Staff planning and time management: five steps to greater efficiency and transparency
Zurich, 30.06.2026
Many companies already use systems for staff scheduling, time recording and absence planning. Nevertheless, the workload often remains high – schedules are edited manually, rules are checked retroactively and data is reconciled between different systems. Knowledge regarding skills, availability or potential assignments is often held solely in the minds of individual staff members.
This can be expensive, especially in large organisations. Not because any single process fails, but because many small inefficiencies add up: too many systems, too many interfaces, too little automation and too little transparency.
The key question is therefore not whether the current system still works, but rather, whether it helps you to manage staff planning and time management efficiently, in compliance with regulations and in a way that is fit for the future.
A structured approach to finding the right solution
If you’re reviewing an existing system or evaluating a new solution, you shouldn’t start by drawing up a long list of functions. It makes more sense to take a structured look at the aspects which create extra work, risks and costs in day-to-day operations.
1. Make the workload transparent
Many inefficiencies are well known but are rarely examined systematically: manual adjustments, subsequent corrections, queries, coordination and work carried out outside the system.
Key questions:
- How much time is currently being spent on planning, corrections and post-processing?
- Which tasks are being performed outside the system or are being performed twice?
- What knowledge is known only to a few individuals?
Selection criteria:
A new solution should not only digitally map existing processes, but also significantly reduce operational workloads.
2. Seamlessly integrate core processes
In many companies, planning, time recording, absences and approvals are spread across several systems. This increases the workload involved in managing interfaces and makes it more difficult to ensure consistent data.
Key questions:
- Which systems are currently used in the overall process?
- Where do media disruptions or duplicate data maintenance occur?
- Which processes are so closely related from a technical point of view that they should be integrated into a single solution?
Selection criteria:
A modern solution should seamlessly connect staff scheduling, shift planning, absences, time management, approvals, self-service and period closing. Peripheral systems such as HR, ERP, payroll, access and BI should be integrated in a targeted manner.
3. Systematic use of rules and qualifications
Good planning often depends on practical knowledge: who can work where? Who has which qualifications? What rules apply to part-time work, night shifts, on-call assignments or shift changes?
Key questions:
- Are qualifications, areas of responsibility, and availabilities stored in a centralised system?
- Are work time rules checked during the planning phase?
- Can changes to workload, contract, role or organisation be tracked and recorded over time?
Selection criteria:
The solution should manage rules, qualifications, roles, availabilities, absences and organisational assignments in a structured manner and automatically incorporate them into the planning process.
4. Make planning more flexible and involve employees
A digital system is not automatically efficient. What matters is how much operational work it actually reduces and how flexibly it supports different planning scenarios. After all, not all teams, locations and organisational units plan the same way: some areas work with automated planning suggestions, others with manual planning, self-planning within the team, simplified shift planning or mixed forms.
A good workforce management solution should therefore not lock companies into a single planning model. It should be able to accommodate different scenarios within a single system, instead of requiring a separate tool for each planning strategy. This allows processes to be harmonised without ignoring operational differences.
Key questions:
- Are there automatic or supported planning proposals?
- Does the solution support different planning forms such as automatic planning, manual planning, self-planning, team planning or simplified shift planning?
- Can employees record absences, requests, availability or corrections themselves?
Selection criteria:
A modern solution should actively combine planning, requirements, employee information and routine checks. It should flexibly support for different planning scenarios and involve employees in a meaningful way. Automation is not an end in itself; rather, it must reduce actual workload and enable better decisions to be made.
5. Ensuring scalability and future viability
What originally works for a single department or individual locations often quickly reaches its limits in larger organisations. As the number of employees, locations, roles, work schedules, interfaces and volumes of data increase, so do the demands on stability, performance and governance.
Therefore, a workforce management solution should not be evaluated based solely on the current situation. The key factor is whether it can also accommodate future organisational changes, new processes, additional locations, growing volumes of data and technological advancements.
Key questions:
- Is the solution designed for large organisations with many locations, roles and data volumes?
- Is there a robust concept for roles, authorisations, interfaces and operations?
- Is the solution open to further development, modern technologies and AI support?
Selection criteria:
The solution should both meet today’s requirements and provide a solid basis for process harmonisation, automation and data-based planning.
A concise checklist for choosing the right solution
If several of the following statements apply, it is worth taking a closer look at the existing setup:
- Manual planning takes up too much time.
- Labour laws, collective bargaining agreements and internal regulations are checked manually or too late.
- Qualifications and assignment options are not stored centrally.
- Related processes are spread across several systems.
- Interfaces result in high coordination or operational costs.
- Employees have limited opportunities to input their own contributions.
- Staffing needs are not systematically derived from the data.
- The existing system offers little support for different planning scenarios, automation or AI.
- The system is not sufficiently scalable for the entire organisation.
The right approach to choosing a solution
When choosing a solution for staff planning and time management, the decision should not be based on which solution has the longest list of features. What matters is whether the solution reduces operational complexity, connects processes and makes planning more reliable.
A suitable workforce management solution reduces manual work, systematically leverages rules, qualifications and availability, supports different planning scenarios and meaningfully involves employees. At the same time, it must scale with the organisation and remain technologically viable for the future.
By consistently evaluating these points, you can quickly determine whether the current setup is still sufficient or whether a new solution is needed to make staff planning and time management more efficient, transparent and future-proof.