Managing shift work is hard enough without clunky tools slowing you down. For CDC, a busy organisation with a shift-based workforce, the old way of scheduling — relying on spreadsheets and manual entry—had reached its breaking point. They needed a faster, smarter, and more reliable way to manage their rota. That’s where MyShiftManager came in.

In this blog, we explore CDC’s journey away from spreadsheets toward a modern shift scheduling solution that saved them hours every month and helped them plan their workforce like never before.

The Problem: Time Lost in Spreadsheets

Before using MyShiftManager, CDC followed a common path:

  • Build the rota in a spreadsheet
  • Review and revise manually
  • Re-enter everything into an online system that wasn’t built for flexibility
  • Repeat the same time-consuming process every week

Not only was this inefficient, but it introduced the risk of errors, duplicate work, and miscommunication. And because the system wasn’t truly integrated, it meant more time spent chasing updates, checking availability, and adjusting at the last minute.

“With our previous system, we had to first mock up the shifts in a spreadsheet before painstakingly entering it online.”

Spreadsheets may feel familiar, but they’re not built for managing shift work. For a business like CDC, the limitations became a blocker to growth and operational efficiency.

The Goal: Plan Ahead and Save Time

CDC knew they needed to modernise their approach to shift scheduling. Their key objectives were:

✅ Eliminate spreadsheets from the process

✅ Reduce the time it took to build and manage the rota

✅ Enable long-term planning without increasing admin work

They were actively researching workforce scheduling tools but struggled to find a system that was flexible and responsive to their needs—until they found MyShiftManager.

The Solution: A Smarter, Flexible Scheduling System

Once onboard with MyShiftManager, CDC quickly saw the impact of using a system designed specifically for shift work.

🔁 Recurring Shifts = Fast Long-Term Planning

With the ability to create and repeat shift patterns, CDC was able to build a full year’s rota in minutes. No more dragging and dropping cells in Excel. No more recreating the same shifts over and over. Just efficient scheduling that scales with their operation.

“The ease and flexibility of adding shifts and being able to repeat them forward has allowed us to create our rota a year in advance in a matter of minutes.”

📱 Mobile-Friendly from Day One

MyShiftManager integrates seamlessly with the MyShiftPlanner mobile app, so CDC’s team members always have instant access to their shifts—no more downloading dodgy PDFs or waiting for emails to confirm changes.

“Our team have benefited from the integration with the MyShiftPlanner mobile app… no need to mess around with a website trying to be a mobile app.”

The Results: Time Saved and Spreadsheets Gone

By switching to MyShiftManager, CDC achieved what they set out to do:

✅ Saved several hours (if not days) each month on scheduling

✅ Completely eliminated the need for spreadsheets

✅ Created forward-planned rotas with minimal effort

✅ Improved team visibility and communication

And just as importantly, they found a partner — not just a product. The MyShiftManager team worked directly with CDC to customise the system to fit their workflow and deliver the features they needed most.

“We finally felt confident enough to ditch the spreadsheet.”

Ready to Say Goodbye to Spreadsheets?

If you’re still spending hours building your rota in Excel, or juggling shift changes across multiple tools, it might be time for a better way.

MyShiftManager is built specifically for businesses who rely on shift work — offering time-saving tools, team-wide visibility, and the flexibility to fit your processes, not force you to change them.

👉 Talk to us today to see how smart scheduling can transform your team.

Read the full story of how MyShiftManager transformed CDC’s scheduling capability.