Resource Roster Mode

What is Roster Mode?

Roster Mode defines how a Resource can be scheduled in Maica, specifically whether they are scheduled through Shifts, through standalone Appointments, or both. It determines the validation Maica applies when you try to assign a Resource to a Shift or book them into an Appointment.

Roster Mode is used by coordinators and schedulers who build the roster, and by administrators who set a Resource's default way of working. Choosing the right mode helps Maica keep the roster consistent, for example by stopping a shift-based worker from being booked outside their Shifts.

Roster Mode is set on the Resource record and can also be set on individual Availability records. See How Maica determines a Resource's Roster Mode for how the two interact.

Where do I set Roster Mode?

You can set Roster Mode in two places:

1. On the Resource record, using the Roster Mode field. This is the Resource's default mode.

2. On an Availability record, using the Roster Mode field. This lets you apply a different mode for the period that Availability covers.

The three Roster Modes

Maica offers three Roster Modes. The table below summarises how each one behaves.

Roster Mode	Can take standalone Appointments	Can be assigned to Shifts	Typical use
Appointment	Yes	No	Resources scheduled entirely through individual Appointments
Shift	Only within one of their Shifts	Yes	Resources who work rostered Shifts, such as in a group or residential setting
Dynamic	Yes	Yes	Resources who work a continuous Shift on some days and individual Appointments on others

Appointment

A Resource in Appointment mode is scheduled through standalone Appointments. They can be booked at any time, subject to their Availability if any Availability records exist. A Resource in Appointment mode cannot be assigned to a Shift. Attempting to add them to a Shift produces a Roster Mode Conflict.

Shift

A Resource in Shift mode is scheduled through Shifts. They can be assigned to Shifts, and any Appointment booked for them must fall within one of their Shifts. If you try to book an Appointment for a Shift-mode Resource outside any of their Shifts, Maica reports a conflict.

Dynamic

A Resource in Dynamic mode can be assigned to both Shifts and standalone Appointments. This removes the need to switch a Resource between Appointment and Shift mode when their pattern of work changes day to day. Standard overlap and availability rules still apply.

Use Dynamic for Resources whose work mixes rostered Shifts and individual Appointments, so you do not have to change their Roster Mode each time the roster changes.

How Maica determines a Resource's Roster Mode

A Resource can have a Roster Mode on their Resource record and a different Roster Mode on a specific Availability record. When validating a Shift or an Appointment, Maica resolves the Roster Mode to use in the following order:

1. The Roster Mode on the matched Availability record, if one applies and it is set

2. Otherwise, the Roster Mode on the Resource linked to that Availability record

3. Otherwise, the Roster Mode on the Resource record

4. Otherwise, Maica treats the Resource as Appointment mode

Where more than one Availability record applies at the same time, Dynamic rows take precedence when Maica resolves the applicable mode. This means a Resource with any overlapping Dynamic Availability is treated as Dynamic for that period.

How each mode affects scheduling

The Roster Mode controls two kinds of validation when you build the roster.

Roster Mode coverage

These rules always apply, regardless of your overlap settings:

• An Appointment-mode Resource cannot be assigned to a Shift.

• A Shift-mode Resource can only have Appointments that fall within one of their Shifts.

• A Dynamic-mode Resource can be assigned to Shifts and can also take Appointments that sit outside a Shift.

Roster Mode coverage is independent of the overlap settings and of the per-Resource Allow Overlap option. It checks whether the Resource is allowed to work that way at all, not whether two bookings clash in time.

Overlap and Roster Mode

Separately from coverage, Maica can prevent a Resource from being double-booked at the same date and time. Overlap of the same type, meaning Appointment against Appointment or Shift against Shift, is controlled by the Allow Resource Overlap settings and can be bypassed for an individual Resource using the Allow Overlap checkbox on the Resource record.

For Dynamic Resources, a rostering setting also controls whether Maica prevents an overlapping Shift and Appointment at the same time. When that setting is enabled, a Dynamic Resource cannot be booked into an Appointment that overlaps one of their Shifts, and vice versa.

To learn more about the per-Resource overlap exception, see the Allow Overlap section of the Resource Profile article.