FREE TOOL · 2 MINUTES
Peak readiness check
Answer honestly. Every "no or not sure" shows what to fix and why it matters. Your score updates as you go.
Your peak forecast is broken out by day and by hour, and operations, sales, or the client agreed to it.
Get the forecast by day and hour, signed off by whoever owns demand. A weekly total hides the days that break the building.
Your labor plan is built from units per hour by process, not from a total headcount number.
Convert the forecast into hours by process (receive, put away, pick, pack, ship) using your real rates. Headcount follows from hours, not the other way around.
Hiring and training dates are back-scheduled so new associates reach rate before volume arrives.
Work backward from the first heavy day. Allow time to hire, onboard, train, and ramp. A new hire on day one of peak is not a full unit of capacity.
Slotting was reviewed for peak items, with the fastest movers in the best pick locations.
Re-slot for the peak mix, not last quarter's mix. Travel time is often the cheapest capacity to recover.
Wave release and carrier cutoff times were tested against peak volume.
Walk the day backward from each carrier cutoff. Confirm when each wave must release and finish to make the truck.
Dock appointments, trailer pools, and yard space are confirmed with carriers for peak.
Confirm trailer counts and pickup times in writing. A full building with no empty trailers stops outbound.
Equipment is counted and serviced: lifts, scanners, printers, batteries, and spares.
Inventory every device and battery, service what is due, and stage spares where they will be needed.
Systems were tested at peak volume, and a change freeze window is set.
Load test the WMS, labeling, and carrier connections. Freeze nonessential system changes through peak.
Replenishment triggers are set so pick locations do not run empty during a wave.
Set min and max levels for peak velocity and assign replenishment ownership by shift.
Each shift runs hourly checkpoints with targets by process.
Set an hourly target for each process and review it on the floor every hour. Problems found at hour two can still be fixed.
Escalation paths are written: who approves overtime, cutoff changes, and rework.
Write down who decides what, and how fast. Peak punishes decisions that wait for a meeting.
Inventory accuracy on peak items was checked recently through cycle counts.
Count the peak items before volume arrives. Every bad location becomes a short pick and an exception at the worst time.
Answer the questions above to see your result.
Your score and next steps will appear here.
Prefer to read first? The full peak readiness guide explains each check.