4-3-3 Shift Rotation Scheduler

Generate a 4-3-3 rotation (four consecutive day shifts, three off days, three night shifts, four off days) and test how it aligns with your team’s preferred night-duty share. Adjust the planning window, shift length, crew count, and starting block to surface coverage and rest insights.

First day Crew A reports (use YYYYMMDD).
Planning horizon in weeks.
Length of each tour.
Optional. Default 3 crews rotating.
Optional. Default 33% nights desired per person.
Optional. Default begins with day shifts.

Planner assumes identical staffing across crews and does not enforce labour-law rest minima. Validate against jurisdictional requirements before publishing rosters.

Examples

  • Start 2025-01-06 for 10 weeks, 12 h shifts, 3 crews, day-first, 35% night preference ⇒ Rotation 2025-01-06 → 2025-03-16 (10.0 weeks), 18 day shifts, 17 night shifts, 35 days off, 420 h per crew, coverage 75.00% (deficit 420 h), longest break 4 days, night share 48.57% (13.57 pp above preference), pattern DDD|DOOO|NNN|OOOO.
  • Start 2025-04-01 for 8 weeks, 10 h shifts, 4 crews, night-first, 30% preference ⇒ 14 day shifts, 14 night shifts, 28 days off, 280 h per crew, coverage 83.33% of 1,344 h (shortfall 224 h), night share 50.00% (20.00 pp above preference), pattern NNN|NOOO|DDD|OOOO.

FAQ

How can I accommodate personal night limits?

Compare the actual night share against an individual’s tolerance. If the gap is large, swap shifts within the pattern or add a relief crew to absorb excess nights.

Can I export the schedule?

Use the preview string as a legend and map it to calendar dates in your spreadsheet or scheduling software. Each character represents a full shift day from the start date.

What if we operate 8-hour shifts?

Set the shift length field to 8. The rotation structure stays identical, but per-crew hours and coverage percentages adjust accordingly.

Additional Information

  • A 4-3-3 rota repeats every 14 days, alternating between day-first and night-first blocks when multiple crews cycle through.
  • Actual night share equals night shifts divided by total working shifts over the planning horizon.
  • Coverage percentage compares staffed hours from all crews to the 24/7 hours in the displayed window, highlighting any deficit versus full coverage.

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