Fixing Fragmented Rota Planning with a Centralised, Real-Time Scheduling Board

The Problem

A clinical diagnostics organisation relied on multiple disconnected Excel spreadsheets to plan staff rotas across regions and service lines. Each planner maintained their own version, leading to errors, double bookings, version conflicts and lost visibility over who was assigned where. Coordinating updates across the planning team required constant calls and messages, slowing down decision-making and adding significant administrative burden. As the organisation scaled, spreadsheet-based planning became unmanageable and risky.

The Solution

One of our digital squads implemented a centralised, real-time rota board that synchronised scheduling activity across all planning team members. The board replaced fragmented spreadsheets with a single live environment where assignments, changes and availability updates were instantly visible. Role-based permissions ensured planners had the right level of control while preventing accidental overwrites. Integrated staff information—including compliance status, qualifications and availability—enabled faster, more accurate scheduling. The new system created a shared operational picture that eliminated duplication and drastically reduced admin effort.