Shift rule configuration in Auto Schedule
Updated
by
Daniel Sjögren
Introduction
Through shift rules you are able to control the type of shifts that the Auto Schedule is allowed to create. The shift rules are often based on labor rules and include considerations such as minimum shift length, maximum shift length and the earliest start time and latest end time of shifts. Different rules can be set up for different units and roles to account for regional and agreement differences.
The Auto Schedule will create shifts that comply with the shift rules configured while optimizing on shift length to cover the demand curve. For example, shorter shifts might be created to cover peak times.
Adding Shift Rules
Shift rules are configured in Pythia (AI Optimization) in Auto Schedule > Configuration > Shift Types.
To add shift rules (or Shift Types) for a specific unit, select any unit in the hierarchy on the left within the customer that you want to add shift rules for and select the + icon on the top-right side of the page. If you select the customer level you are able to view all shift rules, but you are not able to add any. Selecting the + icon opens up a side panel where you can add the initial basic parameters of the shift rules.
In the side panel for the Shift Type Configuration you are able to configure the following:
Configuration | Description |
Customer | By default defined as the selected customer in the hierarchy |
Name | The name of the configuration |
Description | A potential description of the shift rules in free text |
Is Active | An indicator whether the shift rule is active. If the configuration is not active, the shift rules will not be considered in Auto Schedule |
Units | Select the unit(s) that the shift rules are applicable to. If you don’t select any of the units the shift rules are assumed to apply to all units within the selected customer |
Once the Shift Type Configuration is added to the table, you can click on the configuration to further configure the actual shift rules. Select the + icon in the top-right corner to configure the specific shift rules, which in Pythia (AI Optimization) are called Shift Type Definitions.
In the side panel for Shift Type Definition, you can configure the following:
Configuration | Description |
Name | The name of the specific shift rule. |
Minimum Shift Duration | Define the minimum shift length of a shift created by Auto Schedule. This should be defined in minutes and only in numbers. E.g. 6h should be set to 360 |
Maximum Shift Duration | Define the maximum shift length of a shift created by Auto Schedule. This should be defined in minutes and only in numbers. E.g. 10h should be set to 600 |
Earliest Start | Define the earliest time of the day a shift created by Auto Schedule can start. This should be defined in minutes from the start of the day. E.g. 6am (06:00) should be set to 360 |
Latest Start | Define the latest time of the day a shift created by Auto Schedule can start. This should be defined in minutes from the start of the day. E.g. 6pm (18:00) should be set to 1080 |
Latest End | Define the latest time of the day a shift created by Auto Schedule can end. This should be defined in minutes from the start of the day. E.g. 11pm (23:00) should be set to 1380 |
Departments | Through departments, you are able to connect specific Quinyx Shift Types to a shift type rule such that the shift rules only apply to shifts with that Shift Type. Should be defined as the Shift Type IDs as defined in Quinyx. Multiple shift types should be separated by a comma. Please reach out to Quinyx for support if you want to set up different rules for different shift types. |
Break Type Configuration | Select the break rules which should be applied to this shift type configuration. The break types need to be configured in advance. This field is only required whenever you have different break rules per each shift type configuration. In cases where a break rule applies to all shift types they do not need to be defined here, but configuring them within the break rule configuration directly is sufficient |
Weekdays | Select any weekdays during which the shift rules are applicable. |
You can add multiple shift rules (or Shift Type Definitions) within the same configuration by selecting the + sign and adding rules multiple times. Differentiations in shift rules can, for example, occur for different times of the day, departments, or days of the week.
Editing or Deleting Shift Rules
Shift type configurations or the actual shift type definitions can be edited or deleted at any point in time by selecting the three dots at the end of each row and selecting Edit or Delete. The changes will be applicable immediately and will be considered in the next Auto Schedule run.
Copying Shift Rules
When similar shift rules apply to multiple units but with some differences, it might be quicker to copy an existing shift rule set from one unit to another. This can be done by selecting the three dots at the end of each row and selecting Copy. This opens up a side panel where you are able to select which Customer level you want to copy the configuration to. Once the copy is completed, a new shift type configuration will be added to the table under the Customer name selected.
In order to select which unit(s) within that Customer the copied configuration should apply to, in cases where it’s not applicable for all units, you need to select the relevant unit(s) within the Edit panel of the copied configuration.
Shift Rules and Auto Schedule
In order to use Auto Schedule, shift rules need to be configured for each unit in Pythia (AI Optimization). Auto Schedule does not use any shift rules configured directly in Quinyx at the moment. If there are any shift rules configured for the unit that you are running Auto Schedule for, then that information will be pulled from Pythia (AI Optimization) and considered in the algorithm run. Shifts of varieties of length, but still adhering to the shift rules configured and considering other constraints, will be created, while considering already existing shifts, to match the required headcount curve in the best way.
