FIELD GUIDE · PEAK PLANNING
Peak readiness: 12 checks to run before volume hits
Peak does not create new problems. It finds the ones already in the building and multiplies them. The best time to find them is weeks before volume arrives, while there is still time to fix them.
Why peak breaks buildings
Most operations run close to their limits on a normal day. Small gaps get absorbed by a little overtime, a supervisor who knows the workaround, or a truck that can wait an hour.
At peak those buffers disappear. A slotting problem that cost a few minutes a wave now costs a missed cutoff. A training gap that was invisible now shows up as rework at pack. The gap was always there. Volume made it visible.
The 12 checks
- Your peak forecast is broken out by day and by hour, and operations, sales, or the client agreed to it.
- Your labor plan is built from units per hour by process, not from a total headcount number.
- Hiring and training dates are back-scheduled so new associates reach rate before volume arrives.
- Slotting was reviewed for peak items, with the fastest movers in the best pick locations.
- Wave release and carrier cutoff times were tested against peak volume.
- Dock appointments, trailer pools, and yard space are confirmed with carriers for peak.
- Equipment is counted and serviced: lifts, scanners, printers, batteries, and spares.
- Systems were tested at peak volume, and a change freeze window is set.
- Replenishment triggers are set so pick locations do not run empty during a wave.
- Each shift runs hourly checkpoints with targets by process.
- Escalation paths are written: who approves overtime, cutoff changes, and rework.
- Inventory accuracy on peak items was checked recently through cycle counts.
Also confirm
Conveyor and sortation capacity at peak rate, including what happens when a sorter or merge goes down.
Temporary labor commitments in writing from your staffing agencies, with start dates and headcount by shift.
Carrier volume caps. Ask each carrier what they will actually take per day at peak, not what they took last month.
The returns wave after peak. Plan space, labor, and processing time for returns before they arrive.
How to use the results
Every no is a risk, not a failure. Rank them by how hard they would hit service and cost during your heaviest week, then by how long they take to fix.
Forecast, labor plan, and hiring dates come first, because they take the longest to change. Slotting, replenishment, and wave timing come next. Escalation paths and hourly checkpoints can be set up last, but they must be in place before day one.
Score your building in two minutes.
The interactive version of this checklist scores your answers and shows what to fix first.
Take the readiness check ↗