Error: end time cannot fall outside the shift

An activity cannot run past the shift it belongs to. Usually the shift is wrong rather than the activity.

An activity cannot run past the shift it belongs to. Usually the shift is wrong rather than the activity.

What the error means

You are setting an activity to end after the shift ends, or start before it begins. Activities live inside shifts, so the shift has to be adjusted first.

The usual situation

Somebody worked late. The activity is correct, the shift does not reflect what happened, and the record needs to match reality rather than the plan.

Extend the shift, then set the activity.

Fix it

1. Open the shift.
2. Adjust its start or end to cover the actual time.
3. Set the activity.
4. Check the day now adds up.

Watch what extending changes

A longer shift changes that person's scheduled hours, and therefore their adherence and utilisation for the period. That is usually correct, and it is worth knowing you are changing more than one number.

If it happens often

People routinely working past their shift is a staffing signal, not a data problem. Correcting the records each week treats the symptom.

Look at coverage at the end of the day.

Check the time zone

An activity that appears to fall outside a shift is sometimes a display in the wrong zone. Switch to the agent's own zone before concluding the times are wrong.

Overnight shifts

A shift crossing midnight belongs to one day, and activities after midnight can look out of range. Check which day the shift is recorded against before adjusting anything.

See also

• An activity was tracked incorrectly
• Editing the schedule for one agent
• Using the time zone switcher