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HS: Automated AI Forecasting and Labor Management

Overview

This guide outlines recommended weekly, daily, and as-needed tasks for managers using HotSchedules Automated AI Forecasting and Labor Generation.

Automated AI Forecasting generates sales projections that managers can use to plan labor and create schedules. Managers can review forecasted activity, apply adjustments, generate labor, and evaluate scheduling performance using HotSchedules reporting tools.

Weekly Labor Tasks

Review the Automated Forecast

1. Open the HotSchedules navigation menu and select Forecasting > Forecasting and Labor.
2. Locate the week you want to review.
3. Under Forecast Status, select Generated on [date] to open the automatically generated forecast.
4. Review the projected sales and business activity.

Use the available forecast views to review the data:

• Daily View: Review projected activity throughout the day.
• Weekly View: Review projected sales by day and Revenue Center.

Note: Historical week selection is not available for automatically generated AI forecasts.

Apply Forecast Adjustments

If anticipated business activity differs from the automatically generated forecast, apply the appropriate forecast adjustments.

1. On the Forecast Projections page, locate Forecast Adjustments.
2. Select the + icon to open the adjustment options.
3. Review available adjustments or create a new adjustment.
4. Select the adjustments you want to use and choose Apply Adjustment.

Important information:

• Percentage adjustments are recommended for regular business changes, such as known catering orders that may not be reflected in the forecast.
• Dollar adjustments may be restricted by your organization's configuration or business rules.
• Adjustments applied to an automatically generated forecast prevent that week's forecast from updating automatically. Deleting the adjustment allows the forecast to update again during the next automatic update.

For detailed instructions, see HS: Adjusting Your Forecast.

Generate Labor

After reviewing the forecast and applying any necessary adjustments, generate labor for the scheduling week.

1. Return to Forecasting > Forecasting and Labor.
2. Locate the week you want to schedule.
3. Under Labor Generation, select Generate Labor.
4. Select the checkbox above each applicable job code.
5. Select Generate Labor to create the recommended labor.

Important: If forecast adjustments are made after generating labor, regenerate labor to update the Labor Volume chart in the Scheduler.

Once labor has been generated for a week, the sales forecast no longer updates automatically. If permitted, deleting the generated labor allows the forecast to resume updating during the next automatic update.

Note: Labor Generation requires the applicable Labor Optimization configuration. Contact your Fourth representative if the feature is not enabled for your organization.

Create and Review the Schedule

1. Navigate to Scheduling.
2. Select the applicable week using the date picker.
3. Create the schedule using one or more of the following methods:
   • Apply a schedule template.
   • Copy a previous week's schedule.
   • Add shifts manually.
   • Use generated House Shifts from House Shift Manager.
4. Review and adjust shifts as needed.

Existing shifts and House Shifts can be reassigned using drag-and-drop or Smart Select.

To use Smart Select, highlight the applicable shifts and press S on your keyboard.

Tip: Press ? while viewing the Scheduler to display available keyboard shortcuts.

Review Labor Volume and Schedule Summary

Before posting the schedule, review labor coverage against the generated recommendations.

1. In the Scheduler, select Labor Volume.
2. Review the relationship between scheduled labor and forecasted labor requirements.
3. Use filters to review specific schedules, jobs, or dayparts.
4. Select Schedule Summary to compare scheduled and forecasted hours.

Adjust the schedule as needed to align staffing with projected business demand.

Review Schedule Warnings

Before posting, review employee requests, scheduling restrictions, and applicable compliance warnings.

Review the following, as applicable:

• Employee notes and scheduling preferences
• Minor labor restrictions
• Overtime
• Employee availability
• Requests to work and time-off requests
• Meal and break requirements
• Other configured compliance rules

Make any necessary changes and review the schedule again.

Post the Schedule

After reviewing labor coverage, employee requests, and scheduling warnings:

1. Confirm the correct scheduling week is selected.
2. Review the schedule for accuracy.
3. Select Post.

The schedule is then published according to the organization's scheduling configuration.

Weekly Labor Reports

Managers can use the following reports to review labor performance and scheduling activity:

Daily Labor Tasks

Review Labor Performance

Managers should review the previous day's labor performance to identify differences between forecasted, scheduled, and actual activity.

1. Open the Scheduler.
2. Select Labor Volume.
3. Compare forecasted, scheduled, actual, and optimal labor information.
4. Select Schedule Summary to review scheduled hours against forecasted hours.
5. Select Forecast Data to compare forecasted activity with actual business results.
6. Review significant variances and determine whether scheduling or forecasting adjustments are needed.

Daily Labor Reports

The following reports can support daily labor reviews:

Additional Manager Tasks

In addition to weekly and daily labor reviews, managers may need to complete the following tasks as needed.

Approvals

• Approve or deny time-off requests.
• Review requested availability changes.
• Approve or deny picture uploads, where applicable.

Messaging

• Send broadcast messages about operational changes, special events, or other important information.
• Review and respond to HotSchedules messages.

New Employees

• Generate Welcome Sheets for new employees.
• Enter or update employee availability.

Employee Notes

• Document employee scheduling preferences or other relevant scheduling information.

Employee Thresholds

For organizations using Fair Workweek functionality, configure or update employee thresholds as applicable.