Staff and Volunteer Lifecycle

Overview

The staff and volunteer lifecycle turns a staffing plan into actual event coverage. It starts with HR settings and departments, then moves through volunteer positions, applications, approvals, roster planning, published shifts, live shift tracking, and post-event review.

This lifecycle affects people directly. Bad setup can overpromise volunteer benefits, miss coverage gaps, assign people to the wrong location, or leave staff without clear shift expectations.

Dashboard routes

Route	Purpose
/ems/manage/human-resources?id=:eventId	Configures HR behavior, departments, members, locations, subsidies, and volunteer settings.
/ems/manage/volunteer-positions?id=:eventId	Publishes roles people can apply for and defines application questions.
/ems/manage/volunteer-applications?id=:eventId	Reviews applications, decisions, notes, and notifications.
/ems/manage/staff-roster?id=:eventId	Builds and publishes shift schedules.
/ems/manage/live-shift-tracker?id=:eventId	Tracks current coverage and shift state during the event.

Flowchart

flowchart TD
  hr["<b>HR configured</b><br/>Departments, members, locations, subsidy settings, and volunteer policy are saved<br/><i>Surface: Human Resources</i>"] --> positions{"Will volunteers apply through EMS?"}
  positions -- Yes --> open["<b>Positions open</b><br/>Publish roles, application windows, requirements, questions, and subsidy overrides<br/><i>Surface: Volunteer Positions</i>"]
  positions -- No --> roster
  open --> applications["<b>Applications submitted</b><br/>Review answers, contact details, status, and notes<br/><i>Surface: Volunteer Applications</i>"]
  applications --> decided{"Application decision ready?"}
  decided -- No --> applications
  decided -- Yes --> roster["<b>Roster drafted</b><br/>Build days, roles, people, locations, shift times, and coverage<br/><i>Surface: Staff Roster</i>"]
  roster --> publish{"Roster ready to publish?"}
  publish -- No --> roster
  publish -- Yes --> live["<b>Live shift tracking</b><br/>Monitor current, upcoming, missed, and uncovered shifts<br/><i>Surface: Live Shift Tracker</i>"]
  live --> closeout["<b>Closeout</b><br/>Preserve hours, coverage notes, no-shows, and subsidy outcomes"]
  click hr "../surfaces/human-resources/" "Open Human Resources surface docs"
  click open "../surfaces/volunteer-positions/" "Open Volunteer Positions surface docs"
  click applications "../surfaces/volunteer-applications/" "Open Volunteer Applications surface docs"
  click roster "../surfaces/staff-roster/" "Open Staff Roster surface docs"
  click live "../surfaces/live-shift-tracker/" "Open Live Shift Tracker surface docs"

Lifecycle states

State	What is true	Surface to inspect	Completion evidence
HR configured	Event has departments, locations, member imports, subsidy settings, and volunteer policy.	Human Resources	HR toggles, departments, locations, and subsidy rules are saved.
Positions open	Volunteer positions are visible according to application windows.	Volunteer Positions	Position title, window, subsidy override, requirements, and form fields are correct.
Applications submitted	Volunteers have applied and staff can review them.	Volunteer Applications	Application status, answers, contact details, and decision buttons are visible.
Applications decided	Staff approve, deny, or hold applicants with notes.	Volunteer Applications	Decision notes and notification expectations are recorded.
Roster drafted	Shifts are planned but not necessarily final.	Staff Roster	Day windows, locations, roles, staff names, and shift times are visible.
Roster published	Staff can rely on the schedule.	Staff Roster	Published state and handoff message match the actual roster.
Live shift tracking	Event-day leads monitor current and upcoming coverage.	Live Shift Tracker	Active, upcoming, missed, or uncovered shifts are assigned for follow-up.
Closeout	Staff hours, volunteer notes, and subsidy outcomes are preserved.	Post-Event Record Maintenance	Unresolved coverage notes and subsidy decisions have owners.

Staffing records and what they affect

Record	What it controls	Risk if wrong
Department	Organizes people and shifts.	Staff may be routed to the wrong team.
Member/staff record	Identifies who can be scheduled or imported.	Duplicate or wrong person may receive a shift.
Location	Places shifts in physical or operational areas.	Coverage map becomes misleading.
Volunteer position	Describes work, requirements, window, and subsidy expectations.	Applicants may apply for the wrong commitment.
Application	Stores applicant answers and review decision.	Staff may approve without enough information.
Shift	Assigns person, role, location, time, and spanning behavior.	Live coverage can fail if times or owners are wrong.

Handoff rule

Roster handoff should include the date range, publish state, open coverage gaps, owners for no-shows, volunteer subsidy policy, and the live tracker page that event-day leads should use.

Common mistakes

Do not publish the roster before checking volunteer application decisions and HR subsidy rules. A schedule can look complete while benefits, application status, or department ownership are still wrong.