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Act 2: Setting Up the Kingdom

10. Time Tracking Setup (Shifts, Attendance, Biometrics)

Story

With employees now active in the system, Sarah begins configuring shifts, attendance policies, grace periods, and biometric tracking rules so working hours can be monitored accurately every day.

She carefully sets up attendance structures because even small configuration mistakes could affect check-ins, overtime, payroll calculations, approvals, reporting accuracy, and compliance workflows across the organization.

Happy Path

Shift schedules, attendance rules, and biometric integrations are configured successfully so employees can start tracking time without operational confusion.

  • Create shift templates with start time, end time, break time, grace periods, and overnight settings
  • Assign primary and secondary shifts with effective date ranges
  • Configure attendance policies including IP restrictions and auto-approval behavior
  • Register biometric attendance devices for employee check-ins
  • Apply company attendance rules for weekends, late marks, and overtime handling
  • Automatically connect attendance records to payroll and reporting workflows

Failure Modes

FailureWhat the user seesWhat happens next
Invalid shift time range configuredValidation rejects shift timingCorrect start and end time values
Break duration exceeds total shift durationValidation rejection shownReduce break duration within shift limits
Delete shift with active employee assignmentsDeletion blocked or reassignment requiredReassign employees before deletion
Overlapping effective shift dates for the same employeeConflict validation shownAdjust assignment date ranges
Employee has no assigned shiftCompany default shift applied automaticallyAssign a dedicated shift if needed
Invalid IP whitelist range configuredValidation rejects IP configurationEnter a valid IP or CIDR range
Biometric device goes offlineAttendance sync interruptedFallback to manual attendance until device reconnects
Duplicate biometric punch events receivedDuplicate attendance entries detectedSystem automatically deduplicates punches

Edge Cases

ScenarioBehaviorWhy
Overnight shift crosses midnightAttendance is recorded against the original shift start dateMaintains accurate attendance and overtime tracking
Late mark should trigger only after grace periodLate status activates after configured grace durationSupports flexible attendance policies
Shift contains multiple break periodsBreak sessions are tracked separately within attendance logsImproves detailed work-hour tracking
Employee uses secondary shift on selected daysPrimary shift remains default while secondary shift overrides specific schedulesSupports flexible workforce scheduling
Strict IP enforcement enabledCheck-in attempts outside whitelisted IP ranges are blockedStrengthens attendance security controls
Soft IP enforcement enabledCheck-in is allowed but flagged with a warningBalances security with operational flexibility
Biometric device clock drifts from server timeTolerance window adjusts punch acceptance automaticallyPrevents false late or absent records

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