PITMAN SHIFT SCHEDULE · CREW PLANNING
Pitman Schedule Generator
Build an editable four-crew Pitman rota around the real 2-2-3 cycle. Compare permanent day/night assignments with a two-week rotating model, make date-specific changes, and see what those changes do to coverage.
Seven scheduled shifts per crew in a complete 14-day cycle. At 12 hours per shift, that means 84 scheduled hours per 14 days and an average of 42 hours per week, before exceptions.
THE INTERACTIVE PITMAN ROSTER
Four crews, one transparent rotation.
Select your real anchor and day/night policy, then adjust individual crew/date duties on the board. Blank/off cells are editable too.
Day shifts, night shifts and off-days at a glance
Click any crew/date cell to edit. Drag a duty to another cell to reassign it. Use the small grip at a duty's bottom-right corner to extend or shorten its duration.
The visible calendar includes each crew's calculated base assignment. Exceptions are shown by an outlined marker. Dragging a duty moves one date only; it does not rewrite the repeating 14-day pattern. For exact times or touch-only devices, use the event editor.
CHECK YOUR ROTATION
Shift coverage & exceptions
One day-duty crew and one night-duty crew per date is the reference model. Extra/missing duties, deliberate leave and training exceptions are reported for human review.
CREW WORKLOAD
Scheduled shifts and hours
Calculated shift hours are elapsed scheduled time, not paid hours or payroll overtime. Overnight shifts are allowed. DST and contractual rules must be validated separately.
THE MECHANICS
Understand the Pitman rhythm before changing a shift.
Pitman is a work/rest pattern; your organization's day/night policy is a separate decision. These two layers are displayed separately in this tool.
Seven duties per fortnight
Two duty days, two off, three duty days, two off, two duty days and three off. Crews B and D provide inverse on/off coverage to A and C.
Choose the shift policy
Fixed mode keeps A/B on days and C/D on nights. Rotating mode switches those paired assignments every fourteen days while retaining the same on/off rhythm.
See every crew together
Each date contains the four planned crew statuses. The coverage report checks missing or double-assigned day/night duties after manual edits.
Adjust one actual date
Move a shift to another date or crew, edit its status and clock time, or adjust duration. Every exception remains distinct from the base repeating pattern.
COMPLETE TOOL GUIDE
How to build and verify a Pitman schedule
Start with the real cycle anchor
Choose a calendar date that represents Crew A's first workday in your actual roster. The day-1 sequence is Work, Work, Off, Off, Work, Work, Work, Off, Off, Work, Work, Off, Off, Off. If your site starts midcycle, move the anchor back to the date that truly corresponds to day 1. The builder calculates subsequent calendar dates from this anchor; an incorrect anchor shifts every future assignment.
Decide whether day and night shifts rotate
In the fixed model, two complementary crews cover daytime assignments and two cover nights. In the rotating model used here, the day and night pairs change after each complete 14-day work/rest block. The 2-2-3 on/off sequence itself does not change. Employers use Pitman terminology differently, so confirm whether your approved roster uses a fixed tour, a 14-day switch, or a different policy.
Check the configured shift window
Enter when a day shift begins and when a night shift begins, then choose the nominal shift duration. The default example is a 07:00 day start, 19:00 night start and 12-hour shifts. For an overnight shift the end date is automatically the following calendar day. A manual override may also specify exact start and end clocks for a particular assignment.
Edit individual duty and off cells
Click a colored crew duty or an empty/off cell to open the date-specific editor. You can set Day, Night, Off, Leave or Training, change clock times, and write an optional note. Changes are saved only as exceptions on that crew and date. Use Restore base in the editor to remove a date-specific exception and return to the calculated pattern.
Move and resize scheduled duties
Drag a day or night duty from one crew/date cell to another. The starting slot becomes Off for that date and the target takes the duty, unless the target already has an active shift. Drag the small resize grip on a duty block to change its end time in fifteen-minute increments; the Edit dialog provides precise controls and is available on keyboard and touch devices. Undo and Redo reverse ordinary manual edits.
Review missing coverage and workload
The generator counts Day and Night duties independently on each displayed calendar date. It flags dates with zero or more than one crew assigned to either period. This is a simple four-crew slot check, not a staffing-demand forecast or qualification assessment. View shifts and scheduled hours for each crew to see the impact of leave, training, replacements and changes.
Save, restore, export and print
Edits autosave in your browser. Choose JSON backup to download the settings and all manual exceptions together. Restore the same file later to continue editing. CSV contains dated assignments for all four crews; ICS contains the currently displayed Day, Night and Training duties as floating local calendar times. Print/PDF uses your browser's print dialog. Signed-in users can save a dated event snapshot to the existing My Schedules account workspace.
Confirm the roster before distribution
Compare generated dates against a previously approved rota, especially the first fortnight, weekend changes and any night-shift transition. Check breaks, handover overlap, absences, relief staffing, contractual workweeks, local pay rules and fatigue risk separately. A mathematically correct Pitman sequence does not establish compliance or guarantee safe staffing for a specific operation.
IMPORTANT DISTINCTION
Fixed Pitman and rotating Pitman are not identical policies.
Both modes can use the same 14-day work/rest sequence. The difference is whether people remain on a permanent day/night tour or switch between tours after a defined block. This page uses an explicit 14-day rotation when the rotating option is chosen. Check your employer's official roster before importing calendar dates.
Stable shift type
Crews A/B cover day shifts; C/D cover nights. Complementary on/off coverage continues indefinitely until a one-date exception is introduced.
Alternate tours by fortnight
Crews A/B cover days for fourteen days and nights for the next fourteen. C/D switch in the opposite direction. Coverage remains complete in the unmodified base plan.
PITMAN SCHEDULE QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
What does a Pitman schedule mean?
It commonly refers to a 14-day 2-2-3 pattern with seven workdays and seven off-days, often used with four crews and 12-hour day/night shifts. Organizational naming varies, so verify the actual sequence and whether day/night tours rotate.
How many work hours are in one Pitman cycle?
Seven 12-hour duties total 84 scheduled hours over 14 days, averaging 42 hours per week across the two-week period. Individual workweeks may contain different scheduled hours. This does not itself determine payable overtime.
What is the difference between fixed and rotating Pitman?
Fixed means crew A/B remain on one tour and C/D on the other. In the rotating option implemented here, those tour assignments switch every 14 days without changing which calendar dates each crew works.
Can I add leave or training without changing the entire cycle?
Yes. Click the specific crew/date cell and choose Leave, Training or Off. The edit is stored for that date only; later pattern dates remain anchored to the repeating cycle.
Can I swap a day shift with a night shift?
Yes, edit the shift's date, crew and status, or drag it to another crew/date and use the dialog for precise clock adjustments. The coverage report can flag duplicate or missing day/night assignments after a change.
Does the tool calculate employee pay or legal overtime?
No. Scheduled hours are planning quantities. Actual paid hours, statutory overtime, premiums, leave entitlements and break deductions depend on your workplace rules and payroll system.
What happens to existing saved Pitman generator settings?
The page can read compatible settings from the older browser key as a one-time starting point when no new draft exists. It does not delete or overwrite the original key. JSON backup offers a complete copy of the new settings and exceptions.
Is four-crew coverage guaranteed after edits?
No. The generated base provides one modeled day and one modeled night crew per date. Manual overrides, leave, training or moved duties can create gaps. The coverage report displays dates needing review.
Will calendar exports reflect overnight shifts?
Yes, an exported night shift starts on the selected date and can end the following day. The ICS file uses floating local times; importing calendar software decides timezone interpretation and notifications.
Can I edit the schedule on my phone?
Yes. The board scrolls horizontally as needed. Tap a date/crew cell to use the form for status and exact times; this is also the accessible alternative to pointer dragging or resizing.
READY TO VERIFY YOUR SHIFT PLAN?
Start with the correct Pitman anchor. Customize the exceptions. Export a roster you can inspect.
DATE-SPECIFIC EXCEPTION