How to schedule a crew and avoid double-booking

Write down who works when

Start with the basics for each person: which days they usually work, how many hours in a normal day, and the days they are off. Part-time helpers, people who don't work Fridays and a day booked off for the dentist all change what you can promise a customer.

Keep it in one place that you can check in seconds, not in your head and three different texts.

Plan from the job's dates

When a job has a start and an end, put each person on the days they actually work within those dates, and leave out their days off. A job that runs Monday to Friday doesn't need someone who is off on Wednesday to be down for Wednesday.

If the dates move, move the people with them. A schedule that is out of date is worse than none, because everyone trusts it.

Plan hours, not only days

A day is not always a day. Someone may give a job four hours before going to another site, or work a short day. Put the hours you expect each person to work on each job, each day, so a half day shows as a half day and the rest of their time is still free.

Look for double-booking before it happens

The same person on two sites in one day, or a job planned for a day someone is off, is how crews end up one short. Look at everyone's week side by side before you agree a start date with a customer, and check a person's total hours across all their jobs, not job by job.

If a day is over-booked, fix it when you see it: move a job, shorten a day, or bring someone else in. It is much cheaper to fix on paper than on the day.

Tell the crew the plan

A schedule only works if the people on it know it. Give each person the address, the start time, who else is on site, what the day's work is, and anything the customer has said. A one-page job sheet does this, and gives the crew lead somewhere to write down hours and problems at the end of the day.

Compare the plan with what happened

Record the hours people really worked beside the hours you planned. After a few jobs you will see where your estimates run short, which kinds of work take longer than you think, and which people are quicker at what. That is the information you need to price the next job properly.

A checklist for the week ahead

• Every person's days off are on the schedule
• Each job has its people on the days they work
• No one is booked for more hours than they work in a day
• Start dates were checked against the whole crew before they were promised
• Everyone has the address, the start time and the plan
• Hours worked are recorded at the end of each day