If you already know the basics of planning in Proplanum, you can go a step further and let the system lay out the staffing for you. Generation from templates takes a package of shifts prepared earlier and assigns it to employees automatically — taking labour law, positions and absences into account. It is the fastest method wherever shifts are fixed or change only slightly (for example shift work in a shop, recurring hours).

It is one of several automatic planning methods (we describe the others in separate articles). Here we focus on the template-based method.

Prepare a shift template

For the system to lay anything out, it needs a basis — it then knows which shifts, in which positions and at which hours are to appear. An empty schedule gives it no clue at all. So the first step is preparing a package of shifts and saving it as a template.

First lay out the target arrangement by hand (assigned to employees or as shifts in the "Unassigned" row), then save it through the "Copy" menu → "Save template". The full instructions for creating, saving and loading templates are in [Copying and schedule templates](Kopiowanie i szablony grafiku).

Generate the schedule from a template

With a template ready, you can run the generation.

1. Switch the schedule window to a future period that has not started (with the ◄ ► arrows in the toolbar).
2. From the right part of the toolbar choose "Generate" and click "Planning using templates".

3. Point to the template you want to base the schedule on in the list and click "Next".

4. In the "Automatic schedule configuration" window set how the system should lay out the schedule:

• Generation mode — Economical (faster) or Optimal (more precise, slower).
• Constraints — hard conditions, for example "Do not exceed the hour limit", "Respect unavailability", "Allow multiple shifts per day".
• Priority preferences — tiles indicating what matters most to you (for example Minimum costs, Rotation, Prioritise availability).
• Preference balance — a slider weighting how strictly the system should stick to the chosen priorities.

5. Click "Start generation". After a moment the system will propose a schedule as a draft.

When some shifts stay unassigned

If something is still left in the "Unassigned" row after generation, it means the system found no way to staff those shifts. The most common causes:

• constraints arising from labour law,
• employees' full-time equivalents or working patterns,
• too few people available (for example during the holiday season).

In that case you can assign the shift by hand (hover over it → Edit → choose an Employee) or give it up and remove it from the schedule.

Publishing the schedule

A generated schedule is still a draft — you can correct it however you like. Once the staffing is ready, click "Publish" in the top right corner. Employees with active accounts will then get a notification in the mobile app and by email. We describe the details in [Publishing schedule changes](Publikowanie zmian w grafiku).

Automatic generation genuinely speeds planning up, but give yourself a moment to get used to it. You can generate a schedule several times and combine different templates until it comes out best. If you need an idea of how to arrange it at your company, get in touch with your account manager.

Updated on: 07/08/2026