Intelligent RosterIntelligent Roster®

First-Time Setup: Admin Checklist

This checklist walks you through setting up Intelligent Roster for the first time. Expect 2–4 hours depending on your organization size.

Admin dashboard with sidebar and quick actions
Org admin dashboard — sidebar, IRIS assistant, and quick actions

Navigation note: Org-wide settings live under Sidebar → Organizations → [your org] → Settings (URL: /admin/organizations/:id?tab=settings). Streams, Craft Groups, and Scopes are separate sidebar items — not nested under a single "Organization Settings" menu.

Learning note: On the Dashboard Main Hub, use Learn Intelligent Roster to open public guides, pro tips, and walkthroughs in a new tab while keeping your dashboard session open.

Pre-Setup: Gather Information

Before you start, collect:

  • ✅ Departments/Streams: List all departments and their shift times (e.g., "ED - 7am–3pm")
  • ✅ Craft groups: All craft groups you employ (e.g., RN, EN, Doctor, Physio)
  • ✅ Staff list: CSV with name, email, craft group, department, start date
  • ✅ Compliance rules: Rest hours, max consecutive shifts, safety rules
  • ✅ Org timezone: Your timezone (e.g., AEST for Australian Eastern)

Phase 1: Organization Setup (30 mins)

1. Create Organization

  1. Log in as Organization Admin
  2. Go to Sidebar → Organizations → select your org → Settings tab
  3. Enter:
    • Organization Name (e.g., "City Hospital ED")
    • Timezone (e.g., "Australia/Sydney")
    • Roster Cycle (e.g., 4 weeks, starts Monday)
    • Contracted Days Per Week (e.g., 5 for Mon-Fri; used for leave deduction and payroll)
    • Operating Days Per Week (e.g., 7 if open 7 days; used for coverage analytics)
    • Safety Standards (rest hours, consecutive shift limits)
  4. Click Save

✅ Checkpoint: Organization created and settings saved

2. Add Logo (Optional)

  1. Organizations → your org → Settings tab → Branding section
  2. Upload your hospital/clinic logo
  3. Click Save

✅ Checkpoint: Logo uploaded (not critical, skip if needed)

Phase 2: Define Your Roster Structure (1–2 hours)

This is the foundation—take your time here.

3. Create Streams (Level 1)

What: Departments + shift times

  1. Go to Sidebar → Streams (/streams)
  2. For each department + shift combination, click Add Stream:
    • Name: e.g., "ED - Morning", "Ward 3A - Evening"
    • Shift Pattern: Start time, end time (e.g., 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM)
  3. Click Save

Time estimate: 10–15 mins

✅ Checkpoint: All streams created

Example for small ED:

  • ED - Day (7am–3pm)
  • ED - Evening (3pm–11pm)
  • ED - Night (11pm–7am)

4. Create Craft Groups (Level 2 - Part 1)

What: Craft groups

  1. Go to Sidebar → Craft Groups (/craft-groups)
  2. Click Add Craft Group for each craft group:
    • RN (Registered Nurse)
    • EN (Enrolled Nurse)
    • Doctor
    • Etc.
  3. Click Save

Time estimate: 5 mins

✅ Checkpoint: All craft groups created

5. Create Scopes of Practice (Optional, Level 2 - Part 2)

What: Specializations (e.g., Trauma, ALS)

  1. Go to Sidebar → Scope of Practice (/scopes)
  2. Click Add Scope for each credential:
    • Trauma
    • Advanced Life Support (ALS)
    • Pediatrics
    • Etc.
  3. Click Save

Time estimate: 5 mins (skip if no specializations)

✅ Checkpoint: Scopes added (optional)

6. Define Safety Rules

  1. Go to Sidebar → AI Rules (Organizations → Intelligent Rules → Safety Standards)
  2. Set:
    • Min rest between shifts: e.g., 8 hours
    • Max consecutive days: e.g., 7 days
    • Max consecutive nights: e.g., 5 nights
    • Min days between night sequences: e.g., 2 days
  3. Click Save

✅ Checkpoint: Safety standards configured

Phase 3: Add Staff (1–2 hours)

7. Add Clinician Staff

Option A: Manual (small teams <20)

  1. Go to Staff Management
  2. Click Add Staff
  3. For each person:
    • Name, Email, Phone (optional)
    • Craft Group (required)
    • Streams (assign 1+ streams they work in)
    • Scopes (optional)
  4. Click Save

Time estimate: ~2 mins per person

Option B: Bulk Import (larger teams 20+)

  1. Prepare CSV: name, email, craft_group, streams, scopes
  2. Go to Staff Management → Import
  3. Upload CSV
  4. Review mapping
  5. Click Import

Time estimate: ~15 mins prep + 2 mins import

✅ Checkpoint: All staff added and assigned to craft groups

Phase 4: Create Master Rosters (1–2 hours)

8. Create Level 3 Master Roster (Per Stream)

For each stream, create a repeating 4-week template:

  1. Click Level 3: Master Roster
  2. Select stream (e.g., "ED - Day")
  3. Use Excel-style bulk assign or manual entry to assign staff to shifts
  4. For each day:
    • Add shifts based on vacancies (Level 2)
    • Assign staff using rotation patterns
  5. Click Fairness Check
  6. Review fairness; adjust if needed
  7. Click Save Master Roster

Example for ED - Day (5 RNs/day, 7 days/week):

  • Week 1: Nurses A, B, C, D, E
  • Week 2: Nurses C, D, E, F, G
  • Week 3: Nurses E, F, G, H, I
  • Week 4: Nurses G, H, I, A, B

Time estimate: 30–60 mins per stream (faster after first one)

✅ Checkpoint: Master rosters created and fairness checked for all streams

Phase 5: Publish First Roster (30 mins)

9. Create First Living Roster (Level 5)

  1. Click Level 5: The Living Roster
  2. Select stream (start with one)
  3. Select pay period dates
  4. Click Apply Master Roster
  5. Click Generate with IRIS — review the preview and apply
  6. Click Fill Gaps if unfilled slots remain
  7. Run Roster Health — review fairness and compliance
  8. Fix any violations
  9. Click Publish

✅ Checkpoint: First roster published to staff

Note on moving staff: If you need to relocate a staff member to another shift after creation, use Move Assignment (right-click on a shift, select "Move Assignment"). This is faster than manually deleting and recreating assignments.

10. Notify Staff

Send email to staff:

  • "Your first roster is live!"
  • Link to their roster view
  • How to set availability for next period
  • Contact info for issues

✅ Checkpoint: Staff notified and can see roster

Phase 6: First Real Roster Cycle (Ongoing)

11. Level 4 — availability & leave (separate workflows)

  1. Notify staff to set My Availability (preferences) — not holidays
  2. Tell staff to submit time off via Leave Planner
  3. Review Staff Availability grid for preferences and gaps
  4. Approve leave in Leave Planner (not in Staff Availability)
  5. Use Availability Audit before building the next Living Roster

✅ Checkpoint: Availability reviewed and leave approved where needed

12. Generate and Publish Next Roster (Level 5)

  1. Use IRIS AI or your master template
  2. Audit fairness + compliance
  3. Publish

✅ Checkpoint: Second roster published

Success Checklist

After setup, verify:

  • ✅ All streams created (departments × shifts)
  • ✅ All staff added and assigned to streams + craft groups
  • ✅ Safety standards configured
  • ✅ Master rosters created and tested
  • ✅ First roster published to staff
  • ✅ Staff can log in and see roster
  • ✅ Admin can generate rosters (manual or IRIS)
  • ✅ Fairness audits reviewed
  • ✅ Compliance warnings understood

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

❌ Creating too many streams: Start with what you have now (can add later)
❌ Forgetting craft group assignment: Staff can't be rostered without one
❌ Skipping fairness audit: Publish unfair rosters = unhappy staff
❌ No communication: Staff confused if they don't know what's coming
❌ Too complex safety rules: Start simple; add rules as you learn

Next Steps

  1. ✅ Review Level 1–5 Admin Guides for detailed workflow
  2. ✅ Train roster builders on Level 5 management
  3. ✅ Monitor fairness audits for first 3 rosters
  4. ✅ Gather staff feedback (use Feedback feature)
  5. ✅ Refine setup based on lessons learned

Still Stuck?

  • 📖 Open Learn Intelligent Roster from the Dashboard for admin guides, roster-builder workflows, and pro tips
  • 💬 Submit Support Ticket or contact our support team
  • 🎥 Watch onboarding videos (if available in your org)

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