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# Why isn’t schedule generation working?

Automatic generation will only lay out a schedule when it has something to work with. If nothing happens after you run **"Generate"**, or the result is empty, in practice one part of the groundwork is usually missing. Below are the most common causes and how to remove them.

# Check that the groundwork is ready

Before the system starts planning, it has to know who you have available and on what terms. Make sure you have:

* the account and the location set up correctly,
* employees added at the location,
* positions and employment terms assigned — they let the system watch over labour law rules and hour limits.

You set employment terms in the [Team](https://help.proplanum.com/en/category/employee-team-icid2m/) module, and the message rules in [Labour law](https://help.proplanum.com/en/article/the-employment-code-115gdrl/).

# Check that there is something to generate from

The most common reason for "generation not working" is having no material to distribute. The system cannot guess by itself which shifts should end up in the schedule — it needs a prepared package of shifts. Depending on the generation method you chose, that will be:

* a saved shift **template** (the **"Planning using templates"** method),
* shifts in the **"Unassigned"** row at the top of the schedule (the **"Assigning unassigned shifts"** method),
* demand metrics turned on (the **"Demand-based planning"** method).

|| Remember: If the schedule is empty and there is no template, no unassigned shifts and no demand — the system has no basis to work from and will not propose any staffing.

# Check that the settings are not blocking a solution

Sometimes the groundwork is ready but the algorithm cannot find a solution that satisfies every condition. Typical reasons:

* too few employees for the number of shifts,
* too restrictive a set of constraints in the generation window (for example a hard hour limit together with respecting unavailability),
* clashes with leave and absences.

In that case loosen the constraints in the **"Automatic schedule configuration"** window (the **"Constraints"** section) or add the missing people and run the generation again.

# Bear the time restriction in mind

||| Caution: Generation works only on future periods. You cannot lay out a schedule automatically for past periods or ones already under way — switch to a future period that has not started.

More about the individual automatic planning methods is in: [Automatic schedule from templates](https://help.proplanum.com/en/article/automatic-schedule-from-templates-deq1y1/), [Automatic schedule from unassigned shifts](https://help.proplanum.com/en/article/automatic-schedule-from-unassigned-shifts-q6szze/) and [Automatic schedule based on demand](https://help.proplanum.com/en/category/schedule-planning-n4je6/).