THE SCHEDULING GLOSSARY
Plain language for the rota.
A small glossary of the words owners and teams use when turning availability into a schedule people can actually follow.
Terms worth agreeing on
Availability
The days and time windows when a person can work. It is different from a preference: availability is about what is possible, while a preference is about what is requested.
Coverage
The people, roles or skills needed for a particular period. A schedule can look full and still have a coverage gap if the required role is missing.
Clash
A conflict that needs review, such as two assignments using the same person or a shift falling inside an unavailable period.
Rota
A published staff schedule, often used in hospitality, retail, healthcare and other teams working in shifts.
Preference
A request such as mornings, a particular day or a maximum number of late shifts. Preferences should be considered separately from hard constraints.
Handover
The short transfer of context between shifts: open tasks, exceptions, staffing changes and anything the next person needs to know.
Overnight shift
A shift that crosses midnight or spans two calendar dates. Showing both dates prevents the assignment from becoming ambiguous.
Published schedule
The current version of the rota that the team should use. Keeping one published answer reduces confusion after changes.
Shift swap
A change where one person gives up an assignment and another takes it, subject to availability, coverage and owner confirmation.
Availability window
A start and end time within which a person can work, rather than a simple yes-or-no response for the whole day.
Put the words into a workflow
Shift Helper uses these distinctions to keep availability, coverage, owner review and the published schedule understandable.