Every shop has a way of opening and a way of closing. Count the float. Check the fridge is cold. Lock the back door. The trouble is that the list lives in one person's head, and on the day they're off, something gets missed.
Shift checklists put that list in writing and hand a fresh copy to everyone it applies to. Handover notes carry what one shift learned to the next.
How checklists work
You write a checklist once. From then on, every time you publish the roster, each shift that matches gets its own copy to tick off.
A checklist has four parts:
- A name, such as "Opening the shop".
- When it's done. Opening, During the shift, or Closing.
- Which shifts get it. One store or every store, and one duty or every duty.
- The items, in order.
Writing a checklist
Go to Checklists, under Work in the menu, and press New checklist.
- Name it.
- Choose when in the shift it's done.
- Choose the store and the duty, or leave them on every store and every duty.
- Type the items. Press Enter at the end of a line to start the next one.
A checklist needs a name and at least one item.
The page shows your checklists as sticky notes, grouped by when they're done. Opening notes are yellow, notes for during the shift are green and closing notes are dark.
Three checklists to start with
Opening the shop (Opening, every store, every duty)
- Count the float and write the amount in the till book
- Switch on the POS terminal and check it has paper
- Check the fridge and freezer are cold
- Put out the price tags that fell overnight
- Sweep the front
Receiving a delivery (During the shift, every store, Receiving stock)
- Count every carton against the supplier's invoice
- Check expiry dates before signing
- Note anything short or damaged on the invoice
- Adjust the stock in Tabs the same day
Closing the shop (Closing, every store, every duty)
- Count the cash and compare it with the day's cash sales
- Check every transfer alert against the bank app
- Switch off the generator and the air conditioner
- Lock the store room and the back door
- Write the handover note
Because the receiving list is set to one duty, only the person rostered to receive stock that day gets it. Your cashier's day isn't cluttered with it.
Ticking a checklist off
When you're on a shift, its checklists appear on your My day as sticky notes.
Tick each item as you do it. The line is crossed off at once. When every item is ticked the note reads All done, and it stays in view, crossed off, until the shift is over.
Each copy belongs to the person on that shift. You tick your own. Someone whose role can manage tasks can see how far along it is, and can tick it for you if they need to. Behind the scenes a checklist copy is a task, so anyone who can view tasks can find it on the Tasks page too.
Changing a checklist
Open a checklist from its menu and choose edit. You can rename it, change when it's done, change which shifts get it, and add or remove items.
One rule to remember: a change applies to shifts published from then on. Copies already handed out stay as they were. So if you add "check the fire extinguisher" on Wednesday, shifts you've already published don't get it. The next shifts you publish do.
Removing a checklist works the same way. Future shifts stop getting it. Copies already out stay with the people who have them.
Handover notes
A handover note is what you'd tell the next person if you met them at the door. Often you don't meet them, so you write it down.
On My day, the Handover card has two halves.
The note left for you. The latest note written at your store by the shift before yours. If nobody left one, the card says so.
Your note for the next shift. Write what's unfinished, what to watch, and what came in. A shift has one note. You can open it again later, add to it or reword it, and save.
A good note is short and specific:
Indomie delivery came short by 2 cartons, supplier is bringing them tomorrow. Mrs Balogun is coming at 4 for her order, it's packed under the counter. POS was slow in the afternoon, use transfer if it hangs.
A note is information only. It doesn't change any task. If something really must be done by the next shift, give it to them as a task as well, so it has an owner and a deadline.
Anyone whose role can view tasks and the roster sees the day's handover notes together on the Operations view. It's a quick way to learn what happened at a store you weren't in.
Who can do what
| You are | You can |
|---|---|
| Any member on a shift | Tick your own shift's checklists, read the note left for you and write your own |
| A role that can view the roster | Read handover notes for any shift |
| A role that can manage the roster | Create, edit and remove checklists, and write or correct a handover note on any shift |
Set this under roles.
Getting the most from checklists
- Keep each list short. Five to eight items get done. Twenty get ticked without being read.
- Write items you can check. "Fridge is at 4 degrees or below" beats "check fridge".
- Put the count on the closing list. A daily count of cash against sales is the cheapest control a shop has.
- Review them every few months. When an item no longer applies, remove it. A list with dead items teaches people to ignore the whole thing.
If something goes wrong
A shift didn't get a checklist. Check three things. The checklist was created before the roster was published. Its store matches the shift's store, or is set to every store. Its duty matches the shift's duty, or is set to every duty.
The Checklists page isn't in your menu. It's only shown to a role that can manage the roster.
There's no Handover card on your day. It appears when you have a shift on now, or one starting within the next 24 hours.