Shift templates are your base schedule.

They define who works, when they work, and what they do across a set period.

If your setup is the foundation, shift templates are the plan built on top of it.

What is a shift template

A shift template is a reusable schedule.

It sets the standard pattern for your team, for example:

• Weekly schedules
• Rotating patterns
• Long-term planning

Once created and published, it becomes the live schedule your team sees.

Why shift templates matter

Without shift templates, you are planning from scratch every day.

Shift templates help you:

• Build consistent schedules
• Save time on repeat planning
• Balance work across your team
• Use automation to fill gaps

They are the core of workforce planning in Cirrus Calm.

What shift templates use

Shift templates are built using:

• Skills to define the work
• Employees to assign people
• Staffing templates to define demand

These three inputs drive how your schedule is created.

How shift templates work

There are three ways to create a shift template:

Start from scratch

Build your schedule manually. Best for:

• New setups
• Full control

Copy an existing template

Reuse a previous schedule and adjust it. Best for:

• Small changes
• Seasonal updates

Generate automatically

Let the system create a schedule.

It uses:

• Employee availability
• Skills
• Staffing templates
• Skill priority

Best for:

• Saving time
• Large teams
• Complex demand

What happens after creation

Once your shift template is built:

• You can edit and adjust shifts
• Apply bulk changes
• Generate breaks
• Optimise coverage

When you are ready:

👉 Publish the template

Publishing makes it visible to employees.

Shift templates vs daily schedule

It is important to understand the difference.

Shift template

• Your base plan
• Long-term or repeating
• Used for structure

Daily schedule

• Short-term changes
• Handles real world updates
• Sits on top of the template

If something changes every week, update the shift template.

If it is a one-off change, update the schedule.

When to create a new shift template

Create a new template when:

• Operating hours change
• Staffing demand shifts
• Team structure changes
• You need a new planning cycle

Do not try to fix long-term issues in the daily schedule.

Best practice

• Keep templates simple
• Use staffing templates to guide planning
• Use automation where possible
• Review regularly as demand changes

A strong shift template reduces daily effort.

What next

👉 Create and Manage a Shift Template

This is where you build and control your schedule.