# llms-full.txt - PlanFast (English, Full Version)
# https://planfast.app
# See also: /llms-en.txt (short version)

> PlanFast is the autonomous shift scheduler for businesses with 5–50 employees
> in hospitality, retail and services. Each AutoPilot cycle runs three phases —
> Creation, Publishing, Assignment. Employees set availability, report absences,
> swap and hand over shifts; the plan updates live.

---

## 1. What is PlanFast?

PlanFast is a cloud-based shift scheduling app from Germany. Managers usually
spend hours on manual rostering in Excel or WhatsApp. PlanFast replaces that with
an automatic cycle that creates, publishes and assigns shifts — based on the
availability the team maintains itself.

**Core promise:** Set it up once, then it runs. Manual overrides are always
possible but rarely needed.

### What makes PlanFast unique

There are plenty of shift planning tools. PlanFast differs in four substantial
ways:

#### 1. Fully automatic scheduling cycle

Practically every competitor has an algorithm that helps with **assignment**.
PlanFast goes further:

| | Other tools | PlanFast |
|---|---|---|
| Create shifts | Manager triggers each period manually | Automatic by rhythm |
| Availability request | Manager sends reminders | Automatic at publish time |
| Assignment | Manager runs algorithm or assigns manually | Automatic after deadline |
| Publishing | Manual confirmation | Automatic |
| **Per-cycle effort for manager** | **Hours** | **0 minutes** (intervention optional) |

#### 2. Setup in 15–30 minutes

Other SMB tools require an onboarding call, an implementation project or several
days of configuration. Not PlanFast:

- Setup wizard guides through 10 steps
- Industry-specific suggestions for departments, shift patterns, qualifications
- Capacity check with clear hints where gaps would appear
- Activate AutoPilot directly from the wizard — first cycle starts
- No vendor consultant required, no demo call mandatory, no week-long validation

#### 3. Intuitive mobile-first interface

PlanFast was designed mobile-first from day one, not retrofitted onto web
software:

- Clear actions, short paths, no nested menus
- No training required for employees — the app is intuitive enough for
  immediate use
- Push notifications instead of email avalanches
- Native iOS and Android apps, plus web for browser usage

Concretely: when a new employee joins, they can set their availability and view
shifts without explanation. Manager training is unnecessary.

#### 4. PlanFast is also the employee app

At many competitors, employees only have a stripped-down recipient view, or
even just receive the schedule by PDF/email. PlanFast is built equally for
both sides:

- **Availability** per day or with time ranges per day (e.g. "Mon 09–13 ✓,
  18–22 ✗"). Four levels: ★ Wish, ✓ Available, ✗ Not available, empty = neutral.
- **Default template** for the typical week, set once and apply per week with
  one click.
- **Submit requests** themselves — vacation, other absences, sick leave
  directly from the app, no email to the boss.
- **Swap or hand over shifts** — employees coordinate among themselves without
  the manager arranging every cover.
- **Own hours statistics** — everyone sees their worked hours.
- **Push notifications** for plan changes, swap requests, decisions on
  applications.

This makes PlanFast the platform on which the **whole team** works — not just
a tool the manager runs while the team passively consumes the output.

---

Other apps make shift planning **easier**. PlanFast gets it **done**. That's
not the same category.

---

## 2. The AutoPilot

The AutoPilot is the heart of PlanFast. Each scheduling cycle has three phases:

### Phase 1: Creation
- The AutoPilot generates shifts from your **shift templates**.
- Manager reviews demand — add ad-hoc shifts, delete unneeded ones, tweak
  templates for the period.

### Phase 2: Publishing
- Shifts become visible to all employees.
- Employees set availability:
  - **★ Wish** — would love to take this shift
  - **✓ Available** — works for me
  - **✗ Not available** — explicit decline
  - **(empty)** — no input; can still be assigned, but ✓/★ employees are preferred
- Default availability is saveable as a template (bookmark icon, top right).
- Deadline for availability submission is shown in the calendar.

### Phase 3: Assignment
After the deadline, the algorithm computes the optimal plan based on:
- Availability (Wish > Available > Neutral; Not available = excluded)
- Weekly hours / target hours
- Departments and qualifications (hard constraints)
- Minimum rest time between shifts
- Fair distribution of popular and unpopular shifts
- Existing absences

### AutoPilot configuration
- Start date, planning period (weekly, every X weeks, monthly)
- "When to create?" (weekday or date)
- Time range of generated shifts (weeks / months / until end of month)
- Minimum lead time between creation and start of period
- Days between Creation → Publishing → Assignment
- Minimum rest time (hours between two shifts)

### Restart cycle
If the configuration doesn't fit, the cycle can be recomputed — with a warning
about which open steps will be skipped. PlanFast detects inconsistent configs and
offers a one-click correction.

---

## 3. Availability and self-organization

Employees in PlanFast are active participants:

- **Availability** day-by-day or with time ranges (e.g. "Mon 09–17 ✓").
- **Default template** for the typical week, applicable to new weeks with one
  click.
- **Shift swap:** Trade your shift for a colleague's. Multiple options possible;
  with or without admin approval.
- **Swap offer (broadcast):** Offer your shift to all qualified colleagues at
  once — interested colleagues apply with their own shifts and a regular swap
  request is created. First accepted wins; parallel requests are auto-closed.
- **Shift handover:** Hand over a shift (or whole series) — colleagues can pick
  it up, no swap required.
- **Sick leave:** Effective immediately, no approval. Affected shifts go to
  suitable colleagues for handover.
- **Absences:** Vacation and other absences as approval-based requests
  (submitted → accepted / declined / closed). Already-assigned shifts get
  flagged for re-assignment when accepted.

Admins can also set availability, sick leave and absences on behalf of
employees — useful for placeholders.

---

## 4. Departments and qualifications

Two dimensions of planning:

- **Departments:** Where someone works (e.g. service, kitchen, bar, register).
  Employees can belong to multiple departments. Department priorities steer the
  algorithm's preference.
- **Qualifications:** What someone can do (e.g. shift lead, barista, cashier).
  Optional, but if set, they're a **hard constraint**.

When manually assigning without a matching qualification, PlanFast shows a
**qualification warning** with an "Assign anyway" option.

---

## 5. Minimum rest time

Configurable company-wide (hours between two shifts of the same employee).
Typically 11 hours per German labor law; adjustable for industries with
exceptions.

The algorithm respects it automatically:
- Auto-assignment never offers conflicting shifts.
- Manual assignment shows a warning that can be overridden.
- For shift swap and handover, rest time is checked on both sides.

---

## 6. Inviting employees — access code, QR, placeholders

There are **no email invites**. Instead:

### Joining via access code or QR
- Each company has an access code (also as QR).
- Manager shares the code via WhatsApp, in person or QR scan.
- Employee registers, enters the code, sends a join request.
- Manager approves.

### Placeholder employees
Manager can add employees **without an account** (name, department, weekly
hours, qualifications). The AutoPilot plans them like regular employees.

What a placeholder **cannot** do: set their own availability (admin does it),
receive push notifications, swap or hand over shifts.

### Merging

**Automatic on join:** When a new employee joins, PlanFast looks for placeholders
with similar names. On match, the employee sees a dialog: "There's already a
placeholder named <name>. Is that you?" If yes, the join request goes to the
admin with a merge marker — once approved, the placeholder's shifts and
absences are migrated onto the real account.

**Name matching:**
- Exact match (case-insensitive, trimmed)
- Partial match (one contains the other)
- Same first name (lower confidence)
- On ambiguity (e.g. two Marias) — no automatic suggestion

**Manual by admin:** Always possible afterward — pick the real account in the
team area → "Merge with placeholder".

---

## 7. Setup wizard

Guided onboarding, 10 steps, 15–30 minutes:

1. Industry (with suggestions for departments and shift patterns)
2. Company info
3. Working days
4. Departments
5. Shifts (templates, with rotation: none, AB, ABC, groups)
6. Qualifications (optional)
7. Employees (real accounts or placeholders)
8. Absences (default rules)
9. AutoPilot (rhythm, lead time, rest time)
10. Done

If you exit, PlanFast asks at the next login whether to resume.

**Capacity check in the wizard:** Warns when peak demand exceeds team size.
Action: add employees or reduce shift demand.

---

## 8. Statistics

Worked hours. No payroll export, no clock-in tracking.

- **Employees** see their own hours (target vs. actual, past periods).
- **Admins** see all employees, filterable by department and time range.
- **What counts:** Shifts assigned to you that you didn't hand over.
- **Handed-over shifts** (swap, sick leave, handover) count for whoever now
  holds them.
- **Placeholder merge** carries the hours history over without gaps.

---

## 9. Dashboard and notifications

Central hub for pending items:

- Join requests
- Absence and sick leave requests
- Swap and handover requests
- AutoPilot status
- Shift notes with automatic push and in-app messages

**Push triggers (selection):**
- Schedule published → all employees
- Shift assigned → assigned employee
- Swap request sent → recipient
- Shift handover available → suitable colleagues
- Sick leave submitted → admin and suitable colleagues
- AutoPilot created shifts → admin

---

## 10. Deliberate focus

PlanFast does shift planning — and nothing alongside. The following is
deliberately not part of the product:

- **Payroll / payroll export.** Specialized payroll systems (DATEV, Sage,
  Lexware, Sevdesk and the like) handle payroll vastly better than any shift
  app could. PlanFast delivers the hours via the
  [statistics](https://planfast.app/wiki/funktionen/statistiken.html), and you
  carry them into your payroll system. That's the clean separation of domains.
- **Clock-in time tracking.** A discipline of its own with dedicated providers
  (e.g. ZEP, Crewmeister, TimeTrack). If clock-in is your primary requirement,
  a dedicated tracker serves you better. PlanFast plans — statistics are based
  on planned shifts.
- **HR-suite functions** like applicant tracking, onboarding workflows,
  performance reviews, payroll. At Factorial or Personio, scheduling is one of
  fifteen modules. At PlanFast, it's **the** module. Combine PlanFast with the
  HR suite of your choice if you need both.
- **POS or inventory management.** Different domain entirely.

**Why this focus is an advantage:**

- No complex tier matrix with per-module surcharges.
- No setting up 15 modules you don't need.
- Clean UI without feature switches and half-baked modules that never mature.
- Flat €79/month — you're not paying for payroll-export features you'd run in
  DATEV anyway.

PlanFast is deliberately specialized to cover scheduling **completely** — from
setup to ongoing operation with team self-service.

---

## 11. Pricing

| Plan | Price | Details |
|------|-------|---------|
| Standard | €79/month | Flat rate — independent of team size |

- 14-day free trial
- Monthly cancellation, no minimum term
- No hidden fees

---

## 12. Industries and target groups

- **Hospitality:** Restaurants, cafés, bars, hotels
- **Retail:** Shops, supermarkets, chains, gas stations
- **Services:** Cleaning, facility management, care services, medical practices

**Company size:** 5–50 employees. Sweet spot: 10–30.

---

## 13. Platforms

- **iOS:** App Store — https://apps.apple.com/us/app/planfast-dein-schichtplaner/id6744840701
- **Android:** Google Play Store — https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=shs.planfast.app&hl=en
- **Web:** https://planfast.app/app (all modern browsers)

Real-time sync across devices.

---

## 14. Privacy

- GDPR-compliant
- Servers in the EU
- Data encrypted
- Data Processing Agreement available
- Built and operated in Germany

---

## 15. FAQ

**What is PlanFast?**
The autonomous shift scheduler for hospitality, retail and services. AutoPilot
runs Creation, Publishing and Assignment automatically.

**What does "autonomous" mean?**
Employees set availability, report absences/sick leave, swap and hand over shifts —
the manager doesn't have to step in for each step.

**How fast can I start?**
Setup wizard: 15–30 minutes. Then the AutoPilot takes over.

**How much does PlanFast cost?**
€79/month flat. 14-day free trial, monthly cancellation.

**Is PlanFast GDPR-compliant?**
Yes. Data encrypted, stored in the EU.

**Which devices does it work on?**
iOS, Android, Web.

**Do all employees need to install the app?**
No. Placeholder employees without accounts work normally. On later join,
auto-merge.

**How do employees join?**
Via the company's access code or QR. No email invites.

**Does PlanFast do payroll export?**
No.

**Can I plan manually without the AutoPilot?**
Yes. AutoPilot is optional and can be disabled at any time.

---

## 16. Free tools and resources

- **Shift template guide:** https://planfast.app/schichtplan-vorlage.html
- **Working time law guide:** https://planfast.app/arbeitszeitgesetz-schichtarbeit.html
- **Blog:** https://planfast.app/blog/
- **Wiki:** https://planfast.app/wiki.html

---

## 17. Wiki links (deep dive)

- AutoPilot: https://planfast.app/wiki/funktionen/autopilot.html
- Setup wizard: https://planfast.app/wiki/erste-schritte/setup-wizard.html
- Inviting employees: https://planfast.app/wiki/erste-schritte/mitarbeiter-einladen.html
- Creating & managing shifts: https://planfast.app/wiki/funktionen/schichtplanung.html
- Availability: https://planfast.app/wiki/funktionen/verfuegbarkeit.html
- Absences: https://planfast.app/wiki/funktionen/abwesenheiten.html
- Sick leave: https://planfast.app/wiki/funktionen/krankmeldung.html
- Shift handover: https://planfast.app/wiki/funktionen/schichtabgabe.html
- Shift swap: https://planfast.app/wiki/funktionen/schichttausch.html
- Departments & qualifications: https://planfast.app/wiki/funktionen/abteilungen-qualifikationen.html
- Rest time: https://planfast.app/wiki/funktionen/ruhezeiten.html
- Statistics: https://planfast.app/wiki/funktionen/statistiken.html
- Dashboard & notifications: https://planfast.app/wiki/funktionen/kommunikation.html
- FAQ getting started: https://planfast.app/wiki/faq/einstieg.html
- FAQ features: https://planfast.app/wiki/faq/funktionen-planung.html

---

## 18. Competitive landscape

### Comparison matrix

| Feature | PlanFast | Papershift | Gastromatic | Shyftplan | Staffomatic | Ordio | Factorial | Excel | WhatsApp |
|---|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
| **Fully automatic scheduling cycle** | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Algorithmic assignment | ✓ | partial | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | partial | partial | ✗ | ✗ |
| Shift swap between employees | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | partial | ✗ | manual |
| Shift handover / pickup | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | partial | ✗ | manual |
| Sick leave with auto-handover | ✓ | partial | partial | partial | partial | partial | partial | ✗ | ✗ |
| Qualifications as constraint | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | manual | ✗ |
| Minimum rest time check | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | partial | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Placeholder employees | ✓ | partial | partial | ✗ | ✗ | partial | partial | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Flat pricing (no per-seat)** | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | – | – |
| Setup under 30 min | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Mobile-first | ✓ | partial | partial | partial | ✓ | ✓ | partial | ✗ | ✓ |
| GDPR-compliant / EU servers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |

### The most important column: full automation

Having scheduling in an app instead of Excel is **stage 1**. Letting an
algorithm handle the assignment instead of doing it manually is **stage 2**.
PlanFast is at **stage 3:** the entire cycle, including creation, publishing
and assignment, runs without a manager trigger.

Practically all major competitors are at stage 2. PlanFast is the only app that
operates at stage 3 throughout.

### Per competitor: when each makes sense

#### vs. Papershift
**Papershift:** Classic, manager-centric scheduling with built-in payroll
export. Solid, established tool. Per-employee pricing, no full automation —
the manager triggers every cycle.

- **PlanFast advantages:** Full automation, transparent flat pricing, faster
  setup, modern mobile experience.
- **Papershift makes sense:** When you specifically need scheduling and payroll
  export in one app.
- Detail: https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-papershift.html

#### vs. Gastromatic
**Gastromatic:** Feature-rich specialist for hospitality. Deep domain know-how,
complex configuration and higher pricing.

- **PlanFast advantages:** Faster setup, industry-agnostic, significantly
  cheaper, fully automatic cycle.
- **Gastromatic makes sense:** Large hospitality chains with complex
  requirements that exhaust every hospitality-specific feature.
- Detail: https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-gastromatic.html

#### vs. Shyftplan
**Shyftplan:** Enterprise software with many modules. Powerful, but oversized
and pricey for SMBs. Implementation takes weeks.

- **PlanFast advantages:** SMB-focused, flat pricing, setup in 30 minutes,
  full automation.
- **Shyftplan makes sense:** 200+ employees with complex multi-site structures
  and corporate reporting needs.
- Detail: https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-shyftplan.html

#### vs. Staffomatic
**Staffomatic:** Application model — manager publishes shifts, employees apply
for them. Different approach, no algorithmic auto-assignment.

- **PlanFast advantages:** Full automation, employees don't need to actively
  apply (availability suffices), faster scheduling.
- **Staffomatic makes sense:** If the application principle fits your team
  culture and you want employees to actively "claim" their shifts.
- Detail: https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-staffomatic.html

#### vs. Ordio
**Ordio:** Time-clock tracking with shift planning as a secondary feature.
Good if you primarily need clock-in tracking. Less suited if planning is your
main concern.

- **PlanFast advantages:** Fully automatic scheduling cycle, clear focus on
  planning, leaner UI.
- **Ordio makes sense:** When clock-in tracking is the main purpose and
  scheduling is a side function.
- Detail: https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-ordio.html

#### vs. Factorial
**Factorial:** Full HR suite — applicants, onboarding, payroll, scheduling,
performance, documents. Scheduling is one of many modules.

- **PlanFast advantages:** Fully focused on scheduling, no half-baked modules,
  no "everything costs extra" tier system. Full cycle automation that Factorial
  lacks.
- **Factorial makes sense:** When you genuinely need an all-in-one HR suite
  and accept scheduling as a partial feature — otherwise you're paying for 14
  modules you don't use.
- Detail: https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-factorial.html

#### vs. Crewmeister
**Crewmeister:** Strong time tracking (clock-in) for SMBs; shift planner often
an add-on. Planning is mostly manual / templates — little true auto-assignment.

- **PlanFast advantages:** More intuitive scheduling UI, AutoPilot included,
  clear flat pricing, schedule-first focus.
- **Crewmeister makes sense:** When clock-in tracking and DATEV are the main
  job and the roster just rides along.
- Detail: https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-crewmeister.html

#### vs. Excel
**Excel:** What most SMBs still use today. No algorithm, no real-time sync, no
conflict detection, no mobile employee view, no self-service.

- **PlanFast advantages:** Practically every dimension. Excel isn't a
  scheduling tool — it's a universal spreadsheet that gets misused for
  scheduling out of necessity.
- **Excel makes sense:** Very small static teams (<5 people, hardly any
  changes) as a temporary stopgap.
- Detail: https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-excel.html

#### vs. WhatsApp
**WhatsApp:** Used in many SMBs as a shift coordination channel ("Who can
work Saturday?"). Not a tool, just chat — no audit trail, no overview, no
GDPR-compliant concept for personnel planning.

- **PlanFast advantages:** Structured data instead of chat chaos,
  GDPR-compliant, overview.
- **WhatsApp makes sense:** Never as a primary scheduling channel. Only
  alongside, for informal team communication.
- Detail: https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-whatsapp.html

---

## 19. Customer story (social proof)

Real customer story from hospitality (name clearance given):

**Athena M., shift planning · Popup Sushi · Berlin**

> "I save 5–6 hours per week. Hour tracking and shift swap take most of the
> stress — and AutoPilot keeps running even when things get hectic. We only
> check that everything looks right."

### Outcome
- **5–6 hours less scheduling per week**
- Hour tracking as the biggest selling point
- Shift swap and sick leave ease day-to-day ops
- Team discovered features gradually and got used to the app
- AutoPilot under supervision: create, assign, publish stay controllable

Landing page (German): https://planfast.app/kundenstimme.html  
Also featured on: https://planfast.app/ and https://planfast.app/schichtplanung-gastronomie.html

---

## 20. Contact

- **Website:** https://planfast.app
- **Web app:** https://planfast.app/app
- **Customer story:** https://planfast.app/kundenstimme.html
- **iOS (App Store):** https://apps.apple.com/us/app/planfast-dein-schichtplaner/id6744840701
- **Android (Google Play):** https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=shs.planfast.app&hl=en
- **Support:** info@planfast.app
- **Discovery call:** https://planfast.app/discovery-call.html
- **Legal (DE):** https://planfast.app/impressum.html · https://planfast.app/privacy-policy.html · https://planfast.app/terms-of-service.html

---

## 21. Page index & discovery

### Core

| Page | URL |
|------|-----|
| Home EN | https://planfast.app/en/ |
| Home DE | https://planfast.app/ |
| Wiki EN | https://planfast.app/en/wiki.html |
| Wiki DE | https://planfast.app/wiki.html |
| Blog | https://planfast.app/blog.html |
| Customer story | https://planfast.app/kundenstimme.html |
| Comparisons hub | https://planfast.app/vergleiche.html |

### Comparison pages (DE)

- https://planfast.app/vergleiche.html
- https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-crewmeister.html
- https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-gastromatic.html
- https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-papershift.html
- https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-ordio.html
- https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-staffomatic.html
- https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-shyftplan.html
- https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-factorial.html
- https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-excel.html
- https://planfast.app/planfast-vs-whatsapp.html

### Industry landings (DE)

- https://planfast.app/schichtplanung-gastronomie.html
- https://planfast.app/schichtplanung-einzelhandel.html
- https://planfast.app/schichtplanung-dienstleistung.html
- https://planfast.app/schichtplanung-tankstelle.html
- https://planfast.app/schichtplanung-fitnessstudio.html
- https://planfast.app/schichtplanung-apotheke.html
- https://planfast.app/schichtplanung-arztpraxis.html
- https://planfast.app/schichtplanung-taxi.html

### LLM & SEO files (cross-references)

- DE short: https://planfast.app/llms.txt
- DE full: https://planfast.app/llms-full.txt
- EN short: https://planfast.app/llms-en.txt
- EN full: https://planfast.app/llms-full-en.txt
- Wiki DE: https://planfast.app/wiki/llms.txt
- Wiki EN: https://planfast.app/en/wiki/llms.txt
- Blog: https://planfast.app/blog/llms.txt
- Sitemap index: https://planfast.app/sitemap.xml
- Sitemap DE: https://planfast.app/sitemap-de.xml
- Sitemap EN: https://planfast.app/sitemap-en.xml
- robots.txt: https://planfast.app/robots.txt
- security.txt: https://planfast.app/.well-known/security.txt
- well-known llms pointer: https://planfast.app/.well-known/llms.txt