The three shapes an opportunity can take
Overview
There are three sensible ways to arrange your work in Vome, and the difference between them is not cosmetic. Before you choose, know that the word "shift" means something different in each one.
That is what decides whether you can break a single event into separate jobs later, so it is worth two minutes now rather than a restructure in three months. This article is for administrators.
1. What a shift is in each shape
Start here. Everything else in the article follows from it.
A role inside a program
- The opportunity is one ongoing job.
- Each shift is just a date and a time.
- No shift title needed, because the opportunity already names the work.
One opportunity per event
- The opportunity is one specific event.
- Each shift is a task or a role, named with a Shift Title.
- A shift can be restricted by profile tag, so only qualified people can take it.
One "All Events" opportunity
- A single opportunity holds every event you run.
- Each shift is a whole event, named with the event title.
- The simplest to set up and the easiest to browse.
2. A role inside a program
This is the usual shape for recurring programs, and the one most organizations should start from.
"Front desk reception" is the opportunity. Tuesday 9:00 to 12:00 is a shift, and so is Thursday 13:00 to 16:00. The shifts carry no titles because there is nothing to add: the opportunity has already said what the work is, and the only thing that varies is when.
It fits anything ongoing. A weekly program, a standing role, a job somebody does every month. It also pairs naturally with a shift series, since a repeating job is exactly the case a series exists for.
3. One opportunity per event
Use this when an event breaks into distinct jobs.
"Spring Gala" is the opportunity. Inside it, the shifts are the jobs: Registration desk, Kitchen prep, Setup crew, Bartender, Teardown. Each gets a Shift Title, and each can have its own capacity, its own times and its own restrictions.
This is the only shape where the jobs within one event are individually visible and individually bookable. Somebody can look at the Gala and choose the kitchen rather than the door.
4. One "All Events" opportunity
One opportunity called something like "Events" or "Community events", holding every event you run. Each shift is a whole event, named with the event title: "Spring Gala", "Summer Fair", "Winter Drive".
It is the fastest to set up and the easiest to browse, because somebody sees your entire calendar of events as one tidy list rather than hunting through separate opportunities.
It is a good fit when your events are staffed generically. If everyone who signs up does broadly the same thing on the day, there is nothing to be gained by splitting jobs out.
5. Attention: the shift title is a single slot
This is the trade-off that actually decides the question, and it is easy to miss.
A shift has one title. In the All Events shape you spend it on the event name, and once it is spent there is nothing left to name a job with.
So All Events is a poor fit the moment one event needs its jobs split out, because the title is already used. You cannot have a shift that means both "Spring Gala" and "Kitchen prep". To get the jobs, you have to promote that event into its own opportunity, which is the restructure.
The practical version of this: All Events is right for events staffed generically, and wrong the moment you need to know who is on the door versus who is in the kitchen.
6. Restricting a shift to the people qualified for it
Where a shift stands for a task that needs a licence, a certification or training, use advanced reservation restriction on that shift and match people by profile tag.
Tag the qualified profiles, restrict the shift to that tag, and it stays out of reach of everyone else.
The important detail is that the restriction is per shift. The general jobs stay open and only the ones that need it are locked, so one Gala can have four shifts anybody can take and one that only your certified bartenders can see.
Note this is a profile tag on the person, not a tag on the shift. Tagging a shift changes its colour on your calendar and restricts nothing.
7. Which shape should I pick?
Ask one question: does a single occasion break into different jobs that different people should sign up for?
- It is ongoing work, not occasions at all. Use a role inside a program. Add a shift series for the repeating pattern.
- Yes, occasions break into jobs. Use one opportunity per event, so the shift title can carry the job.
- No, people just turn up and help. Use one All Events opportunity and enjoy the simplicity.
Mixing shapes is fine and common. A recurring program as its own opportunity, plus one All Events opportunity for the small stuff, plus a dedicated opportunity for the two big galas that need real job splits. The shapes describe individual opportunities, not your whole organization.
8. What if I choose wrong?
Going from All Events to a dedicated event opportunity is the painful direction, because it is not a setting you flip. You create the new opportunity, rebuild the jobs as shifts, and move or re-book anybody already signed up for the old one.
That asymmetry is worth knowing in advance: if you can already imagine one of your events needing its jobs split out, give that event its own opportunity from the start. The cost of doing so unnecessarily is one extra opportunity in your list.
Summary
- Three shapes: a role inside a program, one opportunity per event, and one All Events opportunity.
- "Shift" means something different in each. A date and time, a job, or a whole event.
- Program shape: the opportunity names the work, so shifts need no title.
- Event shape: shift titles carry the jobs, and each job can be restricted separately.
- All Events: simplest and easiest to browse, best when events are staffed generically.
- The shift title is one slot. Spend it on the event name and you cannot also name jobs.
- Restrict a qualified task with advanced reservation restriction and a profile tag, per shift.
- Mixing shapes across different opportunities is normal.
- Moving from All Events to per-event is a rebuild, so favour the split if you can foresee needing it.