In Time and Attendance (TAA), a master schedule template is a schedule of all the shifts you expect an employee to work in a week. After you have created a template and applied it to your employees, its hours will appear on their time cards as planned work. Then, as they clock in and out of TAA throughout the week, their actual hours will appear next to their scheduled hours on their time cards, so you can easily check how closely they are adhering to your timetable.

Note: For more information about the entire process of using schedules in TAA, go to The Process of Using Schedules.

There are two methods for creating a new master schedule template: building one completely from scratch or copying a previously existing one and then modifying it. The latter method is easier if you have a template that is somewhat similar to the one you are adding, but if not, you'll need to go with the former. Both procedures are presented below, in two separate sections.


Creating a Completely New Master Schedule Template


To build a new master schedule template from scratch, follow these steps:


  1. Click >> Master Schedule Templates.

    The Master Schedule Templates screen will appear and show the first template previously created by someone in your organization, alphabetically, if there are any.
      
  2. At the top right of the page, click .
     
    The Add New Master Schedule Template screen will appear.
      
  3. Type the name for the schedule in the Template Name field, such as "Mid-day/Afternoon," "Early AM/Early PM," or "Mechanics 2."
    Note: This should be one of the categories of schedules you planned for in step 2 of The Process of Using Schedules.
  4. Type a simple description in the Description field, stating what shifts this schedule covers (and perhaps the employee type it applies to), such as "Mid-day from 10 to noon and afternoon from 3:00 to 5:00" or "Mechanics second shift - 3 p.m. to 11:00 p.m."
     
  5. Click Save in the Template section.
     
  6. In the Add Shift area, click the Start Time time picker and select the time the first shift begins from the drop-down list.
    Note: Alternatively, you can select the 12:00:00 AM value and type the beginning time, using the HH:MM:SS XM format (where X is A or P, depending on the time of day).
  7. Click the End Time time picker and select the time the first shift should finish from the drop-down list (or type the value).
     
  8. Click the Job Type drop-down arrow and select the job type the first shift will have associated with it.
     
  9. If this shift is for multiple drivers with multiple vehicles (or isn't for a driver or bus monitor at all), you should leave Choose Vehicle at its default selection of None.
    Note: You can specify the assigned vehicles for the drivers later by modifying each schedule separately (step 5 of The Process of Using Schedules), as shown in Editing an Employee's Schedule.
    If your organization is small (with only a handful of drivers) and you are creating this template for an individual driver, you can click the Choose Vehicle drop-down arrow and select the vehicle they usually operate.
     
  10. Select the Frequency toggles for the days of the week of the schedule. ( means selected, and  deselected.)
     
  11. Click the Add Shift button.
     
    The first shift will appear in the Shifts in Template area.
     
    The name of the assigned job type will be displayed in the Name column.
      
    Also, the Add Shift section will be reset to the default settings, ready for any additional shifts that are needed.
     
  12. If the schedule requires more than one shift, you can add a second one by repeating steps 6 through 11.
    Caution: Be aware that drivers can have only ONE schedule assigned to them. So don't try to create separate master schedule templates for morning and afternoon shifts, thinking you will be able to assign both to a single driver. Each employee will need a schedule that includes all their morning, mid-day, and afternoon shifts.
  13. Repeat step 12 for all the shifts the master template should include.
     
  14. When you are finished adding shifts, you can click  at the top right to return to the Master Schedule Templates screen, which will show the new schedule on a time grid (which is how it will appear on your employees' time cards).
     


Duplicating a Master Schedule Template


To build a new master schedule template by duplicating and modifying a previously existing template, follow these steps:

Note: One recommended use of the duplication feature is for schedules that have the same shift hours but different job types — such as a morning and afternoon route schedule that is identical to a driver's schedule but is for a bus aide.


You of course will also find this useful for schedules that are just similar in shifts.

  1. Click >> Master Schedule Templates.

    The Master Schedule Templates screen will appear and show the first template previously created by someone in your organization, alphabetically.
      
  2. Click the Select Master Template drop-down arrow (to the top right of the time grid) and select the name of the template you want to copy and update.
    Note: You can find it more quickly by typing part of its name in the box, which will limit the drop-down list to just results that include the text you entered.
  3. At the top right of the page, click .
     
    A success message will appear at the top right, and the Edit Copy of Original Template Name screen will be displayed.
      
  4. Select the text in the Template Name field and type a different name for the schedule, such as "Bus Aide - Early AM/Early PM" or "Mechanics 1."
    Note: This should be one of the categories of schedules you planned for in step 2 of The Process of Using Schedules.
  5. Update the description in the Description field for the new master schedule template, stating what shifts this schedule covers (and perhaps the employee type it applies to), such as "Bus aide - Mid-day from 10 to noon and afternoon from 3:00 to 5:00."
     
  6. Click Save in the Template section.
     
    You'll see the current shifts in the Shifts in Template section.
     
  7. To modify the first shift, click  to the left of its job type name (Bus Route in the preceding figure).
     
    The shift details will be displayed.
      
  8. To change the shift hours, follow these steps:
     
    1. Click the Start Time time picker and select the time the first shift begins from the drop-down list.
      Note: Alternatively, you can select the time value and type the beginning time, using the HH:MM:SS XM format (where X is A or P, depending on the time of day).
    2. Click the End Time time picker and select the hour the first shift should finish from the drop-down list (or select the current time and type the new value).
       
  9. To change the job type, click the Job Type drop-down arrow and select the job the edited shift will have associated with it.
     
  10. If this shift is for multiple drivers with multiple vehicles (or isn't for a driver or bus monitor at all), you should set (or leave) Choose Vehicle to a value of None.
    Note: You can specify the assigned vehicles for the drivers later by modifying each schedule separately (step 5 of The Process of Using Schedules), as shown in Editing an Employee's Schedule.
    If your organization is small (with only a handful of drivers) and you are creating this template for an individual driver, you can click the Choose Vehicle drop-down arrow and select the vehicle they usually operate.
     
  11. To change the days of the week of the schedule, select or deselect the Frequency toggles. ( means selected, and  deselected.)
     
  12. Click Save Shift.
     
    The first shift will be updated in the Shifts in Template area.
     
    If you updated the job type, the new job name will be displayed in the Name column.
      
  13. If there is a second shift that needs editing, repeat steps 7 through 12 for it.
     
  14. Repeat step 13 for all the shifts that need to be updated for the new master template.
     
  15. If you need to add a new shift altogether, you can do so as follows:
    Caution: Be aware that drivers can have only ONE schedule assigned to them. So don't try to create separate master schedule templates for morning and afternoon shifts, thinking you will be able to assign both to a single driver. Each employee will need a schedule that includes all their morning, mid-day, and afternoon shifts.
    1. In the Add Shift area, click the Start Time time picker and select the time the new shift begins from the drop-down list (or select the 12:00:00 AM value and type the beginning time).
       
    2. Click the End Time time picker and select the time the shift should finish from the drop-down list (or type the value).
       
    3. Click the Job Type drop-down arrow and select the job type the new shift will have associated with it.
       
    4. If this shift is for multiple drivers with multiple vehicles (or isn't for a driver or bus monitor at all), you should leave Choose Vehicle at its default selection of None.
       
      If your organization is small (with only a handful of drivers) and you are creating this template for an individual driver, you can click the Choose Vehicle drop-down arrow and select the vehicle they usually operate.
       
    5. Select the Frequency toggles for the days of the week of the schedule. ( means selected, and  deselected.
       
    6. Click the Add Shift button.
       
      The new shift will appear in the Shifts in Template area.
       
  16. Repeat step 15 for all the shifts you need to add to the new master template.
     
  17. If you need to remove one of the shifts, follow these steps:
     
    1. Click  to the left of its job type name to expand its details.
        
    2. Click Delete Shift.
       
      A warning dialog box will appear.
        
    3. Click Yes.
       
  18. When you are finished reconfiguring and adding shifts, you can click  at the top right to return to the Master Schedule Templates screen, which will show the new schedule on a time grid (which is how it will appear on your employees' time cards).