Advanced Rotation will be used for Kelly Day generation.
• Avoid adding inactive layers solely to meet the minimum; only active layers count.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: Why can’t I select a timeframe for a rotation layer?

A: Advanced Rotations use timeframes from Pre-determined Time Frames. Confirm that at least one timeframe has been configured before creating the rotation.

Q: Why can’t I save an Advanced Rotation?

A: Confirm that the rotation has at least two active layers and that every required layer has both a timeframe and a pattern. Inactive layers do not count toward the two-layer minimum.

Q: What should I use for a schedule with only one pattern?

A: Use a Standard Rotation. Advanced Rotations cannot be saved with only one active layer.

Q: Does a timeframe overlap prevent saving?

A: No. The system displays a non-blocking warning so the scheduler can review the overlap, but saving remains available when all required fields and the minimum active-layer requirement are satisfied.

Q: Why is a person not displayed as working during part of a shift?

A: Review the applicable layer's timeframe, pattern, rotation start date, offset, and active status. A person appears as working only when the layer for that timeframe evaluates to on.

Q: Can I create a timeframe while editing an Advanced Rotation?

A: No. Create the timeframe in Pre-determined Time Frames before configuring the rotation.

Q: Can Advanced Rotations be used with Kelly Days?

A: Yes. Advanced Rotations use the existing rotation and Kelly Day interpretation logic, including existing off-day behavior.

Q: Will Standard Rotations change after Advanced Rotations are enabled?

A: No. Standard Rotation behavior remains unchanged.