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The Program Creation Wizard

The Program Creation Wizard is the primary tool for building program templates in RABS. A program template defines what normally happens — the recurring shape of a service, activity, or outing — and the wizard walks you through every dimension of that shape: schedule, participants, billing, staffing, vehicles, and notes.

Once finalised, the template feeds the Loom, which weaves it into date-specific instances across the active window.


Accessing the Wizard

Open the wizard from the Programs section of the admin panel. You will land on the Drafts screen, which lists all in-progress drafts.

Drafts landing page

From here you can:

  • Resume an existing draft by clicking its row
  • Create a new program by clicking the create button
  • Delete drafts you no longer need

Drafts are saved automatically as you work through each step, so you can leave and return at any time without losing progress.


Wizard Navigation

The left sidebar provides direct access to every section of the wizard. You can jump between sections in any order — the wizard is non-linear.

IconSectionPurpose
CreatorTop-level wizard viewOverview and draft management
DetailsProgram identityName, schedule, type, fees, description
VenueLocationWhere the program runs
Time-SlotsDaily structurePickup, activities, meals, drop-off blocks
ParticipantsEnrolment & billingWho attends and how they are billed
StaffRosteringShift assignments and ratios
VehiclesTransportFleet and personal car allocation
NotesStaff notesPersistent notes included on every instance card

The bottom-left Drafts button returns you to the drafts list at any time.


Step 1 — Program Details

Program Details

This is where you define the identity and schedule of the program.

Fields

FieldDescription
Program NameThe display name used everywhere in RABS (e.g. "Horse Puffing")
Anchor DateThe first occurrence date — the Loom counts forward from here using the recurrence pattern
Recurrence PatternHow often the program repeats: Weekly, Fortnightly, Monthly, or custom
Program TypeThe operational category — e.g. "Program (Activity Schedule)", "Transport Only", "SIL"
Participant FeeOptional per-participant cost (entry fees, trip costs). Toggle on and enter a dollar amount
DescriptionFree-text description of the program, visible to coordinators and used by Reggie for context

Tips

  • The Anchor Date matters. If you set a fortnightly program anchored to a Wednesday, it will repeat every second Wednesday from that date forward.
  • Program Type determines which billing codes are available later in the Participants step and how the Loom handles instance generation.
  • The Description is not just for humans — Reggie reads it when interpreting communications about this program.

Step 2 — Venue

Select or create the venue where this program takes place. The venue is pulled from the Sources filing cabinet (the core_source schema) and determines the location shown on instance cards, transport routing, and compliance checks.


Step 3 — Time Slots

Time Slots

Time slots define the internal structure of the program day. Each slot is a named block of time that can be one of four types:

Slot TypePurpose
PickupTransport collection window
ActivityThe core program activity
MealBreak / meal period
Drop-offTransport return window

How It Works

  • Click any slot to edit its start/end times
  • Slots are ordered chronologically and displayed as a timeline
  • The total program duration (shown in the right sidebar header, e.g. "8:30 AM – 4:30 PM (8.0h)") is derived from the earliest pickup to the latest drop-off
  • Time slots flow directly into instance timeslot cards when the Loom weaves instances

Example

A typical community access day might have:

07:30 – 08:30   Pickup
08:30 – 12:00 Morning Activity
12:00 – 12:45 Lunch
12:45 – 15:30 Afternoon Activity
15:30 – 16:30 Drop-off

Step 4 — Participants

This is the most complex step. It handles participant enrolment, address configuration, and per-participant billing — all in one view.

Adding Participants

Participant list with billing

Use the Search by name field at the top or the Add Participant button to enrol participants. The participant list shows each person with summary badges:

  • Lines — number of billing lines configured
  • Hours — total billable hours
  • Dollar amount — total billing value (highlighted in green)

Click the chevron on any participant row to expand their billing configuration.

Address Configuration

Each participant can have:

  • Pickup Address — where transport collects them (defaults to "Primary" from their file, or "(no addresses on file)" if none recorded)
  • Drop-off Address — where transport returns them (can differ from pickup)

Addresses pull from the participant's source record and can be overridden per-program.

Billing Lines

Detailed billing configuration

Each participant can have multiple billing lines. A billing line consists of:

FieldDescription
Billing CodeNDIS line item code selected from a dropdown (e.g. 04_102_0136_6_1)
DescriptionAuto-populated from the code (e.g. "Group Activities - Standard - Weekday Daytime")
Ratio BadgeThe support ratio this line uses (e.g. 1:3)
HoursNumber of hours to bill
RateDollar rate per hour
AmountCalculated total (Hours x Rate)
Type BadgeEither NF2F (Non-Face-to-Face) or Standard

Adding NF2F Lines

Adding an NF2F billing line

To add a Non-Face-to-Face billing line:

  1. Click Add NF2F line (or use the NF2F button on an existing line)
  2. The NF2F variant of the billing code is created automatically
  3. Enter the NF2F hours and dollar amount
  4. NF2F lines appear with a distinctive NF2F badge

NF2F billing covers indirect support work — planning, reporting, coordination — that does not involve direct contact with the participant.

Billing Example

A single participant (Alana Beattie) might have four billing lines:

CodeTypeHoursRateAmount
04_102_0136_6_1 — Group Activities Standard1:36.00$23.41$140.46
04_102_0136_6_1 — Group Activities NF2FNF2F6.00$2.65$15.90
04_590_0125_6_1 — Activity Based TransportStandard26.00$1.00$26.00
04_599_0136_6_1 — Centre Capital CostsStandard6.00$2.59$15.54

Total: 4 lines, 44.0h, $197.90

The Right Sidebar

Participants in sidebar

The right sidebar provides a live summary that updates as you configure billing:

  • Participant cards with profile photos, NDIS status, billing line counts, hours, and amounts
  • Revenue (Billing) — total projected revenue across all participants
  • Billing Lines — total number of billing lines
  • Total Hours — aggregate billable hours
  • Participants with no billing configured show an amber "No billing" warning badge

The sidebar has three tabs (icons at the top): participants view, staff view, and vehicles view — letting you cross-reference without leaving the current step.


Step 5 — Staff

Staff rostering

The Staff step manages shift rostering. The header shows the current state: ROSTER (4 / 3 REQUIRED) — meaning 4 shifts are configured against a minimum requirement of 3.

Shift Types

Each shift slot can be one of three modes:

ModeDescription
Named staffA specific person is assigned (e.g. "Emma Haddad", "Natasha Burraston")
Auto-assignThe Loom will automatically fill this shift based on availability, qualifications, and preferences
Open shiftPublished as available — staff can claim it, or a coordinator can assign it later

How It Works

  • Click + Add shift to create a new shift slot
  • Use the dropdown to select a specific staff member or choose Auto-assign / Open shift
  • Remove a shift with the x button
  • The required minimum is calculated from participant ratios (configured in the next step or derived from billing codes)

Ratio Awareness

The "3 REQUIRED" figure comes from the participant-to-staff ratios defined by the billing codes. If you have 10 participants with 1:3 ratio billing, the system knows you need at least 4 staff (rounded up). The wizard surfaces this so you can see at a glance whether you are understaffed.


Step 6 — Vehicles

Vehicle assignment

The Vehicles step manages transport allocation. The header shows: VEHICLES (5 / 2 REQUIRED) — 5 vehicle slots against a minimum of 2.

Vehicle Types

TypeDescription
Organisation vehicleA fleet vehicle selected by registration/ID (e.g. "005DSW", "DSW005")
Personal Car (PC)A staff member or participant uses their own vehicle
Auto-assignThe Loom selects an available vehicle automatically

Personal Car Workflow

Personal car participant assignment

When a vehicle is converted to a Personal Car:

  1. The PC button toggles the vehicle to personal car mode
  2. A label appears showing who drives it: "Personal Car: Mark Basilico, Robert Basilico"
  3. Click Assign participants to open a checkbox popup listing all enrolled participants
  4. Tick the participants who will travel in this car
  5. Greyed-out participants (e.g. "Jenny Tran" with a lock icon) are already assigned to another personal car
  6. Click Save to confirm the assignment
  7. Use Revert to org vehicle to switch back to a fleet vehicle

Converting Between Types

  • Convert to PC — tooltip button that switches an organisation vehicle to personal car mode
  • Revert to org vehicle — switches a personal car back to an organisation vehicle slot

Vehicle summary in sidebar

Switch to the vehicles tab in the right sidebar to see all vehicles with their assigned passengers at a glance. Each card shows:

  • Vehicle name/registration
  • Assigned participant names
  • Auto-assign status where applicable

Step 7 — Notes

Program Notes

The Notes step provides a free-text area for program-level shift notes. These notes:

  • Are visible to staff only
  • Are included on every instance card generated from this template
  • Persist across all future instances until modified

Use this for standing instructions, safety reminders, or operational context that staff need on every occurrence of the program.

Example

"Standard shift notes for all horse puffing activities, intents will be in addition to the standard shift notes."

Instance-specific notes (intents) can be added separately through the calendar system and will appear alongside these template-level notes.


The Summary Sidebar

The right sidebar is visible throughout the entire wizard and provides a running summary of the program as you build it.

  • Program name and draft status badge
  • Schedule: time range and duration (e.g. "8:30 AM – 4:30 PM (8.0h)")
  • Venue: location name
  • Recurrence: pattern label (e.g. "Fortnightly Program")

Quick Stats Bar

A row of compact badges summarising key metrics:

BadgeMeaning
Participants icon + countTotal enrolled participants (e.g. 10)
Staff icon + ratioStaff count / required (e.g. 4/3)
Vehicle icon + infoVehicle count + personal cars (e.g. 5/2 +2pc)
Dot + countBilling lines or other metric
Clock + hoursTotal ratio hours (e.g. 11.8)

Tabbed Views

Three tabs let you switch the sidebar content:

  1. Participants — photo cards with NDIS status, billing line counts, hours, and dollar amounts
  2. Staff — assigned shifts and roles
  3. Vehicles — fleet and personal car assignments with passenger lists
  • Revenue (Billing) — total projected billing value
  • Billing Lines — count of all billing lines across all participants
  • Total Hours — aggregate hours
  • Action buttons: Delete, Draft (save and exit), Finalize

Finalising a Program

When all sections are configured, click the green Finalize button in the bottom-right corner.

Finalising:

  1. Validates all required fields and ratios
  2. Converts the draft into a live program template
  3. Makes the template available to the Loom for instance generation
  4. The Loom immediately begins weaving instances across the active window

Once finalised, the program appears in the main programs list and its instances populate the operational calendar. Changes can still be made to the template — the Loom reweaves affected instances automatically.

Draft vs Finalize

ActionEffect
DraftSaves current state. Program is not live. No instances are generated. You can return later.
FinalizeProgram goes live. The Loom weaves instances. Billing, rostering, and transport are activated.
DeletePermanently removes the draft. Cannot be undone.

Relationship to Other Concepts

The Program Creation Wizard builds Templates — the first of the four primitives described in Workshed + Loom = Magic:

  • Templates (what the wizard creates) define what normally happens
  • Intents (calendar entries) modify specific dates without changing the template
  • Sources (participants, staff, vehicles) are the assets selected during the wizard
  • Instances (Loom output) are the dated projections the Loom weaves from your template

The wizard is where operational intent takes shape. Everything downstream — the Loom, the Ribbon, billing, rostering, transport, and Reggie's intelligence — depends on the quality and completeness of what you build here.

For the technical schema behind these concepts, see Core Engine Schema.