How job-based scheduling works

This topic relates to our new job-scheduling feature. If you're looking for help with our older scheduling functionality, please refer to Scheduling your employees (legacy scheduling).

In Replicon, you can create job-based schedules, and then assign them to shift workers.

In this context, a ‘job’ is a high-level task, project, or event completed by a group of shift workers. For example, a job could be:

  • Running a retail store
  • Producing a daily news program
  • Running a swim meet

For each job, schedule managers include one or more scheduled shifts, and each shift includes one or more specialized roles that need to be filled to complete the job.

Schedule managers assign each role to workers using Replicon’s SmartMatch feature, which ranks all workers in your system by availability, role, skills, and cost, so you can easily fill the job’s roles.

You need schedule manager permission to create and manage job-based schedules.

Job-based scheduling workflow

  1. Administrator configures the system for scheduling by creating and assigning roles and skills, and any needed shifts, and groups and permissions for limiting access, and notifications.

Refer to Setting up job-based scheduling for more information on how to configure job-based scheduling.

  1. Schedule manager/s create jobs that need to be carried out. Each job is comprised of one or more shifts, and each shift is assigned one or more roles that need to be filled to complete the job.

  1. Schedule manager/s assign the job’s roles to workers using SmartMatch, which assign each resource a score for that role, based on their availability, role and skills assigned in Replicon, and optionally their cost. Schedule manager/s can set the importance of role, skill, and availability for each project, which alters their score.
  2. Employees find out what shifts they’re assigned via notifications or in the UI.

Example use cases

Replicon’s job-based scheduling can be used in many different industries. The table below outlines some examples of jobs, shifts, and roles can be broken down some example industries.

Industry

Job

Shifts

Roles

Film and Television

Recording a comedy show

8-4:30

Production Manager

Floor Manager

Director

Camera Operator

Audio Operator

Boom Operation

Make-up Artist

Gaffer

Dolly grip

Key grip

Sports

Staffing a swim meet

Morning 7-12

Afternoon 12-5

Evening 5-10

Meet Director

Referee/Official

Starter

Chief Judge

Stroke/Turn Judge

Entry Clerk

Timing Equipment Operator

Time Verification

Announcer

Equipment Manager

Meet Marshals

Volunteer Coordinator

Retail

Staffing a retail bookstore for a day

Morning 7-12

Afternoon 12-5

Evening 5-11

Manager

Assistant Manager

Merch Manager

Head Cashier

Cashier

Receiver

Magazine

Floor - Zone 1

Floor - Zone 2

Floor - Zone 3

Floor - Shelver

Greeter/Floater

Entertainment

Staffing a movie theater for a day

Matinee 11-5

Evening 5-3

Manager

Assistant manager

Projectionist

Cashier

Door

Concession

Hospitality

Staffing a restaurant for a day

Lunch 11-3

Dinner 3-11

Manager

Kitchen Manager

Cook

Server

Hostess

Bus person

Dishwasher

FAQs

Can we still use Replicon’s old shift scheduling functionality?

Job-based scheduling is compatible with Replicon’s old scheduling feature, so if you create schedules in the old UI, those schedules will appear in the job-based scheduling UI, and vice versa. However, the old scheduling feature doesn’t support jobs, roles, or skills, so those elements won’t ever appear in the old UI.

How are job-based schedules different from office schedules?

If an employee works a very regular, repeating schedule, you can assign them an office schedule in Replicon, rather than creating job-based schedules. Office schedules are assigned to users once, not on a shift-by-shift basis. They also don’t define the type of work that will be completed, and therefore include no roles or shifts that need to be fulfilled.

Refer to Defining work days and times using office schedules for more information on office schedules.

How is job-based scheduling different from resourcing?

Job-based scheduling is similar to resourcing, in that both involve assigning workers to particular tasks. However, with resourcing, workers are allocated to projects and their tasks over a longer period of time, while with job-based scheduling shift workers are assigned to shifts managed as part of a job.

If you’re interested in a resourcing solution, Replicon’s Polaris product offers comprehensive resourcing functionality.