Business operations
Plan appointment capacity from actual work times
List each appointment with how long the work actually takes, any setup or cleanup, who does it and which space it needs. Lay them on a timeline and look for overlaps in people or rooms. Use measured times, not the length shown on the booking page.
A text to start with
Appointments booked for [day or week]: [appointment, start time, listed length]. Actual time I observe for each type, including setup and cleanup: [times]. Staff available and their hours: [people and shifts]. Rooms or stations: [spaces]. Build a timeline showing who and what is occupied when, and list any overlaps. Use my times as given and mark anything you had to assume.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Appointment capacity worksheet
Day or period: [ ] Staff and available hours: [ ] Spaces and when each is usable: [ ] Appointment: [ ] Start time: [ ] Listed length: [ ] Observed working time: [ ] Setup before: [ ] Cleanup after: [ ] Person assigned: [ ] Space needed: [ ] Buffer to next booking: [ ] Source of the times (timed, estimated): [ ] Overlaps found (person or space): [ ] Assumptions that need no delays: [ ] Change to try: [ ] Owner of the decision: [ ]
Find the zero-delay assumptions
A schedule that works only if every appointment starts and ends on time has no slack. Check whether back-to-back bookings leave room for a late arrival, a longer first visit or cleaning a space. Confirm whether the person who sets up is the one who performs the work, or whether two people are needed at once. Watch for one person assigned to two spaces, and for a space that is free on paper but still being cleaned. Check whether breaks are counted as available time. Mark any duration that is an estimate rather than something you timed.
Ask another agent to check the result
List every overlap in people or space in this timeline, counting setup and cleanup. Then list each assumption that holds only if nothing runs late or long. Separate times I measured from times I estimated. Do not rearrange bookings. Show where the schedule has no slack.
Adjust one constraint at a time
Fix overlaps by moving a booking, adding a buffer or assigning another person, and change one thing per pass so you can see its effect. Compare the revised timeline with how a recent real day went. Decide who may move customer bookings and how those customers are told. Revisit the durations after a few weeks of recorded times.