Scheduling Success

One of the hardest responsibilities of the Director of Operations position is scheduling the workload for the day. Perhaps that’s because there is no exact process when scheduling. Instead it’s part estimation, part prediction and part educated guessing.

Due to the uncertainty of this task, it’s important to constantly stay on top of and adjust the schedule. Here is what I have found works best for me:

– Keep a Word Document open and accessible with all open jobs listed.
– Categorize the jobs by the status; In progress, Waiting art approval, At vendor, Waiting quote approval, Need to quote.
– Review the list at the beginning of the day and adjust any status changes that were made the day prior.
– Within each category, prioritize first by time sensitive jobs, then in order they were approved.
– Continue to review the document throughout the day to ensure items that must be done, are being completed.

In addition, being in close communication with everyone involved on a project is extremely helpful. That way all team members know what are the “hot” jobs for the day and week. When working with vendors, communication along the way of a project helps assure deadlines and delivery dates are being met.

It’s always difficult to foresee what jobs will come through mid-day or mid-week that may take precedence over a job already in progress. However, if everyone is aware and involved in the schedule, the order of priority may change, but all jobs will still get completed.

What are some tips you have for scheduling?