Week at a Glance
Atrada Procurement — 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday to Friday
Monday
7:30 Deep work
8:30 Team standup
9:00 SO batch 1 + triage
9:30 Deep work
10:30 Dept Leads (60 min)
11:30 Deep work
12:30 Lunch
1:15 SO batch 2
2:30 Suppliers / stakeholders
4:00 Daily close
Tuesday
7:30 Deep work
8:30 Team standup
9:00 SO batch 1
9:30 Deep work / visit prep
11:00 Supplier visits (avail.)
12:30 Lunch
1:15 SO batch 2
2:30 Inventory + reorders
4:00 Daily close
Wednesday
7:30 Deep work
8:30 Team standup
9:00 SO batch 1
9:30 Deep work
10:00 GBS Forecasting
10:30 Ops (monthly)
11:00 Deep work
12:30 Lunch
1:15 SO batch 2
2:30 Logistics / freight
4:00 Daily close
Thursday
7:30 Deep work
8:30 Team standup
9:00 SO batch 1
9:30 Supplier Grading (fortnightly)
10:30 Deep work
12:30 Lunch
1:15 SO batch 2
2:30 Intl suppliers / contracts
4:00 Daily close
Friday
7:30 Deep work
8:30 Team standup
9:00 SO batch 1
9:30 Deep work
12:30 Lunch
1:15 SO batch 2
2:30 Weekly KPI review
3:30 Week clearance
4:00 Weekly close
Deep work (protected)
Team standup
Sales order batches
Fixed meetings
Suppliers / stakeholders / logistics
Lunch (away from desk)
Thu fortnightly: Supplier Grading & Management runs 9:30–10:30 every second Thursday. On alternate Thursdays that slot is additional deep work or SO catch-up.
Weekly Structure
Daily schedule — fixed meetings, batched SO processing, protected deep work
Monday — planning & week direction
7:30
Deep Work
Category planning, spend analysis, contract review — strategic work before the week's meetings take over.
8:30
Procurement Team Meeting daily
Set the week's direction. Delegate routine PO follow-ups. Front-load the team's week at this checkpoint.
9:00
Sales Order & Inbox Triage
Process all SOs since Friday close. Allocate to production, dispatch, or purchasing. Apply 4 D's to inbox. Set 3 weekly non-negotiables.
9:30
Deep Work
One hour before Dept Leads. Sourcing planning, contract pipeline, or anything requiring concentrated thought.
10:30
Department Leads Meeting weekly
Note new demand signals and sourcing requirements. These feed directly into purchasing-only SO decisions and reorder triggers for the week.
11:30
Deep Work
Action anything arising from Dept Leads — updated sourcing priorities, new purchasing requirements.
12:30
Lunch
1:15
Sales Orders & Correspondence
Process afternoon SO queue. Raise purchasing-only POs. Correspond with international suppliers on open orders, shipments, and lead times.
2:30
Supplier & Stakeholder Liaison
Internal syncs with warehouse and freight forwarders. European suppliers available from 2:00 PM Perth (summer) or 3:00 PM (winter). UK: 3:00 PM summer, 4:00 PM winter.
4:00
Daily Close
All SOs allocated in NetSuite. Log supplier notes. Set tomorrow's 3 priorities.
Tuesday — supplier visits & inventory review
7:30
Deep Work
If supplier visits today: prep visit notes, pull scorecards, set 3 desired outcomes per meeting.
8:30
Procurement Team Meeting daily
Confirm visitor logistics. Delegate routine PO follow-ups so the team covers operations while you're with suppliers.
9:00
Sales Order & Inbox Triage
Clear the SO queue before visitors arrive. Raise urgent purchasing-only POs now.
9:30
Deep Work
90 minutes before visitors arrive. Know your BATNA for each meeting.
11:00
Supplier Visit Window
QBRs, relationship meetings, joint planning sessions. Log notes within 30 minutes of each meeting ending.
12:30
Lunch (working lunch with Tier 1 supplier only if genuine value — not by default)
1:15
Sales Orders & Correspondence
Process afternoon SOs. Send action summaries to each supplier visited today while the meeting is fresh.
2:30
Inventory Review
Review NetSuite inventory against reorder points. Raise POs for items approaching trigger. Liaise with warehouse on inbound status.
4:00
Daily Close
Update supplier scorecards from today's visits. Reorders confirmed. SO queue cleared.
Wednesday — GBS forecasting + logistics analysis
7:30
Deep Work
Pull procurement data for GBS Forecasting: supplier lead times, stock risk items, pricing movements.
8:30
Procurement Team Meeting daily
Mid-week pulse check. Address blockers. Confirm inbound shipments on track.
9:00
Sales Order & Inbox Triage
Process first SO batch. Stock-risk items flagged here feed directly into GBS Forecasting at 10:00.
9:30
Deep Work
Finalise GBS contribution: lead times, supply constraints, pricing movements.
10:00
GBS Forecasting Meeting weekly
Supplier lead times affecting forecast, stock risk items, pricing or supply constraints.
10:30
(Deep Work or )Operations Meeting monthly
Monthly only. Non-Ops weeks: additional deep work or logistics analysis.
11:00
Deep Work
Best uninterrupted block of the week. Contract drafting, RFQ analysis, spend analysis, logistics cost modelling.
12:30
Lunch
1:15
Sales Orders & Correspondence
Process afternoon SOs. Natural slot for freight forwarder updates — shipment status, documentation, ETAs.
2:30
Logistics Cost Analysis
Weekly freight cost review — cost per shipment, carrier performance, route optimisation. European suppliers available from 2:00 PM (summer) or 3:00 PM (winter).
4:00
Daily Close
SO queue cleared. Log GBS and Ops meeting actions. Set Thursday priorities.
Thursday — supplier grading (fortnightly) & international supplier focus
7:30
Deep Work
On Supplier Grading weeks: pull scorecards and prepare assessments for the 9:30 meeting.
8:30
Procurement Team Meeting daily
On Supplier Grading weeks: brief the team on assessments that affect their supplier interactions.
9:00
Sales Orders & Inbox Triage
Keep this tight on Grading weeks — Supplier Grading starts at 9:30. Non-grading weeks: extend through 10:30 if needed.
9:30
(Deep Work or)Supplier Grading & Management Meetingevery second Thursday
Review supplier scorecards — DIFOT, quality, responsiveness, pricing compliance. Agree improvement actions. Document outcomes. Alternate Thursdays: deep work or additional SO processing.
10:30
Deep Work
Contract work, category analysis, PO management.
12:30
Lunch
1:15
Sales Orders & Correspondence
Primary weekly slot for international supplier follow-up — open orders, shipment confirmations, lead time queries, pricing negotiations.
2:30
Contracts & Vendor Admin
Contract renewals, vendor setup, supplier terms review, compliance documentation. European suppliers available from 2:00 PM (summer) or 3:00 PM (winter).
4:00
Daily Close
Update supplier scorecards if grading week. SO queue cleared. Set Friday priorities.
Friday — KPI review & week clearance
7:30
Deep Work
Last chance to action any unresolved international supplier queries before the weekend.
8:30
Procurement Team Meeting daily
Week-end check. Confirm the team has cleared their tasks. Anything carrying to Monday needs explicit ownership now.
9:00
Sales Orders & Inbox Triage
Process Friday morning SOs. Purchasing-only orders raised today: advise suppliers that responses will be Monday.
9:30
Deep Work
Best uninterrupted run of Friday. Contract review, spend analysis, next week planning.
12:30
Lunch
1:15
Sales Orders & Correspondence
Process afternoon SOs. Clear inbox. Any item not actioned today gets a Monday slot allocated now — not left floating.
2:30
Weekly KPI Review
Pull weekly metrics — savings vs. target, DIFOT, PO cycle times, overdue POs, freight costs. Resolve any European freight issues today — it's your last real-time window before their weekend.
3:30
Week Clearance & Next Week Prep
Confirm nothing is stranded. Set Monday's 3 non-negotiables. Brief notes for the team on next week.
4:00
Weekly Close
NetSuite queue verified clear. All open items have a Monday owner. Pen down 4:30.
Time Zones
Contact windows relative to your 7:30 AM – 4:30 PM Perth (AWST) day
Visual overlap — your working day
7:30
9:00
10:30
12:00
1:30
3:00
4:30
Detailed reference
Contact windows by region
China & Malaysia
Japan
India
Europe (Germany, Italy, Poland)
Turkey
UK
Sales Orders
Processing discipline — two daily batches, three allocation outcomes
Allocation outcomes
→ Production
- Item in stock, available
- Manufactured or assembled in-house
- No external purchase required
- Action: allocate stock in NetSuite, confirm to sales
→ Dispatch
- Item in stock, ready to ship
- No production or purchase needed
- Action: flag for warehouse dispatch, confirm ETA to sales
→ Purchasing
- Item not in stock or insufficient quantity
- Requires external purchase order
- Action: raise PO with supplier, confirm lead time to sales
Allocation decision process
1
Open the SO in NetSuite
Check item, quantity, required date, and any special instructions. Do not begin allocating until you have read the full SO.
2
Check current stock position
Is the item available in sufficient quantity? Check committed stock (already allocated to other SOs) and on-hand balance. Available = on-hand minus committed.
3
Allocate or escalate
If stock available → production or dispatch. If insufficient stock → purchasing. If partial stock → split: dispatch available quantity, purchase shortfall. If lead time will breach required date → flag to sales before raising PO.
4
For purchasing-only orders: raise PO promptly
Select supplier based on lead time, pricing, and current performance. Set realistic confirmed delivery date in NetSuite. Notify sales of ETA — they should not have to chase you.
5
Update and close the SO record
Every SO must have a status, an owner, and a next action recorded in NetSuite before you move to the next one. A SO in limbo is an invisible problem.
Batch discipline
Batch 1 — 9:00 AM daily
Process all SOs entered since previous batch close. Aim to clear within 30 minutes. Purchasing-only orders raised here give suppliers maximum lead time for the day. Flag any urgent or complex SOs to address in deep work block immediately after.
Batch 2 — 1:15 PM daily
Process SOs entered during the morning. International supplier correspondence can accompany this batch — India and Asia still reachable. Any POs raised now will receive supplier responses by next morning.
The rule: SOs are processed in batches. They do not interrupt deep work, meetings, or focused tasks. If someone needs an urgent SO actioned outside batch times, it must be a genuine exception — not a habit.
Purchasing-only SO checklist
- SO reviewed in full before action
- Stock check completed — available vs. committed confirmed
- Supplier selected — lead time vs. required date checked
- PO raised in NetSuite with correct quantities and dates
- PO sent to supplier — confirmation requested
- Confirmed delivery date recorded in NetSuite
- Sales notified of ETA without being asked
- SO status updated and closed off
Common escalation triggers
- Lead time will breach customer required date
- Supplier unavailable or on stop
- Pricing discrepancy — PO price vs. SO price
- Item discontinued or substitution required
- Partial availability — split SO decision needed
- Minimum order quantity conflict
Inventory Management
Monitoring, reorder discipline, and warehouse liaison
Weekly review rhythm
Tuesday 2:30 PM — weekly inventory review
Fixed weekly slot. Pull inventory report from NetSuite. Review items against reorder points. Identify anything approaching trigger level. Raise POs for items requiring replenishment before they hit zero — not after.
The reorder principle: A reactive reorder (raised after stockout) is a failure. A proactive reorder (raised before trigger is reached) is the standard. DIFOT starts with your reorder discipline, not the supplier's performance.
Reorder decision process
1
Pull inventory report
NetSuite: on-hand qty, committed qty, available qty, reorder point, reorder qty, preferred supplier, lead time.
2
Identify items at or approaching reorder point
Available qty ≤ reorder point → immediate action. Available qty within one week's usage of reorder point → monitor closely.
3
Validate before ordering
Check demand forecast. Is the reorder qty still appropriate? Any upcoming large orders that would change quantity needed?
4
Raise PO and confirm
PO to preferred supplier. Confirm lead time. Update expected receipt date in NetSuite. Advise warehouse of inbound.
Warehouse liaison — inbound logistics
What warehouse needs from you
- Advance notice of inbound shipments — date, supplier, contents, quantity
- Updated ETAs when suppliers advise delays
- Correct PO numbers on all inbound documentation
- Flagging of any urgent or priority receipts
- Clarity on partial deliveries — what's coming, what's outstanding
What you need from warehouse
- Receipt confirmation — quantities received vs. PO
- Discrepancy reporting — shorts, overs, damages
- Stock location updates in NetSuite
- Kanban card notifications for consumables replenishment
- Space and receiving capacity constraints for large inbounds
Inventory health indicators
- No items at zero available stock with open SOs
- All items with open POs have confirmed ETAs
- Reorder points set for all stocked items
- No items with excess stock beyond 90-day usage
- Inventory count variances investigated promptly
Consumables replenishment — kanban notification
Consumables are managed on a kanban signal basis — the warehouse team notifies procurement when a kanban card is triggered. On receipt of a kanban card:
1
Receive kanban notification from warehouse
Card identifies the item, quantity required, and location. Do not set aside — process within the same batch window.
2
Raise purchase order
Standard reorder quantity to preferred consumable supplier. No approval required for routine kanban-triggered reorders within established parameters.
3
Confirm and close
Advise warehouse of order placed and expected delivery. Record in NetSuite.
Logistics
Import freight, export logistics, freight provider liaison, cost analysis
Import freight — inbound international
Import freight forwarder liaison
- Shipment booking confirmed with supplier and forwarder
- Bill of lading / AWB received and checked
- Commercial invoice and packing list verified against PO
- Customs documentation complete — HS codes, country of origin
- Import duties and taxes estimated before arrival
- Warehouse advised of inbound ETA and contents
- Delivery booking made for port-to-warehouse leg
Key forwarder information to track
- Vessel / flight name and number
- ETD (estimated time of departure) from origin
- ETA (estimated time of arrival) at port
- Container / AWB reference number
- Customs clearance status
- Delivery to warehouse confirmed date
Export logistics — outbound
Export freight forwarder liaison
- Export documentation prepared — commercial invoice, packing list
- HS codes confirmed for export classification
- Export licence requirements checked (if applicable)
- Booking placed with freight forwarder
- Dangerous goods documentation if required
- Certificate of origin obtained if required by destination
- Customer advised of shipment details and tracking
Export responsibility: Your role is coordination — assisting with export logistics means ensuring the documentation chain is complete and the forwarder has everything they need. Gaps in documentation cause holds and demurrage.
Logistics cost analysis — Wednesday 2:30 PM slot
Weekly freight cost review
Use Wednesday's 2:30 PM block for structured freight cost analysis. Consistent weekly review builds the data needed to identify trends, challenge providers, and reduce cost.
Cost per shipment
Track total freight cost per inbound and outbound shipment. Identify outliers. Challenge anomalies with providers.
Freight as % of order value
Key KPI. High ratio may indicate over-ordering in small lots, wrong carrier selection, or supplier packaging issues.
Carrier performance
On-time arrival vs. ETA. Damage rates. Responsiveness to queries. Input into provider review and tender cycles.
Freight provider liaison
Maintain active relationships with both import and export freight providers. Key disciplines:
- Regular rate review — market rates shift; don't let inertia overpay
- Volume consolidation — combine shipments where lead times allow to reduce cost per unit
- Performance data shared with providers — they need to know what you're measuring
- Annual or biennial tender for key freight lanes
- Backup provider identified for each key lane — single-provider dependence is a risk
- Freight terms negotiated at source — FOB vs. CIF affects both cost and risk
Vendors
Supplier categorisation, relationship tiers, and management approach
Supplier tiers
Tier 1 — Strategic Partners
Characteristics
- • High spend or high criticality (or both)
- • Limited or no substitution available
- • Supply chain risk if they fail
- • Joint planning and roadmap conversations
Management approach
- • Formal QBR (quarterly business review)
- • Scorecard reviewed fortnightly / monthly
- • Dedicated relationship contact maintained
- • Contract in place, actively managed
- • Supplier visits: Tuesday window (priority)
Tier 2 — Preferred Suppliers
Characteristics
- • Regular spend, reliable performance
- • Substitutable but at some cost or effort
- • Established trading terms
- • Low friction in day-to-day ordering
Management approach
- • Annual review minimum
- • Scorecard reviewed monthly
- • Supplier visits: Tuesday window (as needed)
- • Performance issues escalated promptly
- • Terms renegotiated at contract renewal
Tier 3 — Transactional Suppliers
Characteristics
- • Low spend, easily substituted
- • Spot purchases or infrequent orders
- • No strategic dependency
- • Commodity or off-the-shelf items
Management approach
- • Transact efficiently, minimal relationship investment
- • Price-check periodically — don't assume loyalty discount
- • No dedicated visits — email and phone only
- • Review annually whether to consolidate to Tier 2
Supplier grading — what to measure
International supplier considerations
Communication discipline
- All instructions in writing — no verbal-only agreements with international suppliers
- Confirm PO acceptance explicitly — silence is not confirmation
- Pre-shipment confirmation: quantity, packing, documents
- Cultural calendar awareness: Chinese New Year, Eid, Diwali affect lead times
- Time zone discipline — use your batch windows to correspond efficiently
Risk management
- Dual-source critical items where possible
- Safety stock higher for long lead-time international suppliers
- Payment terms documented and matched to cash flow
- Currency exposure noted — flag significant FX movements to finance
- Incoterms agreed and understood — who holds risk during transit
Triage System
Inbox, task, and interruption management — keeping procurement moving without drowning
The 4 D's — inbox processing
Do
Takes under 2 minutes AND is yours to action. Do it immediately during the batch window and delete or file.
Examples: Quick supplier confirmation, one-line reply, immediate PO approval.
Delegate
Someone else should handle this. Forward with clear instructions — what you need, by when, to what standard.
Rule: Delegation is a decision, not an abdication. You own the outcome even after delegating.
Defer
Requires your attention but not right now. Move to a specific slot in your schedule — not a vague "later".
Rule: Deferred means scheduled. If you can't name the slot, it's not deferred — it's avoided.
Delete / File
No action required. FYI items, confirmations already noted, automated notifications. Delete or file immediately.
Rule: If you're keeping it "just in case", file it — don't let it sit in the inbox as visual noise.
Interruption management
During deep work blocks
- Email notifications off — check at batch times only
- Instant message status set to busy or unavailable
- Genuine emergencies only — define what counts before the week starts
- If interrupted: capture the query in writing, commit to a response time, return to work
- Do not allow "quick questions" to colonise deep work blocks
What counts as a genuine interruption
- Production stoppage due to stock-out
- Shipment held at customs — urgent documentation needed
- Supplier advising significant delay on critical order
- Safety incident involving your area of responsibility
- Senior leadership request with an actual deadline today
Not genuine interruptions: "Just checking on that PO", "do you have 5 minutes?", anything that has been in someone's inbox for 2 days before they suddenly needed it urgently.
Priority framework — daily task triage
Every morning during SO batch 1, identify your 3 non-negotiables for the day — the things that must happen regardless of what else comes in. These are not your full to-do list. They are the three things the day fails without.
Urgent + Important
Do today, in your next available block. These are your non-negotiables. Maximum 3 per day or the system breaks.
Important, not urgent
Schedule in deep work blocks this week. This is where strategic value is created. Protect these from the urgent.
Urgent, not important
Delegate if possible. If not, batch with similar tasks. Do not let these displace your non-negotiables.
KPIs & Review
Weekly metrics — definitions, calculation methods, and benchmarks
Friday 2:30 PM: Weekly KPI review slot. Pull each metric from NetSuite, log the number, note the trend. The review takes 20 minutes if the data is accessible — the value is in the weekly discipline, not the duration.
Savings vs. Target weekly
Procurement savings achieved in the week versus a weekly savings target. Savings include price reductions negotiated, substitutions, consolidated orders, and avoided costs.
Savings ($) = Baseline price − Actual price paid × Quantity
Cumulative YTD savings vs. annual target
Track both weekly and YTD. Benchmark: Set an annual target, divide by 52 for a weekly pace figure. Report actuals vs. pace.
DIFOT — Delivery In Full On Time weekly
Percentage of purchase orders delivered by suppliers in full (correct quantity) and on time (on or before confirmed delivery date). Measures supplier reliability — not your team's ordering discipline.
DIFOT % = (Orders delivered in full and on time ÷ Total orders due) × 100
Target: 95%+. Below 90% requires active supplier performance management. Exclude force majeure events from denominator.
PO Cycle Time weekly average
Average time in hours from a sales order being entered (by the other department) to a purchase order being raised by procurement — for purchasing-only SOs. Measures your processing responsiveness.
Cycle time = PO raised timestamp − SO received timestamp (hrs)
Target: Same-day for SOs received before noon. Next business day for SOs received after noon. Track average and outliers separately.
Inventory Days on Hand weekly
How many days of current demand can be met from existing stock. Too low risks stockouts; too high ties up working capital and risks obsolescence.
Days on Hand = (On-hand stock ÷ Average daily usage)
Inventory Turnover = COGS ÷ Average inventory value (annual)
Target range: Item-specific, based on lead time + safety stock. Flag items below safety stock threshold or above 90-day holding.
Overdue POs weekly snapshot
Count of purchase orders past their confirmed delivery date without goods received. Also track the oldest overdue PO — age of oldest indicates how long issues are going unresolved.
Overdue PO count = POs where delivery date < today and receipt not confirmed
Oldest overdue = max(today − delivery date) across open POs
Target: Zero is the goal. Any overdue PO requires a status and a revised ETA. POs overdue >7 days require escalation to supplier management level.
Freight Cost as % of Order Value weekly
Total inbound freight costs in the week expressed as a percentage of total purchase order value received. Key efficiency metric — high ratios indicate sub-optimal ordering patterns or carrier selection.
Freight % = (Total freight cost ÷ Total order value received) × 100
Benchmark: Category-dependent. Establish a baseline in the first quarter of use, then manage to trend. Consistent increases warrant carrier or ordering pattern review.
Supplier Response Time — International weekly average
Average time in hours from sending a query or PO to an international supplier to receiving a substantive response (not an auto-acknowledgement). Affects your ability to commit to internal stakeholders.
Response time = Reply received timestamp − Query sent timestamp (hrs, business hours adjusted for TZ)
Target: Within one business day (their time zone). Consistently slow responders are flagged in supplier grading. Use this to justify response time SLAs in supplier terms.
Reorder Compliance weekly
Percentage of reorders raised before stock reached zero (proactive) versus after (reactive). Reactive reorders create expediting costs, supplier pressure, and potential production disruption. This metric measures your system discipline.
Compliance % = (Proactive reorders ÷ Total reorders) × 100
Proactive = PO raised while stock was above zero
Target: 95%+. Any reactive reorder should be investigated — was the reorder point wrong, or was the review missed?
Weekly review checklist — Friday 2:30 PM
- Savings vs. target — this week and YTD pace
- DIFOT — pull from NetSuite receipts vs. PO due dates
- PO cycle time — average for purchasing-only SOs this week
- Inventory days on hand — flag any items below safety stock
- Overdue POs — count and oldest; action plan for any >7 days
- Freight cost % — this week vs. prior weeks trend
- International supplier response time — any outliers to note
- Reorder compliance — any reactive reorders to investigate
- Note any metric outside target — what's the cause, what's the action
Time Management
Principles for a procurement role where everything feels urgent and most of it isn't
Core principles
01
Batch, don't react
Two SO processing windows per day. Two inbox checks per day. Everything else is reactive mode, which means someone else is running your day. The batching discipline is the single highest-leverage habit in this role.
02
Protect deep work or it disappears
No-one will protect your deep work blocks for you. Strategic procurement work — category planning, supplier development, cost analysis — only happens in uninterrupted time. Guard it with the same firmness as a fixed meeting.
03
Three non-negotiables per day
Each morning: identify the three things the day fails without. Not a full to-do list — three. Everything else fits around them. At end of day, if those three are done, the day was a success regardless of what else happened.
04
Asia is open at 7:30 AM — act on it
China and Malaysia are the same time zone as Perth; Japan is one hour ahead. The 7:30 AM block is your prime window for live Asian supplier contact — calls, negotiations, anything needing a same-day response. Your cutoff for same-day Asian responses is around 3:30–4:00 PM Perth, when China and Japan are finishing their day.
05
Monday sets the week — use it
Monday morning standup is the delegation point for the week. Anything the team can handle should be distributed on Monday, not Thursday when it becomes urgent. Front-load the week's thinking so the rest of it runs on rails.
Procurement-specific habits
06
Every action needs a record in NetSuite
If it's not in NetSuite, it didn't happen — as far as anyone else is concerned. Log SO allocations, PO confirmations, delivery updates, and supplier notes at the time. Reconstruction from memory is inaccurate and time-consuming.
07
Proactive communication beats chasing
Tell sales the ETA before they ask. Advise warehouse of inbounds before they arrive. Update the freight forwarder before the deadline. Proactive communication eliminates the majority of interruptions, because people stop chasing when they trust the information will arrive.
08
Supplier visits belong on Tuesday — not wherever they land
Supplier visits on Tuesday means deep work blocks Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri stay intact. An ad-hoc visit on Thursday morning breaks your rhythm for two days. Push back on non-Tuesday visit requests from suppliers — it protects you both.
09
The European window is 3:30 PM — use it deliberately
In summer (CEST), 2:00 PM Perth = 8:00 AM Europe — a solid 2.5-hour window before your close. In winter (CET), 3:00 PM Perth = 8:00 AM Europe — 90 minutes. UK: summer gives you 3:00 PM–4:30 PM Perth (8:00–9:30 AM London). Winter gives you 4:00–4:30 PM Perth (8:00–8:30 AM London) — 30 minutes only. Send email queries by 3:00 PM Perth in any season to land at their morning open.
10
Friday close is a system reset
Nothing should carry into Monday without an explicit owner, slot, and action. A clean Friday close means Monday morning starts with a plan, not a pile. The daily close ritual (4:00 PM) and weekly close (4:00 PM Friday) are the mechanisms that make this possible.
Daily close checklist
Every day — 4:00 PM
- NetSuite SO queue checked — nothing in limbo
- All POs raised have confirmed delivery dates
- Inbox at zero or all items assigned to a specific slot
- Tomorrow's 3 non-negotiables written
- Any urgent items delegated or escalated
- Pen down at 4:30 — not 4:35
Friday only — weekly close additions
- Weekly KPIs pulled and noted
- All outstanding Asian supplier queries actioned in the 7:30 AM window — same-day responses secured before end of their day (~3:30–4:00 PM Perth)
- European freight issues resolved before their weekend
- Team's outstanding items confirmed — nothing orphaned
- Monday's priorities set — not left to Monday morning to decide
- No item left in inbox without an assigned slot next week