Quick answer
Use this guide to understand scheduling, prepare the right records, and complete the workflow in 5 clear steps.
Start here
What this guide helps you do
- You need weekly or recurring coverage across multiple client sites.
- You need conflict checks before assigning officers.
- You need approved time entries for billing and downstream pay processing.
Access
Before you start
What you can view or change depends on your Arcova role. If a button or page in this guide is missing, ask an account administrator to check your access.
- Schedulers create and edit shifts.
- Supervisors approve time entries and manage call-offs.
- Officers can claim shifts only when claim permissions are enabled.
Know the pieces
What Arcova keeps track of
These are the records you will see in this area. You do not need to memorize them—use this list when a field or status is unfamiliar.
Site
Belongs to an organization and contains one or more posts.
- Information you will see
- Address, timezone, geofence settings.
- Statuses it can move through
- Active or archived.
Post
Belongs to a site and defines where work happens.
- Information you will see
- Post type, staffing requirements, authorization constraints.
- Statuses it can move through
- Available, restricted, or inactive.
Shift
Belongs to a post and defines when work must be covered.
- Information you will see
- Start and end time, recurrence, required headcount.
- Statuses it can move through
- Draft, open, filled, in progress, completed.
Assignment
Links an officer to a shift slot.
- Information you will see
- Assigned officer, pay profile, conflict checks at assignment time.
- Statuses it can move through
- Pending, confirmed, released, replaced.
Time Entry
References an assignment and stores actual worked time.
- Information you will see
- Clock events, breaks, approvals, geolocation validation.
- Statuses it can move through
- Open, submitted, approved, locked.
Step by step
Follow the workflow
- 1
Create or select a site and post with required staffing rules.
- 2
Publish one-time or recurring shifts in local site timezone.
- 3
Assign officers or open the shift for qualified claims.
- 4
Capture clock-in and clock-out events into time entries.
- 5
Approve entries to finalize downstream billing inputs.
Arcova in the background
What happens automatically
Arcova may update connected records, notify the right people, or check rules while you work.
Updates after a change
Other records that may change when you save or approve work.
- Assignment changes update coverage metrics and open-shift counts.
- Approved entries can lock billing calculations.
- Every create, edit, and approval action writes an audit trail entry.
Who gets notified
Messages Arcova may send during this workflow.
- Officers receive assignment and reminder notifications.
- Supervisors receive call-off and unfilled-shift alerts.
- Managers receive overtime threshold warnings.
Checks Arcova performs
Rules and safeguards that may run before an action is completed.
- Conflict engine prevents overlapping assignments by default; users with override permission can force-assign.
- Rest-period and overtime checks run during assignment and approval.
- Geofence validation can enforce or warn on clock events.
See it in context
A practical example
Situation
A logistics client needs two overnight officers at North Gate every Friday and Saturday.
- 1
Scheduler creates a recurring post shift: 22:00 to 06:00, required headcount 2.
- 2
System creates eight shifts for the next four weekends.
- 3
Two officers are assigned after conflict and certification checks pass.
- 4
One officer calls off; the shift opens for claim and replacement is auto-notified.
- 5
Supervisor approves both final time entries Monday morning.
Expected result
Coverage remains complete, all changes are audited, and billing receives approved hours.
Avoid rework
Common problems to check
- Site timezone controls schedule rendering and recurrence generation.
- Editing a recurring series does not typically retroactively update completed shifts.
- Unapproved time entries do not flow to invoice generation.
- Restricted posts require both assignment permission and post authorization.
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