Scope: examine every published and superseded schedule for one outsourced operations lane during a fixed four-week period. Define the required coverage intervals, time zone, approved absence rules, and what counts as a gap before reviewing outcomes. Include ordinary days, holidays, late changes, and days with no recorded demand.
Methodology: preserve each schedule version, approval timestamp, availability record, absence notice, swap, and escalation. Compare required intervals with assigned and accepted coverage, then classify uncovered periods as planned, approval waiting, late absence, schedule error, system failure, or unknown. Have a second reviewer verify a sample and report disputed classifications.
Inference boundaries: GAO and ILO material supports reliable records, accountability, and remote-work context. It does not establish a universal coverage target, prove service quality, or attribute a gap to a country, worker, or provider. This study describes the selected lane and period only.
Limitations: informal swaps, clock differences, demand that changes after publication, private messages, and missing acceptance records can distort the result. Report the denominator, duration, and unknown intervals; do not convert absent evidence into confirmed coverage or nonperformance.