Input data
Proposal · the fields below are a draft, not a finished format
The service would need three things from a store: the team, the rules, and the traffic. This page lists the fields we currently expect to need.
Team
| Field | Example (illustrative) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Anna | |
| Roles | Cashier, key holder | What the person is allowed to do |
| Contracted hours | 30 per week | Target, with an allowed range |
| Availability | Not Sundays; not after 18:00 | Recurring and one-off |
| Preferences | Prefers mornings | Soft: honoured when possible |
| Leave and absences | 10–14 March | Hard: never scheduled |
Rules
| Rule | Example (illustrative) |
|---|---|
| Opening hours | Mon–Sat 08:00–22:00 |
| Minimum staff per role | At least one key holder open |
| Shift length | 4 to 9 hours |
| Minimum rest between shifts | 11 hours |
| Maximum hours per week | 40 |
| Breaks | 30 minutes after 6 hours |
Labour rules differ by country and contract. We do not plan to ship a legal rule set in the first version; the store states its own rules. See Open questions.
Traffic
Traffic tells the agent how many people are needed at each hour. Possible sources, from most to least precise:
- Footfall counter data by hour.
- Number of till receipts by hour, exported from the point-of-sale system.
- The manager’s estimate (“quiet mornings, busy 12–14 and 17–19, Saturdays twice as busy”).
The agent turns traffic into a required headcount per hour. How exactly (a fixed ratio, the manager’s own targets, or learning from past schedules) is still open.
Built on 14 October 2026, not deployed: a store's usual till receipts per hour, Monday to Sunday, typed in by hand by the owner or the store's managers. Since 16 October 2026 the schedule's day view turns them into tills needed per hour with one fixed ratio the store sets — the receipts one cashier handles in an hour, 80 unless changed — rounded up, at least one while the store is open, and shows it next to who is on the checkouts. Nothing builds a schedule from it, and whether a fixed ratio is the right way is still open. See Data structure.
Format
For a first version, spreadsheets are the likely entry point, since that is where most stores keep this data today. Integrations with HR or point-of-sale systems come later, if at all.