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Lesson 6.1 - Shift Start Control

A shift does not begin when a Dealer sits down. It begins when the Dealer understands what is already happening, what remains unresolved and what needs closer monitoring.

The purpose of shift-start control is to prevent blind spots before active shift work begins. A Dealer should not enter a shift by passively watching dashboards. The opening check should create a clear operating view: system status, quote status, risk status, pending issues and current priorities.

After this lesson, you should be able to:

  • Start a shift with a consistent opening-control process.
  • Identify unresolved issues from the previous shift.
  • Confirm platform, quote-source, Bridge and exposure status.
  • Recognize event, holiday, rollover and scheduled-control risks.
  • Convert the opening check into clear monitoring priorities.

Opening Control Standard

The opening check is not a mechanical tick-box exercise. Only important exceptions need detailed notes, but every core area should be consciously reviewed.

Area What to Confirm
Handover Open incidents, pending actions, responsible leads and next update time
Access MT4 / MT5, Manager / Admin, reporting tools and communication channels
Platform Login status, system availability, dashboard refresh and fallback source
Quotes Key symbols are updating normally, including XAUUSD, major FX pairs and major indices
Bridge / quote source Quote-source sessions, quote contribution, latency, Bridge queue and platform-rule status
Exposure Main symbol exposure, top concentration, change speed and active alerts
Orders Large orders, pending orders near key levels, rejects, timeouts and error logs
Calendar High-impact news, holidays, rollover, maintenance and market-close controls
Changes Recent or pending configuration changes, temporary plans and approved event settings

Use this checklist as the learning standard for shift-start control. The completed check should make it clear what the Dealing Room is watching during the current shift.

Shift date/time:
Dealer:
Previous shift confirmed by:

[ ] Handover read and acknowledged
 Open incidents:
 Pending actions / responsible parties:
 Current monitoring priorities:

[ ] Platform / access status checked
 MT4 / MT5:
 Manager / Admin:
 Reporting tools:
 Network / access issue:

[ ] Quote / session status checked
 Key symbols:
 XAUUSD:
 Major FX pairs:
 Major indices:
 Stale quote concern:
 Trading-session / holiday issue:

[ ] Bridge / quote source health checked
 Bridge queue:
 Quote-source session status:
 Quote contribution:
 Latency / platform-rule reject / timeout concern:

[ ] Exposure / risk checked
 Net / gross exposure:
 Top concentration:
 Risk attention status:
 Pending orders around key levels:

[ ] Calendar / scheduled controls checked
 High-impact events:
 Rollover / holiday:
 Scheduled maintenance:
 Temporary plan / event profile:
 MT server time / daylight-saving impact:

[ ] Data freshness checked
 Dashboard last refresh:
 Fallback source available:

Shift priorities:
1.
2.
3.

Escalation required? Yes / No
Shift Leader / follow-up:
Next review time:

What Counts as a Problem?

The shift-start check should highlight anything that may affect active shift work.

Examples:

  • A quote source was unstable during the previous shift.
  • XAUUSD spread or Quote source status is abnormal before a news event.
  • A quote source is stale, delayed or inconsistent with the expected session status.
  • Bridge queue, rejects, timeouts or routing behavior is outside the normal baseline.
  • A configuration change, temporary plan or approved event setting is pending approval.
  • An incident has no clear Shift Leader or follow-up person or next update time.
  • Exposure or client concentration is already high before the shift starts.

If an item is unclear, do not ignore it. Clarify ownership or escalate early.

Quote Check Focus

The opening quote check is more than confirming that a chart is moving. The Dealer should verify whether key symbols are receiving current prices, whether quote contribution is healthy, whether average price behavior looks reasonable and whether any product has a visible opening gap that requires attention.

For index products and event-sensitive products, record material opening gaps when they reach the internal review threshold. The note should include symbol, observed open price, reference price, gap direction, gap size, observed time and reviewer.

Shift Start Notes

A good shift-start note is short but useful:

Shift start: 08:00 UTC
Open incident: Quote Source B intermittent disconnect, follow-up: Tech
Key risk: XAUUSD news at 12:30 UTC
Current exposure: risk status, XAUUSD concentration monitored
Priority: monitor Quote source status and execution quality before news

Example

The previous shift notes that Quote Source B latency increased but no incident was opened. At shift start, the new Dealer confirms Quote Source B still reconnects intermittently and a major data release is due in one hour.

Correct response:

  1. Validate the observation.
  2. Increase monitoring priority.
  3. Notify the relevant Shift Leader / follow-up.
  4. Record the decision in the shift note.

Key Takeaway

Shift start is a control point, not a formality. A disciplined opening check turns handover information into clear operating priorities.

Morning Shift Focus

For morning shift, shift-start control also includes a post-close and market-reopen review. The Dealer should confirm:

  • Approved temporary plans and bridge strategies have returned to their expected state or closed correctly.
  • Market-open prices and charts are normal for key products.
  • Swap / interest exceptions have been reviewed before any related account or CRM controls are restored.
  • Negative-balance liquidation cases after market open have been checked and escalated when abnormal.
  • Index-futures opening-gap execution is reviewed against the BOD Gap Record where applicable.
  • Bridge trade logs and client order behavior are monitored for abnormal activity.
  • Daily reports are prepared, validated and summarized through the approved briefing channel.
  • Upcoming rollover, holiday and product-admin items are identified for the responsible lead.
  • On Monday morning, weekend strategy, crypto-related controls and weekend carry-over items have been restored or closed within the approved scope.
  • If MT server time, daylight-saving time or winter-time changes are involved, execution times have been checked against the current internal schedule.

The morning shift is a practical example of why shift start is not only a login check. It connects overnight control recovery, market-open validation, risk review and reporting readiness.

Completion Criteria

  • Can explain the key risk or operational objective of this lesson
  • Can identify the required systems, data, or evidence to review
  • Can describe the correct escalation or handling process
  • Has completed Shift Leader / follow-up review or practical confirmation