Before you start
You need scheduling permissions. If you don't see the three-dot menu in the top-right of the Schedule page, ask an Administrator to update your role.
Set your staffing budgets first. Optimize schedule uses your budget to decide how many shifts each day needs — without a budget it has nothing to balance against.
Optimize schedule works from the open shifts on your Schedule. It adds shifts where you're under budget and removes open shifts where you're over budget, for the position and dates you pick.
Optimize the schedule
Optimize schedule is the quickest way to line up your open shifts with your budget after you've built a schedule with Build the next schedule with Create Schedules.
Optimize schedule changes your schedule the moment you click Apply — it can remove open shifts to stay within budget, so review your open shifts before you run it.
In the left sidebar, click Schedule.
In the top-right corner, click the three-dot menu.
Click Optimize schedule.
Check the Position you want to optimize. Click the X on a position to remove it.
Confirm the Date range for the shifts you want to optimize.
Under Choose an option, select Balance open shifts.
Click Apply.
Veras reads through your open shifts and updates the schedule — this can take a few seconds. You'll see a Schedules applied successfully message in the bottom-right corner, and your open-shift count drops to match your budget. Review the results, then publish as usual so staff can see them — see How to Post the Schedule.
Common questions
Q: What does Optimize schedule actually change?
A: It works from your open shifts. It adds shifts where you're under your staffing budget and removes open shifts where you're over budget, for the position and dates you pick.
Q: I removed open shifts I wanted to keep. Can I get them back?
A: Open the same three-dot menu and look for Restore shifts. If you can't recover the shifts you need, add them back manually — see Manually Add Shifts to the Schedule.
Q: Why don't I see AI coverage suggestions?
A: It's only available on certain accounts. If the option is greyed out, it isn't enabled for yours — use Balance open shifts.
Q: Do staff see the changes right away?
A: Not until you publish. Optimize schedule updates the shifts on your Schedule, but staff only see them after you publish — see How to Post the Schedule. To fill any open shifts that remain, see How to Share Open Shifts.
Q: Why is the AI coverage suggestions option grayed out?
A: The AI coverage suggestions only display if your community budgets by area.