Locations

When planning to use Auto-Assignment, consider the structure of stores and departments carefully. Schedules are generated by Auto-Assignment to satisfy coverage needs of each department. The size and number of departments can influence the amount of shifts scheduled by an Auto-Assignment run.

For example, the margin for acceptable overstaffing required to create a shift that covers a gap in coverage is considered on a per-department basis. Using fewer departments can reduce the level of overstaffing as there is less chance that overstaffing shifts are created to cover these gaps. Having fewer departments may not be desirable in all environments as it reduces the level of details that can be specified for forecasts and employee assignments.

The required hours of operation for each store that you are planning to schedule should be considered. The hours of operation determine which times of the day can have workload requirements. Any times outside the hours of operation are considered to have a workload requirement of zero.

The Schedule Requirement Interval set for the location determines the intervals used to calculate staff coverage. It also determines the smallest possible interval for the possible start and end times of shifts created by Auto-Assignment. For example, a 30 minute interval allows shifts to start and end on either the hour or half hour. Setting a lower interval gives Auto-Assignment more shift choices to fill staff coverage needs. A lower interval increases the complexity of the schedule, which can have an impact on performance. The interval should be set at the highest level that can satisfy the shift start and end times required by your client.