Using Schedule Templates

What Are Schedule Templates?

Schedule templates are saved schedule configurations that you can reuse. Instead of building a schedule from scratch every week, you can save a good schedule as a template and apply it to future date ranges with one click.

Creating a Template

There are two ways to create a template:

From an Existing Schedule

1. Go to Schedule Builder > Templates
2. Click Create from Current Slots
3. CrewHR captures the current slot configuration as a template
4. Name your template and add an optional description
5. Click Save

From a Draft

When working on a draft schedule, you can save it as a template before or after publishing. The template captures the shift assignments, roles, and zones.

Viewing Your Templates

Navigate to Schedule Builder and scroll to the Schedule Templates section. Each template shows:

• Template name and description
• Location(s) it was created from
• Number of slots (shift assignments)
• Cycle length in days

Applying a Template

1. When creating a new draft, toggle Use template as your source
2. Select the template to apply
3. The draft is pre-populated with the template's shift assignments, adjusted to your selected date range

Preview Before Applying

Before applying a template to an active draft, you can preview what will change:

• Preview: See the resulting schedule
• Preview Deltas: See what would be added, removed, or changed compared to the current state

This lets you verify the template works for the upcoming period before committing.

Template Versions

Templates support version history. When you update a template:

1. Open the template
2. Make your changes
3. Save as a new version

Previous versions are preserved, so you can revert if needed.

Managing Templates

From the templates list, you can:

• View: Open the template to see its contents
• Duplicate: Create a copy to use as a starting point for a new template
• Edit: Modify the template and save a new version
• Delete: Remove the template permanently

Tips

• Create a template after your best week: When you have a schedule that works well, save it as a template immediately
• One template per schedule pattern: If your schedule alternates between two patterns (e.g., week A and week B), create a template for each
• Update templates when things change: If you add new employees or change roles, update your templates to reflect the new team structure
• Use descriptive names: Name templates clearly (e.g., "Summer Schedule - Full Staff" or "Holiday Reduced Coverage")