Autopilot: Automatic Schedule Generation

What Is Autopilot?

Autopilot automatically generates schedule drafts on a recurring basis so you always have upcoming schedules ready. Instead of manually creating a new draft every week, autopilot uses your saved schedule templates to create drafts ahead of time.

Accessing Autopilot

Navigate to Settings > Autopilot (or Auto-Drafts) from the settings sidebar.

Enabling Autopilot

Toggle the master switch to enable automatic draft generation. Once enabled, you will see configuration options.

Configuration

Source Template

Select the schedule template that autopilot will use to generate drafts. The dropdown shows your saved templates with their cycle information (e.g., "Standard Week - 7 day cycle").

You need at least one schedule template saved before using autopilot.

Buffer (Weeks Ahead)

Set how far ahead autopilot should maintain drafted schedules. Choose from 1 to 12 weeks. For example, setting a 4-week buffer means autopilot will always have the next 4 weeks drafted.

Generation Schedule

Preferred Day: Which day of the week autopilot runs (Monday through Sunday)
Generation Time: What hour of the day it runs (midnight through 11 PM)

For example, setting Monday at 6:00 AM means autopilot generates new drafts every Monday morning before your team arrives.

Auto-Publish

Off (default): Autopilot creates drafts that you review and publish manually
On: Autopilot automatically publishes the generated drafts without manual review

We recommend starting with auto-publish off until you are confident the generated schedules meet your needs.

Per-Location Overrides

If you have multiple locations, you can customize autopilot for each one:

Enable/disable autopilot per location
Override the template used for specific locations (e.g., Location A uses "Weekday Template" while Location B uses "Extended Hours Template")

Running Autopilot Manually

Click Generate Draft Now to trigger autopilot immediately without waiting for the next scheduled run. This is useful for testing your configuration or filling a gap in your schedule.

Run History

The run history table shows past autopilot executions with:

Date and time of each run
Trigger type: Scheduled (automatic) or Manual (you clicked Generate Now)
Status: Success, Partial (some locations succeeded), or Failed
Coverage percentage: How well the generated draft fills coverage requirements

How Autopilot Works

At the scheduled time, autopilot checks if a draft is needed for upcoming dates within your buffer window
It applies the selected template to generate shift assignments
Employee availability, time-off, and schedule patterns are respected
The draft appears in your Schedule Builder dashboard
If auto-publish is on, the draft is published immediately. Otherwise, you review and publish it.

If autopilot encounters issues (like insufficient staff to fill coverage), it creates a notification alerting you.

Tips

Set the buffer to match your planning horizon: If you publish schedules 2 weeks in advance, set a 3-4 week buffer
Schedule generation for off-hours: Run autopilot early morning or late evening so drafts are ready when you start your day
Start with auto-publish off: Review a few auto-generated drafts before trusting autopilot to publish on its own
Check run history weekly: Verify autopilot is running successfully and coverage percentages are acceptable