Getting Started
Before taking advantage of ShiftController to the fullest, you will need to do some configuration - add you calendars, shift types, employees and configure a few settings. The initial setup process already added a few sample entries for you so this will not be difficult.
After installing and activating ShiftController in your WP admin panel, click the ShiftController link in your WordPress admin panel left pane.
Shift Types
You are very likely to use a limited set of start/end times for your shifts, and Shift Types provide a way to preconfigure those so you can quickly use them when making schedules.
Go to Administration > Shift Types to add and edit all your shift types.
There are two options for shift types depending on the shift duration. One is Hours which is for shifts within one day, for example from 08:00am to 02:00pm. Another one is Days which is designed for shifts longer than one day. For example it might be useful for holidays which are technically just shifts in a certain calendar.
So for example, for Barista shifts you can create the following shift types:
- Morning Shift [08:00am - 02:00pm]
- Night Shift [22:00pm - 03:00am]
For Time Off:
- Short Term Holidays [2 - 7 Days]
You will configure when certain shift types are used in the next step when adding and configuring calendars.
Calendars
Calendars are used to organize your shifts. Calendars may represent locations, positions, departments, or skills. Examples:
- Barista
- Door Security
- Time Off
Go to Administration > Calendars to add and edit all your calendar options.
After you create a calendar, you will need to configure which shift types are used in this calendar.
Employees
Employees represent your human resources who can be assigned to shifts. You can also configure which employees can work in which calendars.
Go to Administration > Employees to add and edit your employees details.
Then you can configure the calendars to employees relations either from Administration > Employees or Administration > Calendars views.
Schedule
Having added and configured your Calendars, Shift Types, and Employees, you are now ready to start making your shift schedules. Just go to the Everyone Schedule menu.
Creating Shifts
Click the Add New button, the new shift form will appear. Choose Calendar, Shift Type, Employee, then a calendar with available date options will appear. If a new shift would create a conflict with existing shifts, such dates will be marked red. Choose the date that the new shift will take place on, then click Create Draft or Create Published. In a moment a new shift will be added.
Publishing Shifts
If you first created a shift in the Draft state, you might probably want to change or delete some of those shifts, but sooner or later you'll want to publish the schedule. Choose a shift that you wish to publish, click on it, actions menu will appear, then click Publish.