The Week-Ahead Planning Checklist

Why this matters

The week that runs you started with a Monday you did not plan. Jobs booked with no parts staged, a tech double-booked, a permit that was never pulled, a customer who was never confirmed and is not home when the truck arrives. Thirty minutes on Friday afternoon or Sunday evening turns next week from a scramble into a plan. This card is that thirty minutes.

Phase 1: Read the schedule before anyone else does

• Pull up every scheduled job for the coming week and read it top to bottom.
• Check that no tech is booked in two places at once and no day is stacked past what the crew can finish.
• Flag every job that depends on something not yet in hand: a part, a permit, an inspection, a customer decision.
• Identify the one or two jobs most likely to run long or go sideways, and give them room in the day.
• Confirm any job that needs two techs actually has two techs assigned.

Phase 2: Stage parts and materials

• For each job, list the parts and materials it needs and confirm they are on hand or on order.
• Place orders now for anything not in stock, with enough lead time to arrive before the job.
• Pull or set aside large and special-order items so they are not hunted for on the morning of.
• Restock the truck's standard consumables so a common job does not stall on a missing fitting.
• Let any long-lead material push its job to later in the week rather than stranding the crew.

Phase 3: Cover the people

• Confirm who is working each day and who is off, including any approved time off.
• Have a plan for the on-call or emergency slot if your shop runs one.
• Line up coverage for any gap before it becomes a Monday surprise.
• Note any job that needs a specific skill or certification and make sure the assigned tech has it.
• Confirm every tech knows where they start Monday.

Phase 4: Confirm the customers

• Send or schedule a confirmation to every customer with a booked appointment.
• Verify access for each job: gate codes, pets contained, someone home, keys where they need to be.
• Re-confirm anything booked more than a week out, when plans drift.
• Flag any customer who has not confirmed so you can refill the slot if they cancel.
• Note special instructions (a fragile floor, a hard approach, a prior complaint) so the tech is not blind.

Phase 5: Close the loop on money and admin

• Review which completed jobs still need to be invoiced and get them out.
• Check for any deposit or payment that must clear before a job proceeds.
• Note any permit, inspection, or filing due that week so nothing lapses.
• Glance at the following week's front edge so long-lead items get started now.

The habit to bank: the week is won on Friday, not Monday. A short look-ahead at the same time every week is the cheapest insurance a shop buys. Run this card, fix what it surfaces, and Monday becomes execution instead of triage.

References

• U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), operations and scheduling for small business
• Trade-standard practice on weekly job-board and dispatch review
• See related: Building a Weekly Numbers Review Habit That Actually Sticks; Running an Effective Team Huddle