How LFSO Auto-Assignment works

The LFSO optimization model is designed to create a schedule that covers the workload requirements of a location. The workload requirements can come from the location forecast, which provides a distribution of staff needs based on a location's historical performance or some other method. Workload requirements can also come from a location's minimum staffing requirements, which are defined as part of the location setup.

The optimizer uses a tiered model to create and assign shifts. Shifts are generated and assigned to employees with two goals. The first is to create a schedule that gets as close as possible to meeting the workload requirements with minimal under-staffing or over-staffing. The second goal is to create a schedule that follows the scheduling rules to the greatest extent possible.

The shift rules and break rules define the set of possible shifts that can be created by Auto-Assignment. Shift rules define the acceptable start times and lengths of shifts. A break rule defines the conditions for when breaks must be included in a shift, the length of breaks, and the break time codes.

Scheduling rules are the constraints and preferences that determine when employees can be assigned to a particular shift. Scheduling rules can be used to implement mandatory scheduling requirements, such as employment laws or corporate policies, or to implement preferences that improve business performance or employee satisfaction.

Auto-Assignment creates a schedule from the set of acceptable shifts for each position that is required by a location. The employees selected by the Auto-Assignment Group filter are assigned to shifts if they are available and possess the necessary qualifications to work the shifts. If there are no available employees to be assigned to all the shifts, the remaining shifts are left unassigned or are removed from the schedule, depending on the configuration.

The schedules created by Auto-Assignment must be published before the information in the schedule can be used in the rest of the system. After creation, the user may manually intervene to assign the unpublished shifts or make other changes to suit their business needs before publishing the schedule.