Manage Schedule Constraints

Modified on Thu, 4 May, 2023 at 3:52 PM

Schedule Constraints

Schedule constraints are rules or restrictions set up to guide the system or a scheduling administrator when creating schedules and assigning shifts.

Constraints allow companies to control who is scheduled where, when, and for what job. Rules configured in constraints typically align with company, union, or government policy. For example, a schedule constraint may restrict employees from working more than 40 hours in a week, or it may require that they work a minimum of 8 hours in a designated cost center. The scheduling engine will not violate constraints when auto-assigning shifts, but scheduling managers may assign shifts that result in a constraint violation. Violated constraints result in a warning or error message and may need resolved or overridden prior to posting the schedule.

Constraint Error Messages

Error messages tell the user which constraint has been violated.

Before resolving a constraint, you must first identify which rule has been broken. Constraint violations are flagged with a red warning icon. Error messages display when you hover your mouse over this icon.

Override a Constraint

There may be situations in which a scheduling manager will have to go against a constraint in order to meet the shift demand. When this is the case, they can override the constraint.

Navigation: Menu > Team > Schedule > Advanced Scheduling > Schedules

From any schedule view, select the Actions icon and select Override Constraints.
In the Override Constraints window, select the desired constraint group from the Constraint Group drop-down list.
Select OK.
Select the Actions icon and select Validate Constraints to have the system refresh the constraint calculation.