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What is digital shift planning?

Overview of features, benefits and how to get started with digital shift planning in PlanFast.

Wiki > Getting Started > What is digital shift planning?

What it's about

Digital shift planning replaces the Excel sheet, the WhatsApp group or the printed wall plan with a central app where managers and employees work together. PlanFast goes one step further than most tools: the entire scheduling cycle runs automatically — shifts are added, published and assigned without the manager having to trigger each step.

The benefits at a glance

Time savings

The AutoPilot handles adding, publishing and assignment. Zero hours per cycle instead of several.

Team self-service

Employees set availability, report sick leave, hand over or swap shifts — without manager intervention.

Conflict detection

Minimum rest time, qualifications and departments are checked automatically — no double-booked or empty shifts.

Real-time sync

Every change instantly on every device. Push notifications for important events. No "which plan is current?".

Mobile-first

Native iOS and Android apps plus web. Employees need no training onboarding.

GDPR-compliant

Data encrypted, stored in the EU. Built and operated in Germany.

How to start in 4 steps

1

Run the Setup Wizard

Pick your industry, create departments, define shifts, add employees. 15–30 minutes.

→ Setup Wizard

2

Invite employees

Share access code or QR for them to join. Optionally pre-add them as placeholders if the team isn't onboarding right away.

→ Invite Employees

3

Activate AutoPilot

Set the rhythm — weekly, every X weeks or monthly. Set minimum rest time. The first cycle starts automatically.

→ AutoPilot

4

Have the team set availability

★ Wish, ✓ Available, ✗ Not available — per day or with time ranges. Default templates save time every week.

→ Availability

Features in detail

All topics in the wiki, sorted by section:

Shift Planning

Employee Features

Overview & Communication

FAQ

What PlanFast doesn't do — and why

PlanFast is deliberately focused on shift planning and team coordination. The following are intentionally not part of the product:

  • Payroll / payroll export — DATEV, Lexware and the like solve this better. You take the hours from statistics into your payroll system.
  • Clock-in time tracking — a different discipline with dedicated tools.
  • HR-suite functions (applicant tracking, onboarding workflows, performance reviews) — combine PlanFast with an HR suite if you need them.

The advantage: no module bundle, no per-module surcharges, clean UI without overloaded function menus.