Three phases, one cycle — your shift planning runs automatically.
The AutoPilot is the heart of PlanFast. You configure it once — after that, it adds shifts, publishes them and assigns them automatically. You only need to step in if you want to.
1. Adding 2. Publishing 3. Assignment
The AutoPilot automatically adds shifts for the next planning period based on your shift templates.
Anything you change now flows directly into publishing.
You define a rhythm in the AutoPilot setup — weekly, every X weeks or monthly (e.g. "Every Monday", "1st of every month"). Plus a minimum lead time so employees have enough time to set availability.
Once published, all employees see the upcoming shifts in the app.
In this phase no shifts are assigned yet — everyone waits for the deadline.
When the deadline hits, the algorithm computes the optimal plan and assigns the shifts.
After assignment you can always reassign individual shifts — the AutoPilot is a baseline, not a straitjacket.
You'll find the settings under Settings → AutoPilot. Here are the values you set:
| Setting | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Start date | From when shifts are added. |
| Planning period | Weekly, every X weeks or monthly. |
| When to add? | Weekday or date that triggers the cycle. |
| For what time range? | How many weeks / months ahead are added. |
| Minimum lead time | Days between adding and start of the planning period. |
| Publish after | How many days after adding it gets published. |
| Assign after | How many days after publishing it gets assigned. |
| Minimum rest time | Hours between two shifts of the same employee. |
If after starting you realize the rhythm doesn't fit, you can recompute the current cycle.
If you start a new cycle, the open steps of the current cycle won't run anymore. Make sure your scheduling is manually completed up to the next planning period before restarting.
Before restarting, PlanFast shows you which steps will be skipped and what the new next action will be — you have to confirm explicitly.
PlanFast detects automatically when your AutoPilot configuration is inconsistent (e.g. publish date before adding). You'll see "Configuration inconsistent" with a button "Fix AutoPilot".
If no shift templates exist, PlanFast also alerts you: "Please select at least one shift template so the AutoPilot can add shifts."
You can disable the AutoPilot anytime. Then you create shifts manually and manage the schedule yourself — all features remain available, only the automation is off.