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Build the rota around the timetable, not against it.
Student teams bring real recurring constraints into the schedule. Capture those constraints first, then make the remaining coverage and preference decisions visible.
A five-step student-team method
Collect the timetable first
Ask for recurring class and travel blocks before asking for preferred shifts. The timetable is a hard constraint; a preference is a later choice.
Keep the scheduling period short enough
A weekly or fortnightly view can be easier to confirm when classes change often. Record the period and confirmation date with each response.
Plan around peaks
Place the people who can actually work during busy periods, then use preferences to choose between workable assignments.
Make exam exceptions explicit
Treat revision and exam periods as dated exceptions rather than permanently changing a student’s availability by message.
Publish changes once
When a class or exam changes, update one schedule and tell everyone affected. Avoid leaving the old assignment active in another thread.
Keep availability separate from preferences
Use the employee availability template to collect class blocks, unavailable periods and requested times without mixing them together.
Then check the result with the free coverage calculator before you publish.
Make a change easy to trust
Shift Helper is being designed to keep the owner review, published schedule and meaningful changes connected for small teams.