DSP Ops Center includes a full-featured scheduling system that lets you build weekly schedules with drag-and-drop, manage time-off requests, and automatically notify your team via DSP Chat when schedules are published.

Table of Contents

1. Scheduling Overview
2. Schedule Views
3. Schedule Positions
4. Creating and Managing Shifts
5. Shift Templates
6. Drag-and-Drop
7. Bulk Operations
8. Time-Off Requests
9. Recurring Unavailability
10. Blackout Dates
11. Publishing a Schedule
12. Unpublishing a Schedule
13. Clearing a Schedule
14. Schedule Snapshots
15. Employee Acknowledgments
16. Employee Schedule View (Public Link)
17. PDF Export
18. Shift Reminders
19. Editing a Published Schedule
20. Tips and Best Practices

Scheduling Overview

The scheduling module is a visual, drag-and-drop weekly schedule builder. Each week runs Sunday through Saturday. You assign employees to positions for specific days, set shift start and end times, and publish the completed schedule so your team receives automatic notifications with their personal schedule links.

Key capabilities:

Building Schedules

• Visual grid of positions (rows) and days (columns)
• Multiple calendar views (week, day, 2-week, month)
• Drag-and-drop shift assignment and rearrangement
• Shift templates for recurring patterns
• Copy an entire week's schedule to save time

Managing Availability

• Time-off request management with approval workflow
• Recurring unavailability rules for standing conflicts
• Blackout date enforcement for peak periods

Publishing and Notifications

• One-click publishing with DSP Chat notifications
• Unique private links for each employee's personal schedule
• Calendar export compatible with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, and more
• PDF schedule generation for printing or offline reference
• Automatic shift reminders (24 hours and 2 hours before)
• Schedule history via snapshots

Schedule Views

DSP Ops Center provides four views to help you visualize your schedule at different time horizons:

To switch views, use the view selector in the top-right corner of the scheduling page.

Schedule Positions

Positions represent the roles or job assignments on your schedule (e.g., "Route Driver," "Dispatcher," "Rescue"). Each position appears as a row in the weekly grid.

Default Positions

DSP Ops Center comes pre-loaded with 12 default schedule positions. You can customize these or add your own at any time.

Position Properties

Each position has the following properties:

• Name -- The display name shown on the schedule grid (e.g., "Route Driver 1")
• Code -- A unique short code used internally (e.g., "RD1")
• Color -- A hex color code for visual identification on the grid
• Sort Order -- Controls the display order of positions (top to bottom)
• Active -- Inactive positions are hidden from the schedule grid
• Required Certification -- Optionally restrict a position to employees with a specific vehicle certification

Managing Positions

To manage positions:

1. Navigate to Scheduling in the sidebar.
2. Click the Positions tab or gear icon.
3. From here you can:
• Add a position: Click Add Position, enter a name, code, and pick a color. Set the sort order to control where it appears on the grid.
• Edit a position: Click on an existing position to modify its name, code, color, sort order, or required certification.
• Reorder positions: Change the sort order values to rearrange the grid rows. Lower numbers appear higher on the grid.
• Deactivate a position: Toggle the Active switch off to hide a position from the schedule without deleting it. Existing shifts for that position are preserved.

Creating and Managing Shifts

A shift represents one employee assigned to one position for one day, with defined start and end times.

Creating a Shift

1. Navigate to the Week view on the Scheduling page.
2. Click on an empty cell in the grid (the intersection of a position row and a day column).
3. In the shift creation panel:
• Select an employee from the dropdown. Employees who have reached the I-9 stage of onboarding or later are available for scheduling.
• Set the start time (e.g., 8:00 AM).
• Set the end time (e.g., 5:30 PM).
• Set break minutes (default: 30 minutes). Scheduled hours are calculated automatically.
• Add notes (optional) for special instructions.
4. Click Save to place the shift on the grid.

Open Shifts

You can create a shift without assigning an employee. This creates an "open shift" that appears on the grid as unassigned. Open shifts are useful for advertising available slots that employees can request.

Editing a Shift

Click on any existing shift in the grid to open the edit panel. You can change the assigned employee, times, break duration, or notes. Click Save to apply your changes.

Deleting a Shift

Click on a shift and select Delete to remove it from the schedule. On published weeks, a confirmation dialog will appear first (see Editing a Published Schedule).

Shift Templates

Shift templates let you save commonly-used shift patterns for quick reuse, reducing repetitive data entry.

Template Properties

• Name -- A descriptive label (e.g., "Standard Morning Route")
• Position -- The position this template applies to
• Start Time -- Default start time (HH:mm format)
• End Time -- Default end time (HH:mm format)
• Break Minutes -- Default break duration (default: 30 minutes)

Creating a Template

1. Navigate to Scheduling in the sidebar and click the Templates tab at the top of the page.
2. Click Add Template.
3. Select the position, enter a name, and set the default start time, end time, and break duration.
4. Click Save.

Using a Template

When creating a shift, you can select a template to auto-fill the start time, end time, and break duration. You can still override any of these values before saving.

Drag-and-Drop

The schedule grid supports full drag-and-drop for fast rearrangement:

• Move a shift between days: Drag a shift card from one day column to another within the same position row.
• Move a shift between positions: Drag a shift card from one position row to another.
• Move across both: Drag a shift to any cell on the grid to change both the position and the day simultaneously.

The grid uses visual feedback to show valid drop targets as you drag. The shift's start and end times are preserved when you move it.

Bulk Operations

For efficiency when building schedules with many shifts, DSP Ops Center supports bulk operations:

• Copy Week: Duplicate an entire week's shifts to another week. This is ideal for repeating a standard schedule pattern.
• Clear All: Remove all shifts from the current week (see Clearing a Schedule for access restrictions).
• Bulk assign: Select multiple cells to assign the same employee or apply a template across several days.

Time-Off Requests

DSP Ops Center includes a built-in time-off request workflow that integrates directly with the schedule.

Time-Off Types

How Employees Submit Requests

Employees submit time-off requests through their personal public schedule link (see Employee Schedule View). No login is required. They select:

• The type of time off
• Start and end dates
• An optional reason

Reviewing Requests

Managers can review pending time-off requests from the Scheduling page:

1. Navigate to Scheduling in the sidebar and click the Time Off tab at the top of the page.
2. Pending requests appear at the top with employee name, dates, type, and reason.
3. For each request, click Approve or Deny.
4. Optionally add reviewer notes explaining your decision.
5. The request status updates immediately. The employee can see the result on their public schedule link.

Request Statuses

Recurring Unavailability

Recurring unavailability rules let you define standing periods when an employee is not available for scheduling.

Use Cases

• An employee who is never available on Tuesdays (e.g., school commitment)
• An employee unavailable every other weekend (biweekly pattern)
• Seasonal availability restrictions

Setting Up Recurring Unavailability

1. Navigate to Scheduling in the sidebar and click the Recurring Unavailability tab at the top of the page.
2. Click Add Recurring Unavailability.
3. Configure:
• Employee -- The employee this rule applies to
• Day of Week -- Select a day from Sunday through Saturday
• Repeat Pattern -- Weekly or Biweekly
• Start Date -- When this rule takes effect
• End Date -- (Optional) When this rule expires. Leave blank for indefinite.
• Reason -- (Optional) Why the employee is unavailable
4. Click Save.

Active recurring unavailability rules are displayed on the schedule grid as blocked-out cells, preventing you from accidentally scheduling an employee when they are unavailable.

You can deactivate a rule at any time without deleting it, which preserves the history.

Blackout Dates

Blackout dates are manager-defined periods during which time-off requests are not accepted. Use them for peak delivery seasons, holidays, or other high-demand periods.

Creating a Blackout Date

1. Navigate to Scheduling in the sidebar and click the Blackout Dates tab at the top of the page.
2. Click Add Blackout.
3. Enter:
• Name -- A descriptive label (e.g., "Peak Season," "Holiday Blackout")
• Start Date and End Date -- The date range of the blackout
• Reason -- (Optional) Explanation shown to employees
• Recurring Yearly -- Toggle on if this blackout should auto-repeat each year
4. Click Save.

When a blackout is active, employees will see it on their public schedule link and will be unable to submit time-off requests for those dates.

Publishing a Schedule

Publishing makes the schedule visible to your employees and sends notifications via DSP Chat.

Pre-Publish Validation

Before publishing, DSP Ops Center runs a validation check:

• Each scheduled employee must be linked to their DSP Chat account. This ensures every employee on the schedule can receive their notification. If any employee is not yet linked, publishing is blocked and you will see a list of the employees that need to be connected. See the DSP Chat Integration guide for how to set this up, or go to each employee's profile and enter their DSP Chat user ID.

How to Publish

1. Build your schedule for the week (assign shifts, review coverage).
2. Click the Publish button at the top of the schedule.
3. Review the pre-publish validation results. If all checks pass, confirm the publish action.
4. The schedule status changes from Draft to Published.

What Happens on Publish

• Notifications: Every employee with a shift that week receives a personal message via DSP Chat. The message includes their shift details and a link to their personal schedule view.
• Public visibility: The published schedule becomes visible on each employee's public schedule link.
• Snapshot: A snapshot of the schedule is saved automatically, creating a point-in-time record you can reference later.
• Acknowledgment tracking: The system begins tracking which employees acknowledge receipt of their schedule.

Unpublishing a Schedule

Unpublishing reverts a schedule back to Draft status. This is an admin-only action.

When you unpublish:

• The schedule status returns to Draft.
• The schedule is removed from employees' public schedule views.
• No automatic notification is sent (you should notify your team manually if needed).
• Previous snapshots are preserved for reference.

To unpublish, click the Unpublish button at the top of a published week's schedule. Only users with admin privileges will see this option.

Clearing a Schedule

The Clear All action removes every shift from the current week, giving you a blank slate.

Access restrictions:

• On draft weeks, all managers can use Clear All.
• On published weeks, the Clear All button is hidden for non-admin users. Only admins can clear a published week.

Before clearing, a snapshot is automatically saved so you can restore the schedule if needed.

Schedule Snapshots

Snapshots are automatic point-in-time backups of a week's schedule. They are created:

• When a schedule is published
• Before a Clear All operation
• Before a Copy Week operation

Each snapshot records:

• All shift data (employees, positions, times, notes)
• A description of what triggered the snapshot (e.g., "Before clear all," "Before copy week")
• The user who triggered it
• A timestamp

Viewing Snapshots

1. Navigate to the week you want to review on the Scheduling page.
2. Click the Snapshots button (clock icon) near the top of the schedule. This opens a panel listing all saved snapshots for that week.
3. Select a snapshot to view the schedule as it existed at that point in time.

Snapshots let you audit changes and serve as a safety net when making large modifications to a published schedule.

Employee Acknowledgments

After a schedule is published, DSP Ops Center tracks whether each employee has acknowledged their schedule.

How It Works

1. When an employee views their published schedule via their personal link, they can click Acknowledge to confirm they have reviewed it.
2. The acknowledgment records the employee, the week, and the timestamp.
3. If the schedule is modified after an employee has acknowledged it, their acknowledgment is marked as stale, prompting them to re-acknowledge.

Viewing Acknowledgment Status

From the published schedule view, you can see which employees have acknowledged and which have not. Use this to follow up with employees who have not reviewed their schedule.

Employee Schedule View (Public Link)

Each employee gets a unique private link to view their personal schedule. No login is required.

What Employees See

• Upcoming shifts: Their scheduled shifts with position, date, start time, end time, and break duration.
• Published schedules only: Only weeks that have been published are visible.
• Time-off request form: Employees can submit time-off requests directly from this page.
• Acknowledgment button: Employees can confirm they have reviewed their schedule.

Calendar Export

Employees can export their schedule as a calendar file (.ics format) -- a standard calendar format that works with Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, Outlook, and most other calendar apps. This keeps their personal calendar in sync with their work schedule.

Sharing the Link

Each employee's schedule link is generated automatically when a schedule is published. The link is unique and private to that employee -- no login credentials are needed. You can share these links via DSP Chat, email, or any other communication channel.

PDF Export

You can generate a PDF version of any employee's weekly schedule for printing or offline reference.

How to Export

1. Navigate to the schedule for the desired week.
2. Click the PDF or Export button.
3. Select the employee (or export the full week).
4. The PDF is generated and downloaded to your device.

The PDF includes the employee's name, the week's date range, and a table of their shifts with position, day, start time, end time, and break duration.

Shift Reminders

DSP Ops Center automatically sends shift reminders to employees via DSP Chat at two intervals:

Reminders are checked periodically by an automated background process. They are sent only for published schedules and only to employees who have a DSP Chat user ID.

Reminders include:

• The shift date and time
• The assigned position
• A link to the employee's personal schedule view

Editing a Published Schedule

You can make changes to a schedule after it has been published, but DSP Ops Center adds safeguards to prevent accidental modifications.

Confirmation Dialog

When you attempt to edit any shift on a published week (add, modify, or delete), a confirmation dialog appears warning that you are modifying a published schedule. You must confirm before the change is applied.

After Editing

• The change takes effect immediately on the schedule grid and on employees' public schedule links.
• Any existing employee acknowledgments for the affected week are marked as stale.
• Consider manually notifying affected employees of the change via DSP Chat.
• A new snapshot is not created automatically for individual edits (only for bulk operations like Clear All).

Tips and Best Practices

Recommended Weekly Workflow

1. Draft -- Start building next week's schedule early in the current week. Use Copy Week to start from last week's schedule as a baseline.
2. Review unavailability -- Check approved time-off requests, recurring unavailability rules, and blackout dates before assigning shifts.
3. Assign shifts -- Use shift templates for standard patterns. Drag and drop to fine-tune placement.
4. Review coverage -- Switch between Day and Week views to verify every position is covered for every day.
5. Publish -- Once satisfied, publish the schedule. All employees receive their notification via DSP Chat.
6. Monitor acknowledgments -- Track which employees have acknowledged and follow up with those who have not.

Handling Last-Minute Changes

• Edit the published schedule directly for small changes (the confirmation dialog keeps you aware that the schedule is live).
• Notify affected employees manually via DSP Chat after making changes.
• For major overhauls, unpublish, rebuild, and republish -- this sends a fresh round of notifications.

Maximizing Notification Effectiveness

• Ensure all employees are linked to their DSP Chat accounts before publishing (see the DSP Chat Integration guide).
• Publish schedules at a consistent day and time each week so employees know when to expect them.
• Encourage employees to bookmark their personal schedule link and export it to their phone's calendar app.

Position Management Tips

• Use clear, descriptive position names that your team will immediately understand.
• Assign distinct colors to each position so the schedule grid is easy to scan visually.
• If a position is seasonal or temporary, deactivate it when not in use rather than deleting it.
• Use the required certification field to prevent assigning employees who are not certified for specific vehicle types.