Rotations and overrides
Rotations are layers inside a schedule that define how coverage moves between team members. Overrides replace normal rotation coverage for specific windows. Incido combines rotations, time restrictions, and overrides into computed shifts that alerting and calendars read directly.
Start from On-call schedules if you have not created a schedule yet.
Rotation layers
A schedule typically has at least one rotation (for example primary).
| Plan | Layers per schedule |
|---|---|
| Starter | One rotation layer |
| Pro and Business | Multiple layers (for example primary plus fallback), up to ten per schedule |
Each rotation has:
- Name — label shown in the calendar and UI.
- Key — stable identifier within the schedule for configuration import/export (separate from display order).
- Position — priority among layers (lower number = higher priority).
- Included in rotation handoffs — when off, the layer is excluded from handoff calculations.
New rotations append at the end. Use Reorder when more than one rotation exists.
Add a rotation (wizard)
On Starter, after one layer exists, Add rotation shows an upgrade prompt.
On Pro and Business, Add rotation opens a three-step wizard:
Step 1 — Cadence
- Name and shift length (number + unit; default one week).
- Handoff time — clock time for transitions (day, week, and month rotations).
- Weekly handover weekday — required for weekly rotations; which weekday each handoff occurs on.
- Monthly handover day — for monthly rotations: 1–28, or -1 for the last day of the month (default 1).
- Optional start and end bounds in the schedule timezone (minute precision).
Unless you choose Start in the future, Incido anchors the rotation to the current minute at save in the schedule timezone so grids stay stable. Custom start must be the current minute or later.
Unless Use a specific end date and time is on, the rotation has no end date.
Step 2 — Coverage hours
Optional time restrictions. Leave empty for 24/7 coverage within each cadence slot, or add windows (weekdays + clock times in the schedule timezone).
Step 3 — Members
- Simultaneous people on call — how many members cover each slot (default 1).
- Rotation members — multi-select; pick at least as many members as the simultaneous count.
- Handoff order follows selection order (first selected is first in rotation). Clear and re-select to change order.
Incido saves the rotation, members, and restrictions together and refreshes computed shifts once.
Edit on an existing rotation uses a single dialog (including position and Included in rotation handoffs). You cannot remove the last member; add someone else first or delete the rotation layer.
Cadence reference
| Unit | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Day | Shifts align to midnight in the schedule timezone, or the configured handoff time. |
| Week | Shifts span the configured number of weeks. Handoffs occur on the weekly handover weekday at the handoff time. A rotation start time is required for weekly grids. |
| Month | Default handoff is the 1st unless monthly handover day is set. Use -1 for the last day of the month. Handoff uses the handoff time. |
Simultaneous on-call
Simultaneous people on call assigns multiple members from the ordered list in parallel for each slot. Useful when you want backup coverage in the rotation itself instead of relying only on escalation.
Rotation start and end dates
Optional bounds limit when a rotation produces shifts. No coverage is generated before start or after end. Useful for temporary layers (for example holiday coverage).
Members
Each member has a position in the handoff order. Incido advances to the next position on handoff and wraps to the first after the last member.
At least one member is required. Delete is hidden when only one remains.
To reorder by drag:
- Click the reorder control (up-and-down arrows) in the members table toolbar.
- Drag rows by the grip handle. Dropping saves order and recalculates shifts.
- Click the reorder control again to exit reorder mode.
Use table actions to add or remove members, or edit a row to set position numerically.
Time restrictions
Without restrictions, a rotation covers every moment within its cadence slots. With restrictions, coverage is limited to matching day/time windows in the schedule timezone.
Example: Monday–Friday, 09:00–17:00 for business hours only.
Multiple restrictions on one rotation combine (for example weekday business hours plus Saturday mornings).
Open Time restrictions on a rotation for a full-width editor. An expanded rotation shows a short summary.
Review computed shifts
Shifts on a rotation opens a read-only list of upcoming computed windows. Edit cadence, members, or restrictions through Edit or the rotation section.
Overrides
Overrides replace or clear normal rotation coverage for a time window. Use them for planned absences, swaps, or special coverage.
Each override has start time, end time, and People on call (participants).
| Scope | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Whole schedule | Applies to all rotations in the schedule. |
| Specific rotation | Applies only to that layer. Wins over a schedule-wide override for the same window. |
No participants means explicitly nobody is on call during the window (for example maintenance when you do not want pages).
Manage overrides in the Overrides section on the schedule view.
How computed shifts are built
You do not refresh shifts manually. Incido recalculates when you change rotations, members, restrictions, or overrides.
- Horizon: approximately six weeks into the future.
- Each refresh replaces every shift that has not ended yet, then writes new rows.
- Ended shifts remain for history surfaces; alerting and the subscribe calendar read the fresh set.
If changes do not appear in alerting, confirm the schedule is Available for on-call and each active rotation has at least one member and a valid cadence.
Effective shift history
Effective shift history on the schedule view is a read-only audit log of duty segments: who was on call, when duty started, planned end, actual end (if complete), status, and why the segment ended.
This table supports audit and shift verification. Who is on call now on the landing page and in iCal comes from computed shifts (the live projection), not from this history table.
Operational effects
Rotation and override edits change who receives pages within seconds. Removing someone from a rotation or adding a nobody override can create gaps; coordinate with your team.
Troubleshooting
You cannot delete the last person in a rotation. Add another member first, or delete the rotation layer.
A rotation produces no shifts. Confirm Included in rotation handoffs is on, at least one member exists, cadence is set, and start/end dates (if any) cover your window. Check time restrictions include the hours you expect.
Alerts reach the wrong person. Review member order, active layers, and overrides. Confirm the escalation policy references this schedule.
Monthly handoff is on the wrong day. Check monthly handover day (default 1). Use -1 for last day of month.
Weekly handoff is on the wrong day. Check weekly handover weekday and handoff time.
An override does not apply. Verify start/end times and scope. Rotation-scoped overrides beat schedule-wide overrides. Empty participants mean intentional no coverage.