Learn how to add a working shift for a guard in Trinity Guard® so patrol tasks can be started during an active duty period.
In Trinity Guard®, a shift is the working time window assigned to a specific guard. It tells the system when that guard is expected to be on duty and when patrol tasks can be started.
The setup order matters. First, the company adds the site. Then checkpoints are created. After that, a user is added. The shift comes after the user, because the shift must be connected to a real guard account.
In this guide, the shift is created for John Barrymore at the NorthGate Logistics Site – Dallas, TX test environment. The shift starts at 07:00 and ends at 19:00, creating a 12-hour working period.
After the shift is saved, it appears in the Service planner calendar. The next onboarding step is Add Task, where the actual patrol task or route is created.
The Add Shift step belongs after Add User in the onboarding flow. This is important because a shift cannot be assigned to a guard who does not exist yet.
Follow the real onboarding flow inside the Trinity Guard dashboard. Click any step to view the related screen.
After the user has been added, the onboarding checklist shows Add Shift as the next operational setup step. Click Add Shift to create the guard’s working time window.
After the site, checkpoints, and user are created, the onboarding panel shows the next setup step: Add Shift.
Click Add Shift in the onboarding checklist. This opens the shift creation flow for a guard user.
The order is intentional. A guard must exist before a shift can be assigned, and the shift should exist before patrol tasks are created.
The Add Shift screen opens in the user context. In this example, the shift is being created for John Barrymore, whose role is Guard.
Always check the name at the top of the page before saving the shift. This prevents administrators from assigning a working period to the wrong guard.
The screen also shows the selected period and the number of hours already worked by the guard during that period.
In the Shift Start field, enter the date and time when the guard’s shift begins.
For this example, the start time is:
2026-06-14 07:00
The shift start time defines when the guard’s active working period begins in the system.
In the End of Shift field, enter the date and time when the guard’s shift ends.
For this example, the end time is:
2026-06-14 19:00
This creates a 12-hour shift from 07:00 to 19:00. The end time closes the scheduled duty window for that guard.
After the start and end time are entered, click the green Add Shift button.
The system saves the shift and connects it to the selected guard.
At this point, the guard has a scheduled working period, but patrol tasks still need to be created separately.
After the shift is saved, Trinity Guard® shows a confirmation message: Shift added successfully.
The confirmation window gives three practical options: John Barrymore’s Shifts, Add Task, and Close.
For most first-time setups, the best next step is Add Task, because the guard now has an active shift window where patrol tasks can be scheduled.
Open the Service planner to confirm that the new shift appears in the calendar view.
In this example, the Service planner shows John Barrymore on June 14 from 07:00 – 19:00, with a total of 12 h.
After the shift is visible in the planner, the onboarding checklist marks Add Shift as completed.
These statements summarize the logic behind shift setup in Trinity Guard®.
A shift gives the patrol workflow a clear time structure. Without a shift, the system would not know when the guard is expected to be on duty.
With a shift, administrators can see when the guard should be working, when patrol tasks should be completed, and whether activity happened inside the expected working period.
Trinity Guard® separates scheduling from patrol verification. The shift defines the working window. The patrol task defines the required activity. The checkpoint confirms the guard reached the required location. The report provides operational proof.
This structure helps security companies build cleaner documentation, stronger accountability, and better client-facing proof of patrol activity.
A shift is the scheduled working period of a guard. It defines when the guard is expected to work and when patrol tasks can be started.
No. A shift defines the working time window. A patrol task defines what the guard must complete during that working period.
No. A user or guard must exist before a shift can be assigned.
You can start from the onboarding checklist by clicking Add Shift. The system opens the Add Shift page connected to the selected guard.
You need the selected guard, a shift start date/time, and an end of shift date/time.
The system saves the shift and shows a confirmation message. The shift then appears in the Service planner.
You can see the created shift in the Service planner calendar.
No. Patrols are designed to be started during active shifts.
The next step is to add a task. The task defines the patrol activity that must be completed during the shift.
The task belongs inside a working period. That is why the system guides administrators to create the shift before creating the patrol task.
After the shift is added, continue with the onboarding checklist and create the first patrol task.
The user account identifies who performs the work. The shift defines when the guard is on duty. The patrol task defines what must be completed during that shift.
Start with one test guard, one clean shift, and one simple patrol task before rolling the system out to the full security team.
