EquiDuty EquiDuty

Shift Selection Process

Availability: Available from the Essentials plan (€9/month).

The shift selection process is a complement to automatic scheduling. Instead of the system assigning routines automatically, it lets each stable member choose their own routines in a fair queue — similar to a sports draft.

Why use shift selection?

Automatic assignment works well for simple, recurring tasks. Shift selection is better when:

  • Members want a say in which days and times they work
  • Some routines are more desirable than others (e.g. Friday evening vs. Monday morning)
  • The stable wants to combine fairness with personal preferences

How does a selection process work?

A selection process has four steps:

1. Create (Draft)

An administrator creates the selection process and configures:

  • Date range – the period the selection covers
  • Algorithm – how the turn order is determined (see below)
  • Participants – which stable members are included

The process stays in “Draft” status until the administrator starts it.

2. Start

The administrator clicks Start. The turn order is locked and the first person in the queue is notified.

3. Each member picks

When it’s your turn, you see:

  • Available routines for the date range
  • Your point quota (how much work you’re expected to pick, if using the quota-based algorithm)
  • Who picked before you and who’s next

Select the routines you want to take responsibility for and click Done. If you’re below your quota a warning is shown, but you can still complete your turn.

4. Completion

When the last participant has picked, the process is marked as complete. The turn order is saved and used as the basis for the next selection process.

Turn order algorithms

The system totals all available routine points and divides equally. Each participant gets a quota — their fair share.

Turn order is based on the previous selection: whoever picked last picks first this time. Alphabetical order is used the first time.

Best for: stables that want equal workload distribution and fair turn order.

Note: If a member has bought out one or more horses, their quota is reduced proportionally. See Buying Out of Stable Duties.

Points balance

The member with the lowest accumulated points over the past 90 days picks first. A new member with zero points always picks first.

Best for: stables with uneven attendance, where the system automatically compensates those who have done the least.

Fair rotation

The turn order shifts by one position each time: whoever was #2 last time becomes #1, whoever was #3 becomes #2, and so on. Simple and predictable.

Best for: stables that want maximum transparency and predictability without point calculations.

Skipping a turn

An administrator can skip a participant’s turn if they’re unavailable. This does not affect past points — only the turn order going forward is adjusted.

History

Each completed selection process is automatically saved. History is used by the quota-based and fair rotation algorithms to calculate the next turn order.