Series: Add a work plan

Set up the work plan’s configuration

After you create a new work plan, set up the work plan’s weekly constraints for use when creating and maintaining schedules. These constraints include flexible times, minimum time between shifts, default maximum number of days to schedule an agent per week, and maximum shift start time variances.

  1. Click the Weekly Paid Time box. 
    Note: The Edit Work Plan Details dialog box opens.
  2. Select the Weekly Paid Time check box.
  3. To change the weekly paid time from the default amount of 40 hours, using the Hours and Minutes arrows, specify the number of weekly paid hours for this work plan.
  4. (Optional) Define flexibility in the number of weekly paid hours for this work plan:
    1. Select the Flexible times check box.
    2. Under Minimum, use the Hours and Minutes arrows to set the minimum number of paid hours allowed for the shift week.
    3. Under Maximum, use the Hours and Minutes arrows to set the maximum number of paid hours allowed for the shift week.
  5. (Optional) Under Minimum Working Days Per Week, use the up and down arrows to change the default minimum of days to schedule an agent per week. By default, the minimum number is one day.
  6. (Optional) Under Maximum Working Days Per Week, use the up and down arrows to change the default maximum number of days to schedule an agent per week. By default, the maximum number is seven days.
  7. (Optional) Under Minimum Consecutive Time Off Per Week, use the up and down arrows to change the minimum amount of consecutive time off to schedule an agent per week, in hours and minutes.
    Note: This setting is in calendar hours to allow for multiple days off in a row.
  8. Set up the work plan’s weekend constraints. For more information, see the next section.

  1. Click the Weekend Constraints tab.
  2. (Optional) Change the maximum number of consecutive weekends an agent can work:
    1. Select the Maximum Consecutive Working Weekends box.
    2. Use the arrows to select the number of weekends. 
  3. Set up the work plan’s planning period constraints. For more information, see the next section.

  1. Click the Planning Period Constraints tab.
  2. Under Minimum Days Off Per Planning Period, use the up and down arrows to select the minimum number of days off an agent can take per planning period.
  3. Under Maximum Days Off Per Planning Period, use the up and down arrows to select the maximum number of days off an agent can take per planning period.
  4. Under Minimum Paid Time Per Planning Period, use the up and down arrows to select the minimum number of paid time an agent can receive per planning period.
  5. Under Maximum Paid Time Per Planning Period, use the up and down arrows to select the maximum number of paid time an agent can receive per planning period.
  6. Set up the work plan’s general constraints. For more information, see the next section. 

  1. (Optional) Set the appropriate minute granularity for paid time (by default, this setting is not enabled):
    1. Select the Daily Paid Time Divisible By check box.
    2. Use the Minutes arrows to set the appropriate minute granularity for paid time. By default, the value for this setting is 15 minutes.
      Note: The goal of this constraint is to have a certain granularity of total daily paid time (for example, divisible by 15, 30, or 60 minutes). If a work plan starts at 9:00 a.m. with 20 minutes of total unpaid activity, a paid time range between 7 hours and 8 hours, and a daily paid time divisible by a value of 30 minutes, the following shifts are valid:
      • 9:00 a.m. start, 4:20 p.m. stop, 7 hours and 20 minutes for shift length, and 7 hours of paid time.
      • 9:00 a.m. start, 4:50 p.m. stop, 7 hours and 50 minutes for shift length, and 7 hours and 30 minutes of paid time.
      • 9:00 a.m. start, 5:20 p.m. stop, 8 hours and 20 minutes for shift length, and 8 hours of paid time.

      This is not a hard constraint; if no valid shifts can be produced for a given day, scheduling ignores this constraint for that day and attempts to produce valid shifts. 

  2. (Optional) Under Maximum Consecutive Working Days, use the up and down arrows to change the default maximum number of days to schedule an agent. By default, the maximum number is 7 days. This constraint looks at consecutive days worked at the end of the last schedule as well as the current schedule period.
  3. (Optional) Under Minimum Time Between Shift Starts, use the up and down arrows to change the default amount of time between the shift start times of two consecutive working days. By default, this number is 12 hours.
  4. (Optional) Under Maximum Time Between Shift, use the up and down arrows to change the default amount of time between the shift end and the start time of the next shift. By default, this number is 12 hours.
  5. (Optional) Specify the maximum shift start time variance for a select set of days:
    1. Select the Maximum Shift Start Time Variance check box.
    2. Choose the shift start variance type:
      • Shift Start
      • Shift Start and Paid Duration
        Note: When you select this setting, the Hour and Minutes settings are no longer available.
    3. Use the Hours and Minutes arrows to set the desired amount of time a shift start time can vary. 
    4. Click the day or days for which the shift start time variance applies.
    5. To add another shift start time variance, click add variance setting and repeat steps a-c.
      Note: You can add shift start time variances for up to three sets of days in the week. However, a day of the week can only belong to one set. The scheduling engine looks for a valid set of daily schedules that meet the maximum shift start time constraint. For more information, see About maximum shift start time variance.
  6. Click OK. 

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