Stager offers two powerful ways to organize your staff: directly per event or via the overarching planning board. Whether you are scheduling a concert or a recurring maintenance shift, you can manage everything from a single interface.
Per event: Via Event - Crew schedule.
Via the planning board: A large day/week/month overview via Crew - Crew schedule. Here, you can also schedule shifts that are not event-related.
How do I schedule crew members for a specific event?
Shifts can be added to each event with the yellow + New shift button in the top right-hand corner.
Adjust details: You can modify the role, start time, and end time.
Save: Click Save in the yellow bar below to finalize the shift.
Default times: The default start and end times are linked to the event's production times, but you can set custom default times for each role in Settings - Crew.
Bulk actions: Use the checkboxes on the left-hand side to select multiple shifts. The yellow bar allows you to delete, duplicate, or send an email to the selected staff.
Pro tip: In Settings - Events - Event templates, you can compile standard schedules for recurring events. Prefill the schedule once, and it’s ready for every future production!
What are the different planning modes?
When you add a shift, you must set a Planning mode. This determines how crew members interact with the shift in the Stager app:
Direct: Crew members can claim these shifts immediately. Once claimed, the shift is theirs and no longer available to others.
Availability: Use this if you want staff to indicate when they can work. Shifts are offered via the app, and you make the final selection later.
None: Use this to directly allocate a shift to a specific person without prior consultation.
Note: Shifts are only visible to crew members in the app if the event status is 'Confirmed' or 'To be confirmed'.
How do I allocate shifts to my staff?
Once shifts are created, you can begin assigning people:
Role filtering: The Crew member drop-down menu only displays employees who are assigned to the specific role you selected for that shift.
Using Availability: If a shift is in 'Availability' mode, staff who marked themselves as available appear under 'Available - not scheduled'.
Preferences: A smiley emoticon (😄) appears next to names of people who indicated a specific preference for that shift in the app.
Automatic updates: When you schedule a staff member, the shift status automatically changes from 'Availability' to 'None'.
Double scheduling: Stager prevents double-booking. If someone is already scheduled elsewhere, a notification appears. Hover your cursor over the notification to see where the shifts overlap.
How do I use the Day/Week/Month planning board?
For a wider perspective, navigate to Crew - Crew schedule. This board allows you to fill gaps across your entire organization.
Visual cues: The color indicates which team a shift belongs to. If the color is lighter, the shift is still unfilled.
Navigation: All dates and events are clickable, taking you directly to the day planner or the specific event’s crew tab. Clicking an employee's name takes you to their profile.
Filtering: Filter by status, role, or team to see exactly what is still open.
How do notifications and status icons work?
Stager uses visual indicators to keep you informed:
Notified column: A checkmark or cross shows if a crew member has been informed. Use the Send email button to send or update shift details.
Overlap notification (!): An exclamation mark indicates the employee is scheduled for another shift at the same time.
Availability notification (*): An asterisk indicates that people have made themselves available for that specific shift.
Unfilled shifts: These appear in a lighter tone so you can spot gaps at a glance.
