More Flexible Rotations: Stable On‑Call, Easy Reordering

With the latest improvements to rotation handling in All Quiet, adding or removing a rotation no longer scrambles who’s on call right now. Current coverage stays put, the future order remains intact, and you can fine‑tune everything with quick drag‑and‑drop controls.

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TL;DR

• Current on‑call stays current when you add or remove rotation groups. No surprise pager swaps.
• Rotation order remains stable, and we don’t reshuffle just because the lineup changed.
• Reorder with drag & drop for both Explicit and Auto rotations when you want to change the sequence.
• Auto Rotations adapt automatically when team membership changes.
• Exception: If your schedule has an Effective From date, that date anchors the rotation math. Changes may affect who’s on call.

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Why Rotations Used To Break (A Quick Story)

Imagine your Tier 1 schedule had a simple weekly rotation across two groups:

Then your team grows and you add Charlie + Dana as a third rotation group. Under the old behavior, All Quiet recalculated the sequence from the start date of the schedule. Result? The system re‑indexed everything. Suddenly, the current week might flip to Charlie & Dana. They thought they were off, but they were still getting paged at 2 a.m.

This was an improvement suggested by many of our customers. We heard you. Stability matters. And flexibility is important.

What Happens Now: Stable Adds & Removes

When you add or remove a rotation group, All Quiet preserves the currently active rotation and keeps the remaining order unchanged relative to the active position. That means the people carrying the pager keep carrying it until the next scheduled handoff. That's exactly as expected.

This works for both Explicit Rotations (manually defined groups) and Auto Rotations (system-built groups). If you want to adjust the order after adding or removing, just drag to rearrange.

Before & After: A Concrete Example

Scenario: Weekly handoff every Monday at 00:00. Two existing rotation groups (A, B). You add a third group (C) on a Wednesday while Group A is currently on call.

Pro tip: If you want C to take over next, just drag C above B. Save, and you’re done.

Understanding Rotation Modes

1. Explicit Rotations

You create named rotation groups and assign specific members to each. Ideal when shifts must be staffed by defined pairs or roles. Drag groups to reorder and set handoff cadence.

2. Auto Rotations

Tell All Quiet how often to rotate and how many people should be on call at once. We build and cycle the groups for you. That's great for larger teams and fair-share setups. Members added to the schedule are included automatically; removed users drop out without gaps.

Drag & Drop: Fast Order Control

Need to change who comes next? Grab the drag handle and move rotations (Explicit) or reorder members (Auto) in seconds. After reordering, check the Team Calendar to preview upcoming handoffs and confirm everything looks right.

The "Effective From" Date: Why It’s Different

Sometimes you need a clean break, e.g a new quarter, a compliance go‑live, or a merger date where coverage rules change. That’s why schedules can include an Effective From date. When present, All Quiet treats that date as the anchor for rotation math. Because you explicitly told us, “Start using this rotation on this date,” we will not adjust the start date when you make changes.

So if a schedule has an Effective From date, adding or removing groups can change which group is currently on-call. Review after changes and reorder if needed.

Quick Hack: Remove Past "Effective From" Dates To Gain Stability

If you set an Effective From date only to keep the rotation order stable, and that date is now in the past, you can remove it. Removing a past Effective From date won’t rewrite history, but stops anchoring future recalculations.

• Open your team’s Schedule & Escalations.
• Click the rotation settings label.
• Clear the Effective From date field.
• Save.
• Optional: Drag & drop to set the order you want.
• Review the Team Calendar to confirm upcoming coverage.

When To Keep an Effective From Date

• You’re launching a rotation at a coordinated go‑live date in the future.
• Regulatory or contractual rules require evidence the rotation began on a specific day.
• You’re mid‑migration and need the new rules to start after existing shifts complete.

In these cases, the anchoring behavior is intentional.

Checklist: Safely Add or Remove a Rotation

Before you change anything:

• Check whether the schedule has an Effective From date.
• Note who’s currently on call.

Make your change:

• Add or remove rotation groups or adjust Auto Rotation settings.

Validate:

• Drag to reorder if needed.
• Open Team Calendar and confirm upcoming shifts.

Ready to clean up your on‑call? Head to your team schedule, review rotation settings, and try a reorder. You'll see how easy it is to keep things predictable.

Questions? Drop us a note.

- Peer
CEO & Co-Founder of All Quiet