Find best matched work rule

The Find best matched work rule check box is used to optimize shift event placement and to support creating standard shifts when creating or editing shift assignments manually on the calendar.

To optimize performance while manually updating the schedule, this option is not selected by default. However, to optimize the scheduling of shift events and to create as many standard shifts as possible, select this check box.

When Find best matched work rule is not selected (default)

By default, this check box is not selected on the calendar. In this state, note the following:

When you add or edit a shift assignment for an employee, the system places the shift with its defined shift events in the first available time slots, without taking into consideration other employee schedules or other factors used in the schedule optimization process.
When you edit a shift assignment and make it a non-standard shift, the system does not prompt you to use the best matched standard work rule instead.
By not enabling this feature, system performance is improved.

When Find best matched work rule is selected

If you select this check box, the optimization feature is enabled. In this state, note the following:

When you add or edit a shift assignment for an employee, the system finds the optimal time slots for the shift events, taking into consideration other employee schedules or other factors used in the schedule optimization process.
When you edit a shift assignment and make it a non-standard shift, the system prompts you to use the best matched standard work rule instead.
By enabling this feature, creating and editing shift assignments might be slower than usual.

The Find best matched work rule option only applies to non-skilled and single-skill scheduling periods. If the scheduling period contains any scheduled activities that can work on multiple queues, and the scheduled employees have the skills to work on these queues, this optimization feature cannot be enabled.

Example: Find best matched work rule when changing the duration of a shift

From Tools, select Find best matched work rule.
Define a shift based on the shift work rule, Full time 8hr.
Change the duration of the shift to be 4 hours instead of 8 hours.
When you save the shift assignment, the system prompts you to select the shift work rule, Part time 4hr, which best matches the updated duration.
Choose from one of the following options:
- To select the best matched standard work rule instead of creating a non-standard shift, select Yes.
  
  The system saves the shift assignment according to the standard work rule definition. When you generate the schedule, the system can optimize the shift placement, as required. You can lock or unlock the shift.
- To not select the best matched standard work rule and to create the non-standard shift, select No.
  
  The system saves the shift assignment as a non-standard shift. When you generate the schedule, the system cannot move it for schedule optimization. It is locked and cannot be unlocked. The only way to unlock the shift is to change back the Duration to match the defined work rule.

Find best matched work rule process when changing duration

To come up with the best matched work rule when you change the duration of a shift, the system searches specific attributes in the following sequence:

First, the system attempts to find the work rule that best matches the current duration. It looks for a template with a duration that is either under or matching the desired duration, without going over it.
If there are multiple work rules with the desired duration, the system looks for the work rule that matches the current activity. The activity also needs to be linked to one of the work patterns of the employee.
If there is no work rule that matches both the activity and the work pattern, the system finds the work rule that matches the activity.
If there is no template that matches the activity, the system finds the work rule that matches the work pattern.
If it still does not find a matching work rule with these values, the system uses any work rule with one of the closest durations.

Existing shift events replaced by new shift events

When you change the work rule for a shift (either by selecting a different work rule from the Shift field, or by accepting the best matched work rule), the system replaces all existing shift events of the new work rule, whether they are locked or unlocked.

There is one exception to this rule. If an existing shift event is locked and that shift event also belongs to the new work rule, the shift event remains locked and in its place, while the other existing shift events are deleted. In addition, the corresponding shift event from the new work rule is skipped when placing shift events in the shift.

The system determines whether an existing locked shift event matches a shift event in the new work rule by comparing the activity and duration of the shift event. If both are equal, they are considered a match.