How to Use the TIMIFY Course Planner for Course Scheduling
Planning and managing courses can quickly become chaotic—especially when juggling attendees, equipment, and staff schedules. TIMIFY’s Course Planner is designed to remove that chaos. It helps you organise workshops, training sessions, and events with ease, automating repetitive tasks and making sure every session runs smoothly from start to finish.
Here is what you need to know:
The Course Planner is part of the Advanced Scheduler app
This app is available on request, so contact our Support Team or your Account Manager.
To use the Course Planner, you need to have a WebApp account which is connected to a Branch Manager
Article Structure:
1. ToDos Before You Start
Before using the Course Planner, we recommend preparing the following:
You are logged in as an Admin or Account Owner.
Your Group Services (e.g. “Yoga Class”, “Coding Bootcamp”) have been created in the WebApp or Branch Manager.
Your equipment (e.g. laptops, rooms) and staff are added under Management > Resources.
You’ve reviewed:
Which courses to include
What resources they need
How many participants are required
Whether assistants or support staff are needed
ℹ️ Once you complete the initial setup (onboarding), you can fine-tune everything in the Settings tab.
2. How to Set Up the App
You need to contact someone from our Support or Account Management to activate the Course Planner for your account.
To get started, go to Apps > Advanced Scheduler, and then select Course Planner in the TIMIFY WebApp.
If it’s your first time, onboarding will launch automatically.
If onboarding is already complete, click on Settings > Manage Settings to modify existing configurations.
Step 1: Group Services Inclusion
You decide which Group Services appear in the Course Planner.
Option 1: Automatically include all Group Services
Select "Automatically include all current and future Group Services."
All services will appear in the calendar without further setup.
Option 2: Manually select Group Services
Select "Manually select Group Services to include."
The app creates a Group Service Attribute called "Publish in Course Planner".
To include a service:
Go to:
Management > Group Services > Edit Service > Course Planner SettingsSet "Publish in Course Planner" to YES.
Step 2: Enable Equipment Allocation
Enable this option if your services require items like laptops, headsets, or other tools.
Step-by-step:
Enable Equipment Allocation.
Add Equipment Categories (e.g. "Laptops", "Audio Devices").
For each category, the system creates:
A Resource Attribute – used to assign categories to resources.
A Group Service Attribute – used to define how many items are needed per participant.
Assign Equipment Categories to resources:
Go to Management > Resources > Edit Resource.
Under Additional Details, assign the appropriate Equipment Category.
Assign Equipment to Group Services:
Go to Management > Group Services > Edit Service > Course Planner: Equipment Category.
Set the number of resources required per participant (e.g. "1 laptop").
Configuration options:
Dependency Reservation Rule: Choose when unused equipment is released (e.g. 24 hours before).
Follow-Up Time Rule: Set how long equipment remains blocked after a session.
Step 3: Allocate Support Staff
Use this if courses require helpers or technical support. These support resources will be excluded from participating in courses.
Step-by-step:
Enable Support Resource Allocation.
Add Support Categories (e.g. "Technical Support", "Workshop Assistant").
Set a Calendar Title (e.g. "Tech Setup") – this appears when the resource is booked.
Assign support requirements to Group Services:
Go to Management > Group Services > Edit Service > Support Resource Allocation.
Set the number of resources required from each support category (up to 5 per course day).
ℹ️ Note: After we’ve defined Support Resource Categories, we automatically create the Group Services for you based on that.
Let’s take this example so that it’s clearer how Support Resource Categories work. Imagine you have a Group Service called Architecture Course, and for it you need 1 Support Resource from the Support A group (see screenshot above).
If we don’t have a support available for this course, it will appear in red in the Course Planner Calendar, and when you click on it you will see an error that the support is missing.
When choosing the course slot, you can see in advance if you have a support resource available for this time based on the colour of the rectangle—it will be yellow if you don’t and green if you do.
ℹ️ Note: After you book the course which would require a Support Resource (e.g. from 11:00 to 12:00), you also need to book the Support Resource itself for at least the duration of the course, otherwise you will get the “Support is missing” error.
Step 4: Set Minimum Attendance Rule
This setting ensures that courses only go ahead when enough participants are booked.
Step-by-step:
Enable Minimum Attendance Setting.
Set the minimum number of participants (1–10).
Choose when to send notifications (1 to 28 days before the course).
Select recipients (Admin, Owner, or additional contacts).
The app will:
Tag courses that don’t meet the threshold with “Attendance Threshold Not Reached”.
Send a daily email with a list of affected courses and links to each.
Customise per service:
Go to Group Services > Edit Service > Minimum Attendance Setting.
Override the default threshold and notification rules.
3. How to Plan a Standard Course
To get started, go to Apps > Course Planner. In the Planned Courses tab, find the desired Group Service in the left column.
Click the + button next to the Group Service to open the Plan Course modal.
Adjust the following sections if needed:
Group Service Settings: Modify the session structure (e.g. session durations, breaks).
Customise Course settings: Use this to modify participants, support settings, equipment settings, overwrite the price, activate for online bookings via the Booking Widget, and activate online payments
Placement Settings: Choose between Strict (exact shape) or Flexible (adjustable placement).
Course Booking Type: Choose Standard Course Booking.
Click Start Course Planning to enter planning mode.
4. How to Add and Customise a Course
Once in planning mode:
Green slots in the calendar indicate available times that match the course’s settings and dependencies.
Hover over slots to see a simulated preview.
Click a green/yellow slot to open the Add Course side drawer.
You can now:
Set pricing and online options:
Set a custom price or mark the course as free.
Enable/disable Online Booking and Online Payment (if activated in your account).
Choose the time slots that you want to use
Apply Booking Tags
ℹ️ The system validates available dependencies. If requirements can’t be met (e.g. too few laptops), an error is shown.
Once settings are confirmed:
Click Save Event to add the course to the calendar.
The tooltip above the Group Service shows progress (e.g. 2/5 courses created).
Continue selecting and saving course slots until all planned sessions are placed.
ℹ️ To exit planning early, click the X below the tooltip. Saved courses remain; unsaved ones are discarded.
5. How to View and Manage Course Details
Click any course in the calendar to open the Course Details view:
Details Tab
See Group Service name, assigned resource, participants, price, booking/payment status.
View a timeline of course sessions.
Add or edit booking tags.
Use Edit Course or Delete to make changes or remove the course.
ℹ️ Note: If you have a course with e.g. four maximum participants, and for this course you’ll need 1 equipment per participant, then the Course Planner will automatically book four equipment devices.
Then, in the Course Details tab in the Course Planner, you can see which equipment is reserved – it will be stroked out.
Participants Tab
See all registered participants and booking statuses.
Add participants manually using Add Participant.
Edit participant details or responses to custom fields.
6. How to Plan a Private Course Invitation
Private courses are not shown in the Booking Widget and can only be booked via a unique URL.
To create one:
Click the + next to a Group Service.
Select Private Course with Invitation under Course Booking Type.
Choose:
How many date options to offer (e.g. 2 or 3).
Reservation expiration time (in days).
Click Start Course Planning and select available slots in the calendar.
For each option, configure session times and resource needs as you would for a standard course.
After saving:
A booking link is generated.
View all planned options and expiration dates.
Share the link with the customer.
Once a customer books:
The booked event appears in colour with a lock icon.
Unused options are removed automatically.
7. Important Tips
ℹ️ Use Flexible Placement for services that require calendar flexibility around holidays or blocked time.
ℹ️ Private Courses allow you to send out a link with multiple time slots for selected customers to choose from.
ℹ️ The app automatically blocks support staff and equipment in the calendar, avoiding double bookings.
ℹ️ Red flags in the calendar signal a conflict, such as missing staff or unavailable resources. Click on the event for more details.
ℹ️ Filter the calendar by Group Service, resource, or support category for faster planning.
8. FAQ
Q. What happens if a course doesn’t meet the attendance requirement?
The course is tagged with “Attendance Threshold Not Reached” and appears flagged in the calendar. You and the selected recipients will receive an email alert. You can still choose to run or cancel the course manually.
Q. How do I move a course to a different date?
You must cancel the original and plan a new course on the desired date. Drag-and-drop editing is not currently supported in the Course Planner.
Q. Can I disable a support or equipment category later on?
Yes. You can disable categories in the Settings section of the Course Planner. This will remove them from the dropdowns in the WebApp, but existing data remains safe. Deleting categories is not possible to prevent issues with scheduled or historical data.
Q. Can I manually add participants to a course?
Yes. Go to the Calendar, click the course, then open the Participants tab. Click Add, and search by name or email. You can also fill out any custom booking data if required.
Q. Can I edit a scheduled course?
Yes. Click on the course and select Edit Mode. You can update the number of participants, support resource needs, and session dates. Note: You cannot modify equipment assignments — these are system-controlled to ensure planning accuracy.
Q. Why are some time slots not available in the calendar when I try to schedule a course?
TIMIFY only shows time slots that meet all requirements: available resources, equipment, support staff, and placement rules. If slots are missing, check that:
Equipment and staff are not already booked or blocked
Follow-up time isn’t overlapping with other events
Shift Planner blockers (e.g. holidays) aren’t interfering
Q. What’s the difference between strict and flexible placement?
Strict Placement keeps the exact timing defined in your Group Service (e.g. 3 sessions, every Monday at 10 AM).
Flexible Placement lets TIMIFY adapt the course to the next available matching time slots — helpful when there are scheduling conflicts.
Q. Can I reschedule a course after it’s been saved?
Yes. Open the course in the calendar, select Edit Mode, and adjust the dates or times. You can also update participants or price. If equipment availability changes, the app may prevent changes that cause a conflict.
Q. What if I want to stop offering a course via the Course Planner?
Go to Management > Group Services, open the service, and set “Publish in Course Planner” to NO. The service will no longer appear in the Course Planner calendar, but historical data will be retained.
Q. What does the lock icon mean in the calendar?
The lock symbol indicates a Private Course. These are not visible in the public booking widget and can only be accessed via a unique link.
Q. Can I create private courses with multiple scheduling options?
Yes. When creating a course, choose Private Course with Invitation. You’ll be able to select multiple time slots. Customers receive a private link to choose their preferred option. Once they book, the other slots are automatically removed.
Q. Can I reschedule a private course option?
Yes, but only the start time of a course option can be changed after it's created. Other settings like shape or participant number must be defined during initial planning.
Q. What happens if a private course invitation isn’t booked?
Unused options expire after the defined period and are removed from the calendar. The resources are freed automatically.
Q. How do I check which courses have problems or conflicts?
Use the Event Impediments Check in the calendar filter panel. It highlights all courses with resource or support issues, which are marked in red with an exclamation icon.
Q. What happens if a support staff member becomes unavailable after planning?
If a support resource (e.g. an assistant) becomes unavailable due to illness or blockers, the course will be marked as having an impediment. You can click on it in the calendar to select a different person from the same support category.