> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://planmyrounds.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Creating a roster
> Walk through the four-step PlanMyRounds wizard to generate a fair, rule-aware duty roster — set dates, staff, shift templates, and scheduling constraints.
Creating a roster in PlanMyRounds is a guided, four-step process. You set the dates, the shifts, the team, and the rules — the engine does the rest.
Only admins can create rosters.
## Before you begin
A quick checklist before opening the wizard:
* Shift templates for your department are set up.
* All doctors who could be on duty are added to your team.
* Any [leave requests](/docs/leave/applying-for-leave) for this period have been [approved](/docs/leave/approval-workflow). The engine only respects leave that is already **Approved** when generation starts.
## Open the wizard
Go to **Duty Plans** in the sidebar and select **Create New Plan**. The wizard walks you through four steps.
## Step 1 — Period and details
Choose a **Start Date** and **End Date** for the roster. Use the **Next Week** or **Next Month** quick buttons to save time.
Enter a custom roster name so it's easy to find later — for example, *Cardiology — June 2026*.
## Step 2 — Shift configuration
Choose which shifts to include and how many doctors each shift needs per day.
You can either:
* **Apply one shift pattern to every day of the week** — fastest, good for stable rotations.
* **Use a different pattern for different days** — useful if weekends or specific weekdays need different cover.
## Step 3 — Team selection
Pick the doctors who should be part of this roster. Filter by **department** or **pod** to quickly find the right group.
As you add doctors, PlanMyRounds runs a live **coverage check**. If you don't have enough doctors to cover all the shifts across the full period, a warning appears.
Include a few extra doctors as a buffer. It gives the engine room to balance workload fairly and absorb unexpected absences.
## Step 4 — Scheduling rules
Set the rules that govern how the engine assigns duties:
| Rule | What it does |
| ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Max consecutive work days** | The longest unbroken run of working days allowed. |
| **Min rest days per week** | Guaranteed days off per week. |
| **Prefer same shift type per week** | When on, tries to keep each doctor on the same shift type within a week. When off, balances day and night shifts equally. |
| **Allow back-to-back duties** | If enabled, a doctor can work two consecutive shifts (for example, a night then a day). Off by default. |
| **Minimum rest hours between shifts** | Always enforced, regardless of other settings. |
| **Senior-to-junior ratio** | The required ratio of senior to junior doctors per shift (advanced scheduling modes). |
For a deeper look at how each rule is applied, see [Roster constraints](/docs/rosters/roster-constraints).
## Generate the roster
When you've finished step 4, select **Generate**. The engine runs in the background — you'll usually have a draft within a minute. Once it's done, you're taken straight to the roster detail page.
## If generation fails
If the engine cannot find a valid schedule that satisfies every rule, the roster shows a **Failed** status with the reason. Common causes:
* **Not enough doctors** to cover the required headcount.
* **Rules are too tight** — for example, max consecutive days set too low.
* **Too much approved leave** in the period, leaving no one available on certain days.
Adjust the inputs (add more doctors, loosen a rule, or shorten the period) and try again.
## Next steps
Check coverage and share the roster with your team.
Adjust assignments before or after publishing.