Peak periods are part of every planning job. End-of-year rush, holiday seasons, big events or sales peaks — moments when everything happens at once and changes fast.
The real challenge is staying flexible without losing overview and control.
Here are five practical steps that help teams plan more successfully during peak periods — before, during and after the rush.
During peak periods, schedules rarely stay exactly as planned. Trying to create a “perfect” plan often leads to frustration.
What matters more:
When everyone knows where they’re expected to be and when, changes are easier to handle later on.
Peak periods require room to move.
That means:
Flexible schedules absorb last-minute changes without turning small issues into bigger problems.
Busy periods often scatter communication across different channels: messages, calls, notes and spreadsheets.
Centralising communication helps teams:
Clear communication is just as important as the schedule itself.
During peak periods, the gap between planning and reality tends to grow:
Keeping visibility on what actually happens on the work floor helps avoid confusion and extra follow-up afterwards.
Peak periods are not the moment for extra manual work.
Using a planning tool like CrewPlanner helps teams keep schedules, changes and communication in one place, so flexibility doesn’t get lost in messages or spreadsheets.
Teams can adapt quickly when things change, without losing overview across people and locations.
Peak periods will always be intense.
But with clear planning, room for flexibility and the right tools, they don’t have to feel overwhelming.
If peak periods often feel stressful or hard to manage, it’s usually not a people problem — it’s a planning problem.
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