# Your first shift

**For:** Owner | Manager | Admin
**You'll need:** A {{ app_name }} account on a fresh company.

A hands-on walk from a freshly-provisioned company to one staffed shift on the calendar.

If you want the *why* before the *how*, read {doc}`how-the-data-fits-together` first; this article assumes you already understand the chain Location → Position → Person → MLP → Shift → Assignment.

## What's already there

When your tenant is provisioned, {{ app_name }} doesn't drop you into a totally empty company. It pre-creates:

- A default **Location** called **'Main'** (with your country's statutory holidays seeded for ±18 months).
- A **Person** for you, the Owner — attached to that **'Main'** location.

Everything else — positions, MLPs, shifts — is yours to add.

## 1. Rename or replace the default location

The auto-created **'Main'** is a placeholder. If you only operate from one site, rename it to your actual site name; if you have several, add the rest later. See {doc}`/set-up-your-company/locations/edit-a-location` and {doc}`/set-up-your-company/locations/add-a-location`.

## 2. Add a position

Add one for the role you'll schedule first — *cashier*, *line cook*, *nurse*. Positions are defined at the company level and are available at every location by default. See {doc}`/set-up-your-company/positions/add-a-position`.

## 3. Add another person (optional for now)

You're already on the people list as the Owner, so if you just want to test the flow by scheduling yourself, you can skip this and jump to step 4. To bring in a teammate, see {doc}`/set-up-your-company/people/add-a-person` (or {doc}`/set-up-your-company/people/add-a-person` once you're adding several).

```{tip}
A person needs at least one location to be schedulable. New people you add will land on the **'Main'** location by default until you change it.
```

## 4. Create an MLP entry

This is the step most owners miss. Even though you exist as a Person, you can't be assigned to a shift until you have an MLP entry (Member–Location–Position) that says *Person can work this position at this location*. Open your own profile and add an entry pairing the position from step 2 with the **'Main'** location (or whichever location you renamed it to). See {doc}`/set-up-your-company/people/manage-the-mlp-block`.

## 5. Plan a shift

Create the actual block of work — a date, start/end time, location, and position. The shift is born in **Draft** state, visible to planners but not yet to workers. See {doc}`/plan-schedules/shifts/add-a-shift` or, faster, {doc}`/plan-schedules/shift-calendar/add-a-shift-from-the-calendar`.

## 6. Assign the person

Open the shift, add an assignment, and pick yourself (or the teammate from step 3). Because the MLP entry from step 4 exists, they'll show up in the eligible pool. See {doc}`/plan-schedules/assignments/open-the-assignment-form`.

## You're done — one assigned shift on the calendar

Refresh the calendar and you'll see the shift block with the assignee shown on it. Hover it for the validation tooltip; click it to edit.

## What's next

- **Make it visible to the worker** — drafts are invisible to assignees until publish. See {doc}`/plan-schedules/publish-horizon/publish-up-to-a-cutoff`.
- **Finish setting up your company** — areas, skills, employment types, holidays, company periods and the rest are optional, but each one unlocks more accurate scheduling. See {doc}`/set-up-your-company/index`.
- **Add rules and compliance** — once you're scheduling for real, work-rule limits (overtime, daily/weekly caps, rest between shifts) and break rules keep you on the right side of the law and the contract. See {doc}`/rules-and-compliance/index`.

## Related

- {doc}`how-the-data-fits-together`
- {doc}`/set-up-your-company/index`
- {doc}`/plan-schedules/index`