Coverage by interval
Objective. Define coverage by interval, show how required and available staff are compared per interval, and explain why an overall balance can hide interval and skill gaps.
A dictionary entry. Coverage by interval compares the staff required against the staff available for each time slice of the operating day, so shortages and surpluses are visible where they actually occur rather than averaged away across the day.
See it in the demo
What it is
Coverage by interval asks, for each interval of the day (for example each 15 or 30 minute slot - the interval length is configurable), whether enough of the right people are scheduled or present to meet the required capacity for that slot. It is the per-interval view of staffing adequacy, and it is deliberately not a daily average: a day can be fully staffed on average while being short at the morning peak and over-staffed in the afternoon.
How it is calculated
At app-logic level, for each interval: required capacity (from the forecast and handling standards) is compared with available capacity (scheduled or actually present staff with the relevant skill). The output is a surplus or shortage per interval, often per skill or queue. Included: the forecast version and the schedule/attendance in force for that interval. Excluded or adjusted: shrinkage and non-productive time are typically removed from available capacity before the comparison. The exact interval length, how skills are matched, and how shrinkage is applied are configurable - confirm with product. A stale forecast version or an old schedule will produce a coverage picture that looks valid but no longer matches the current requirement.
How to read it and the common misread
Read coverage interval by interval and by skill, not as a single number. A shortage in one peak interval is an action (move a break, open a shift, re-skill) even when the day nets to balance. The target is simply meeting the required coverage for each interval within the agreed service goal; there is no universal percentage. The common misread is to treat an overall FTE balance or a daily coverage percentage as proof that every interval and every skill is covered - it is not (this is Capacity Planning's own interpretation rule). A second misread is reading coverage off a draft built on an old forecast and assuming it reflects today's requirement.
Where it appears
Coverage by interval appears across the Workforce Management apps: Capacity Planning (service levels and intraday), Scheduling (coverage and optimization), Real-Time Adherence (coverage) and Intraday Management (staffing and the control tower). Each shows it for its own horizon - plan, published schedule, and live day. Demo figures are illustrative seeded data.
Interpretation check
An overall FTE balance or daily coverage figure does not prove every interval and every skill is covered; read coverage per interval and per skill.
Practical task
In the Scheduling or RTA demo, find one interval with a shortage inside a day that looks adequately staffed overall. Write the shortage as an action (what you would move or open) and note which forecast version and schedule the coverage is based on.
Self-check
Why is coverage by interval more useful than a daily coverage average?
Because a day can net to balance while being short at peak and over-staffed off-peak. The per-interval view shows the shortage where it actually occurs, which is where action is needed.
What is compared to produce coverage for an interval?
Required capacity for that interval (from the forecast and handling standards) against available capacity (scheduled or present staff with the relevant skill), usually after shrinkage is applied.
A schedule shows full coverage but sits on last week's forecast. What is the risk?
The coverage can look valid while failing the current requirement, because it was built on an old forecast version. Always check which forecast version and schedule are in force.
What should you confirm with product about coverage?
The interval length, how skills are matched to requirements, and how shrinkage and non-productive time are applied to available capacity - all configurable per instance.
Verified vs demo. The demo shows coverage views on seeded forecasts and schedules. A customer's coverage depends on their forecast version, skill mapping, shrinkage rules and interval length, which must be validated in their instance.