Coverage: How to Set Schedule Requirements

Plan What You Need Before You Schedule

Scheduling isn’t just about who works when—it’s about making sure the right coverage is in place to keep your business running smoothly. TeamUltim’s Coverage feature helps you define staffing needs in advance, so you can plan with confidence and avoid under-staffed days.

What is "Coverage"?

Coverage in TeamUltim means:

“What kind of staffing your business requires—before assigning actual shifts.”

Think of it as a layer above the schedule:

• Shifts = who is actually working
• Coverage = how many people you need in each work area and time slot

Why Use It?

Coverage lets you:

• Plan the minimum staffing per hour, per work area (e.g. “2 for Service, 1 for Warehouse”)
• Prepare for busy periods or holidays with custom plans
• See gaps in your current schedule (visually and via health score)
• Quickly create open shifts when needs aren't met

How It Works

1. Go to a location’s Schedule view
   Click the “Coverage” in the scheduling tools (a layer icon).
2. Pick or create a coverage plan
   You can have multiple plans—for example:
   1. “Regular Week”
   2. “Holiday Season”
      Each plan can have a custom start date and be open-ended. A coverage plan always starts on the first day of a week and ends on the last day of a week.
3. Add coverage blocks
   1. Click "Add shift requirements" button in the top bar
   2. or drag and drop a work area from the assignment bar to a weekday
   3. in the Coverage Editor select a work area (optional)
   4. Define required start time, end time, and number of people
   5. Just as with regular shift editor, you can select multiple weekdays to repeat requirements for each of them 
   6. No need to assign employees—this is about what’s needed, not who’s doing it.

Where It Appears

Once a coverage plan is active – your current date is within the validity dates of the coverage plan – you'll see small indicators in the main schedule. A pie chart icon shows if the coverage is met. Click the icon to see details for that day. If something’s missing, you can add open shifts directly from the popover.

What Counts Toward Coverage?

TeamUltim compares coverage against:

• ✅ Assigned, published shifts
• ✅ Open, published shifts
• ❌ Unpublished or draft shifts (these don’t count yet)

Coverage ≠ Enforcement

Coverage helps you see what’s needed. It doesn’t block you from scheduling less (or more).
You can always override, skip, or adjust coverage based on the real-world situation.

Summary