Quick Start: Manager & Department Head

As a Manager or Department Head, The StaffApp is your operational hub for developing your team. Your job is simple: stay close to your people through regular check-ins and keep your roster accurate. This guide covers everything you need to know to hit the ground running.

Department Heads: complete your setup wizard first

If you were invited as a Department Head, you'll see a setup wizard on first login. Work through it to configure your department's Skill Classifications (position titles and levels), stations, and invite any managers who report to you. This takes about 10 minutes and only needs to happen once.

Your dashboard at a glance

Your home screen shows: your roster, overdue check-ins, new hires in their 90-day window, flagged conversations, and upcoming scheduled milestones. Everything scoped to your location and department — you won't see other locations' data unless you have access.

Running a check-in

• Open Check-in from the bottom nav.
• Select a scheduled milestone or start a new ad-hoc check-in.
• Choose one or two conversation prompts as a starting point.
• Have the 10-minute conversation.
• Record your notes. Decide whether to share them with the staff member.
• Tap Complete.

Managing your roster

Your Staff Roster lists everyone in your department with their position, status, and last check-in date. From here you can view individual profiles, start an ad-hoc check-in, or see where someone is in their 90-day journey. Keep the roster current — accurate hire dates and classifications keep the scheduling engine accurate.

Your Schedule tab

The Schedule tab shows every upcoming milestone and revisit commitment in date order. If you set a revisit date at the end of a check-in, it surfaces here as a reminder. Check this weekly so nothing slips.

Using DevCoach

The DevCoach chat bubble (bottom-right corner of your dashboard) is your AI coaching partner. Ask it anything: how to approach a difficult conversation, what questions to use in a 60-day check-in, how to document a performance concern. It's built specifically for hospitality leaders and understands your context.

Documenting concerns

If a conversation needs to be formally documented — attendance, conduct, performance — use the Incidents section of that staff member's profile. This creates a timestamped record. See the Progressive Discipline guide for the full workflow.