When it's time to switch
- People work from old screenshots because the file changed after they saved it.
- Availability and time off live in texts, not next to the schedule.
- Swaps happen in a group chat and the file catches up later, if at all.
- You add up hours by hand to check for overtime.
If none of these happen to you, a spreadsheet may be all you need. The rest of this page is for when they do.
The switch, step by step
- Save a copy of the current spreadsheet and leave it alone. It's your reference for the trial week.
- List everyone who works shifts, their role, and anyone who manages the schedule with you.
- Write down your usual shift times (opener, mid, closer) so you can set them up once.
- Collect availability, or ask people to enter their own. The availability form helps if you're collecting it first.
- Build next week in the app from the spreadsheet, as a draft. Don't publish yet.
- Compare hours per person and shifts per day against the spreadsheet (below).
- Invite the team, publish, and tell everyone which schedule is now official.
- Make the spreadsheet read-only and keep it for a few weeks.
Checking the two match
Pick one week and compare three things: hours per person, shifts per day, and who opens and closes. Here is the example week from the weekly schedule template, a five-person shop where the owner works shifts too:
| Person | Role | Shifts | Hours | In the app |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maya R. | Opener | 5 | 40 | ☐ matches |
| Jordan K. | Closer | 5 | 38 | ☐ matches |
| Priya S. | Staff | 4 | 28 | ☐ matches |
| Luis M. | Staff | 5 | 36 | ☐ matches |
| Ana P. | Shift lead (owner) | 4 | 32 | ☐ matches |
| Total | 23 | 174 | ☐ matches |
Telling the team
Send one short message on the day you publish: where the schedule now lives, how to log in, and that the spreadsheet is no longer updated. After that, send changes from the app, and use the schedule change notice templates when a change needs explaining.
Setting up in Zchedule
- There's no import: add people, then build the week by hand. Shift presets save your usual times, and Duplicate week copies a finished week forward.
- Shifts are drafts until you publish, so the trial week stays invisible to your team.
- The board totals hours per person as you go, which makes the comparison above quick.
- Employees accept an invite and see their shifts in the iPhone app or any browser.