Draft privately, publish once, lock before the week
Shift plans move through a clear lifecycle: draft, published, locked, active, then past. You build quietly in draft, so half-finished schedules never reach the team.
When it's ready, publishing notifies everyone at once. Plans then auto-lock ahead of the week so the rota people planned their lives around doesn't shift under their feet, and admins can still unlock when something genuinely changes.
Draft privately, publish once, lock before the week
Why schedules cause friction
Half-finished plans leak
When there's no private draft stage, people see a work-in-progress rota, plan around it, and then have to be told it wasn't final.
Everyone hears it differently
Without a single publish moment, the schedule reaches some people by message, some by word of mouth, and some not at all.
Last-minute edits erode trust
If a published rota can be changed right up to the shift, employees stop trusting it and keep checking for surprises.
A clear path from draft to locked
Every plan follows the same predictable lifecycle.
Build in draft
Work on the plan privately while it's still a draft, so nothing reaches the team until you mean it to.
Publish to the team
Publishing moves the plan live and notifies everyone at once, so the whole team sees the same schedule together.
Auto-lock before the week
Plans lock automatically ahead of the week using your company's lock cutoff setting, which defaults to two days before.
Run, then archive
The plan becomes active for the week it covers and rolls into past once it's over, leaving a clear record behind.
Control over when schedules change
Private draft stage
Build and revise the week without the team seeing anything until you publish.
One publish moment
Publishing notifies everyone at the same time, so there's a single, shared source of truth for the week.
Configurable lock cutoff
A company lock cutoff setting decides how many days before the week plans lock, defaulting to two.
Notification window
A separate notification window, seven days by default, governs the reminders the team receives about upcoming plans.
Admin unlock
When a real change is needed, admins can unlock a locked plan rather than working around it.
Full lifecycle visibility
Draft, published, locked, active and past states make it obvious where each week stands at a glance.
Frequently asked questions
What does publishing actually do?
Publishing moves a plan out of draft and notifies the whole team at once, so everyone sees the same schedule at the same moment.
When does a plan lock?
Plans auto-lock before the week begins, based on your company's lock cutoff days setting. The default is two days before the week starts.
Can a locked plan still be changed?
A locked plan blocks routine edits, but an admin can unlock it when a genuine change is required, keeping last-minute changes deliberate.
What is the notification window for?
The notification window, seven days by default, controls how far ahead the team is reminded about upcoming plans, separate from when plans lock.
Ready to publish schedules people can trust?
Draft privately, publish once, and lock before the week begins. Start your 30-day free trial.
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