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Rotation Management

Rotation management covers how you configure, adjust, and maintain the user lists and timing that drive your on-call coverage.

Configuring Rotations​

Every schedule layer has a rotation configuration:

Rotation Length Options​

TypeShift LengthBest For
Daily24 hoursHigh-volume teams, 5+ members, frequent handoffs
Weekly168 hours (7 days)Small MSP teams, lower alert volume, continuity preference
CustomAny hours (e.g., 12, 48, 96)12-hour shifts, specialized on-call windows

Setting the Handoff Time​

The Start Time field on each layer determines when the rotation hands off. For example:

  • Start Time 09:00 in timezone America/Chicago → rotation hands off at 9am Chicago time
  • Start Time 00:00 → midnight handoff (common for 24/7 coverage)

All technicians in the layer shift simultaneously at the start time. There is no staggered handoff — one person finishes their shift and the next begins.

Setting the Rotation Order​

The order of users in a layer's user list directly determines the rotation sequence. The first user in the list is on call starting from the schedule's start date.

To adjust the rotation order:

  1. Open the schedule and click Edit.
  2. In the layer's user list, drag users to reorder them.
  3. Click Save.

The recalculation takes effect immediately, which may change who is currently on call.

⚠️Reordering users in a layer recalculates coverage from the schedule start date. If the start date was months ago, the current on-call user may shift. Preview the change before saving in a production schedule.

Adding Technicians to a Rotation​

  1. Open the schedule and click Edit.
  2. Find the layer you want to modify.
  3. Click Add User and search by name or email.
  4. The user is added to the end of the rotation order.
  5. Drag to reposition if needed.
  6. Click Save.

New technicians are inserted into the existing rotation sequence. Their shift begins at the next rotation boundary after saving.

Removing Technicians from a Rotation​

  1. Open the schedule and click Edit.
  2. Click the X next to the user in the layer.
  3. Click Save.

Removing a user compresses the rotation — the remaining users cover more shifts. The rotation recalculates from the start date.

ℹ️If you need to temporarily remove someone (e.g., vacation), use a Schedule Override instead of removing them from the layer. This preserves their place in the rotation without permanently changing the schedule.

Multiple Layers for Redundancy​

Use multiple layers to add a backup on-call technician:

Layer 1 (Primary): Alice, Bob, Carol — weekly rotation Layer 2 (Backup): Dave, Eve — weekly rotation, offset by 3 days

When an incident triggers, escalation targets can reference either the primary schedule or the backup schedule. If your escalation policy has Step 1 → primary schedule and Step 2 → backup schedule, both are engaged in sequence.

Handoff Notifications​

The schedule rotation timer runs every 60 seconds and checks for upcoming handoffs. Technicians receive an email notification 1 hour before their shift begins, giving them time to prepare:

  • Review any active incidents
  • Check that their notification preferences are current
  • Ensure they have access to tools needed for response

Outgoing on-call technicians are not automatically notified when their shift ends — this is by design to avoid alert fatigue.

Custom Rotation Lengths​

For non-standard shift patterns, use the Custom rotation type with a specific hour count:

PatternRotation Length Hours
12-hour shifts12
2-day shifts48
4-day shifts96
10-day rotation240

Example: a team of 4 on 12-hour shifts with a midnight/noon handoff:

  • Schedule Start Date: March 1, 00:00
  • Layer: Custom, 12 hours, Users: [Alice, Bob, Carol, Dave]
  • Alice: March 1 00:00 → March 1 12:00
  • Bob: March 1 12:00 → March 2 00:00
  • Carol: March 2 00:00 → March 2 12:00
  • Dave: March 2 12:00 → March 3 00:00
  • Alice: March 3 00:00 → … (repeats)

Exporting to External Calendars​

On-call schedules can be exported to Google Calendar or Outlook using the Bridge API:

Endpoint: GET /api/bridge/schedules Headers: X-Integration-Key: <key>, X-Tenant-Id: <tenant_id>

The response includes schedule layers, user assignments, and rotation boundaries in JSON format. Use this data to populate calendar events or sync with a calendar service.

ℹ️Native iCal export and direct calendar sync are on the roadmap. Currently, calendar integration requires using the Bridge API response to build calendar entries in your own tooling or automation.