How to save planning time in a certification body
How to save planning time in a certification body: where the hours go in allocation, client dates and re-planning, and what to automate first.
Key takeaways
- Allocation and client confirmation are the biggest time sinks.
- Measure planning time before changing anything.
- Customers have cut monthly allocation from weeks to minutes.
Most audit planning time goes on four activities: matching auditors to rules, confirming dates with clients, re-planning changes and producing reports. Automating allocation and client confirmation saves the most; showing the impact of changes and generating reports from the schedule saves the rest.
Where the hours go
Allocation
Matching auditors to competence, windows and travel.
Client confirmation
Emails, reminders and phone calls about dates.
Re-planning
Finding replacements when things change.
Reporting
Compiling utilisation and capacity figures.
Before and after
A global compliance and risk company cut allocation time by 99%; a global certification body plans a month in 12 minutes instead of a month.
How to start
- MeasureLog planner time by activity for two weeks.
- Target the largestUsually allocation, then client confirmation.
- Test on your dataA proof of concept shows the likely saving.
See how the planner role changes and client date confirmation.
ScheduleAI is audit scheduling software built for testing, inspection and certification (TIC) organisations, with a planner approving every plan.
ScheduleAI saves planning time where it's spent: allocation in minutes, client dates confirmed automatically, changes re-planned with the impact shown and reports produced from the live schedule.
Book a demo Estimate your savingsQuestions
Where does most planning time go?
Allocation and client date confirmation, followed by re-planning and reporting.
How much time can be saved?
Customers have cut monthly allocation from up to two weeks to about 30 minutes.
What should we automate first?
Allocation, then client confirmation.
How do we measure the saving?
Log planner time by activity before and after.