How to handle deviant shift lengths
How to handle deviant shift lengths
The default start time and duration of each shift has been defined in the Shift-master data.

When selecting a shift after adding a new calculation, the system assumes it will start at the default shift start time and last the default duration of that shift.
However, sometimes a shift starts earlier, or ends later than expected.
When the shift starts earlier than normal, not only the start time will be different, probably also the duration of the entire shift will be longer (assuming it ends at its regular end time, being start time + Duration).
In the situation where the shift goes on after the regular end time, the duration will be longer than usual. The instructions below will assist you how to proceed in such situations.
First activity starts before shift starts
When the shift starts EARLIER than expected, simply enter the actual start time for the first activity that starts before the expected shift start time.
The time you allowed to start earlier than scheduled is determined in the preferences menu as [Maximum advanced shift time]. If this is set to 240, the user is allowed to start the shift 4 hours earlier than defined in the shift-masterdata
In case you already entered a first activity and the start time was earlier than the defined shift start time, when selecting a new shift the system will take this into account.
Example:
You selected the late shift starting at 14:00.
The first activity was started half an hour earlier: 13:30. When the shift now is being changed to [Early], starting at 7:00, the first activity (being 13:30) will now automatically be converted to 6:30 (being again half an hour earlier than the defined new shift start.
First activity starts AFTER shift starts
When the shift starts LATER than expected, this time has to be accounted for:
You obviously un-scheduled part of a regular shift.
The regular behavior of the system is:
When the shift starts at 8:00 and you add the first activity ad 8:30, the system assumes you will have actually started at 8:00, so already 30 minutes have elapsed.
The first entered activity thus will start at the start time of the shift.
If however for some reason the shift really started only at 8:15, the first entered activity should be of the category [U]nscheduled.
Example:
- 6:00 [Company Meeting] (U)
- 6:30 [Heating Machine] (W)

Last activity lasts beyond the shift duration
When the shift ends LATER than expected, so the total registered activity time is more than the shift duration, the duration of the calculation has to be corrected to the real duration.
Although the system could do this automatically, it will first give you a warning, in order to detect possible date entry mistakes.
Changing the calculations duration will make the warning disappear.
Careful: The next calculation will now have to start also at a later moment: Not earlier than the end time of this calculation!