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For security guard companies

Security guard scheduling for 24/7 sites, with every post covered

Day and night posts at several sites, guards who are cleared for some sites and not others, and a post that can never be left open. ScheduleSolve drafts the roster for each site so every Must rule holds, and shows any open post before you post the schedule.

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The short answer

Security guard scheduling software covers every post at every site, day and night, with guards who are cleared for that site. In ScheduleSolve, each site or post is an area, the day and night are shifts, and you mark which guards can work each site.

ScheduleSolve drafts the whole period. It keeps rest between a night and the next day, limits days in a row, and shares nights and weekends. If a post cannot be covered, it stays open in the draft with the reason, so you can fill it before the shift.

Written by , Operations Manager · Updated October 19, 2026

Sound familiar?

An example week: Riverside office

9 people and 2 shifts in one area, filled by the same engine as the app. Gray cells are days a person said they can’t work. The rules: at least 11 hours of rest between shifts (Must), nobody works more than 4 days in a row (Must), and weekends are shared fairly (Try to).

  • Day 6–6: 2 a day
  • Night 6–6: 2 a day
An example week in Riverside office: one row per person, one column per day, and the hours
Person Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Hours
Victor Day6–6 Off Off Off Off Off Off 12most 48
Keisha Off Off Day6–6 Off Off Off Off 12most 48
Andre Off Off Day6–6 Off Off Off Off 12most 48
Mona Off Off Night6–6 Off Off Off Off 12most 48
Diego Off Off Night6–6 Off Off Off Off 12most 48
Tariq Off Day6–6 Off Day6–6 Day6–6 Day6–6 Day6–6 60most 48
Holly Day6–6 Day6–6 Off Day6–6 Day6–6 Day6–6 Day6–6 72most 48
Sean Night6–6 Night6–6 Off Night6–6 Night6–6 Night6–6 Night6–6 72most 48
Bianca Night6–6 Night6–6 Off Night6–6 Night6–6 Night6–6 Night6–6 72most 24

Every shift is filled: 28 places, and every Must rule holds.

In the app, the same week also takes in each person’s areas and skills, time off and the days they would rather not work. Open this example in the free schedule maker →

How to schedule security guards

A security schedule has one rule above all: no post is ever left open. Around that, guards need rest, a fair share of nights and weekends, and sites they are cleared for. These steps work for one site or fifty. With ScheduleSolve, steps 3 to 6 are part of every draft.

1. List your sites and posts as areas

Make each site, or each post at a big site, an area: “Riverside office”, “Mall north gate”, “Control room”. If a post needs a guard only at night, give it a need only on the night shift.

2. Choose your shift length

Most 24/7 sites use two 12-hour shifts, such as Day 6 to 6 and Night 6 to 6, or three 8-hour shifts. Twelve-hour shifts need fewer handovers and fewer guards on site, but they are long. Some sites add a swing shift at the busiest time.

3. Set the guards each post needs

Write how many guards each post needs on each shift and day. The contract with your client often says this. If a post can never be left open, set its need as the least number, and check the gaps before every post.

4. Mark who is cleared for each site

Some sites need a guard who is cleared, trained or known to the client. Mark the sites each guard can work. Only those guards are put there or offered a shift there. ScheduleSolve does not track license expiry, so keep that check in your own process.

5. Make rest and days in a row Must rules

A Night that ends at 6 am and a Day at 6 am the same morning is a safety risk. Set the rest between shifts, for example at least 11 hours, and the most days in a row, for example 4 with 12-hour shifts. Some places set rules for guard hours by law or contract; check yours and set them as Must rules.

6. Share nights and weekends

Nights and weekends wear guards down. Turn on “Try to: Night shifts are shared evenly” and “Try to: weekends are shared fairly”, unless some guards chose fixed nights. Why? on a cell shows why a guard has one.

7. Watch the hours

Long shifts add up fast: four 12s is 48 hours. Give each guard their most hours a week, and look at the hours column before you post. A swap or a pick-up goes through by itself only when it adds no overtime.

8. Cover a no-show at once

When a guard does not show up, mark them absent. Home shows the smallest fix: a free guard who is cleared for the site, a guard from a site with more than it needs, or an offer to everyone who can work it. The guard who takes it is told at once.

For fixed 12-hour rotations, see the 2-2-3 schedule, the Panama schedule and the DuPont schedule.

Your words, your rules

ScheduleSolve does not come with fixed job types or codes. You name your areas and shifts, and your rules read as plain sentences. For example:

Areas
Riverside officeMall north gateWarehouse patrolControl room
Shifts
Day 6–6Night 6–6Swing 2–10
People needed
Riverside office, day and night: 2 guards.

Start blank and add your own areas and shifts in a few minutes, or upload the spreadsheet you use today.

The rules you would set

Each rule starts from one of the app’s rule templates, with your own numbers.

  • Must: at least 11 hours of rest between shifts.
  • Must: nobody works more than 4 days in a row.
  • Try to: Night shifts are shared evenly, within 2 of each other each month.
  • Try to: weekends are shared fairly over 12 weeks.

A Must rule always holds. A Try to rule holds when it can. You can also type a rule in your own words; ScheduleSolve shows the rule it understood before it is added. How rules work

Shift patterns that fit security guards

Each pattern page has a calendar for each crew, the hours per week and a file to download.

What changes for you

A draft, not a blank grid

ScheduleSolve drafts the whole period from your people, needs and rules.

Only the decisions

Home, your list of decisions, shows time off requests, open shifts and changes to approve.

Only the right people told

Post once. Each person gets their shifts. After a change, only the people affected hear about it.

Sick calls, fixed fast

Someone can’t come? Home shows the smallest fix: a free person, a spare person or an offer.

What ScheduleSolve does not do

  • ScheduleSolve does not track guard licenses or their expiry. You mark who is cleared for each site.
  • It has no guard tour, patrol check-in, incident reports or GPS.
  • It has no time clock, does not run payroll and does not bill your clients. It exports the hours by pay code.

Questions

Can it cover a site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week?

Yes. Make a Day and a Night shift of 12 hours, or three shifts of 8, and set the guards each post needs. The draft fills them, and any post it cannot fill shows as open with the reason.

How do I keep guards on the sites they are cleared for?

Make each site an area and mark the guards who are cleared for it. Only they are put there, offered an open shift there or offered in a swap.

What happens when a guard does not show up?

Mark the guard as absent. Home shows the smallest fix: a free guard who is cleared for the site, a guard from a site with more than it needs, or an offer to everyone who can work it. The guard who takes it is told.

Can guards work 12-hour shifts on a fixed pattern?

ScheduleSolve drafts each period from your needs and rules, not from a fixed rotation. If your contract needs a fixed pattern such as 2-2-3, the shift-pattern pages show each crew’s calendar.

How much does it cost for 40 guards?

$0.50 per person per month with a $10 minimum: $20 a month for 40 guards, in USD. Every feature is included, and there is a 7-day free trial with no card.

Get your evenings back.

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