Plan for the days you are away.
Before you step away, write down what the crew may do alone, what waits for you, and where the reports go. Then read them when you return.
Write the plan before you leave
A crew works the same whether you are watching or not. What changes is that nobody is there to answer a question. So answer the questions first. Put the plan in one short note, in a place every agent can find, and date it.
List what the crew may do alone
For each agent, write three short lists, the same ones the permissions guide uses: May read, May change, Never touch. Keep the lists small for the days you are away. If you are unsure about an item, leave it off May change.
List what waits for you
Some work should sit until you are back. Write it under a heading called Waiting on you. An agent that reaches one of these items leaves it there, with a line that says what it would have done. The approval workflow guide shows how a waiting item is written.
Say where the reports go
Pick one folder for the reports and one name format for each file. Ask each agent to write one short report a day. The daily report guide shows what goes in it. One folder means one place to look when you are back.
Say when an agent should stop and ask
Away days still need a rule for the moment an agent is stuck. Write it in the plan and point to it. The escalation guide covers how to word it.
Read the reports when you return
Start with the oldest report and read forward. Open Waiting on you next and decide each item. Reading the reports tells you what the agents wrote down. It does not tell you more than that, so treat the reports as notes to check, not as a verdict.
Check it: a made up three day plan
A small photo library crew has two agents, Sorter and Tagger. You are away Monday to Wednesday.
- Sorter. May read: the new photos folder. May change: the sorted folders. Never touch: the originals folder.
- Tagger. May read: the sorted folders. May change: the tags file. Never touch: the originals folder.
- Waiting on you: any photo either agent thinks should be deleted.
- Reports: one file a day in the reports folder, named by day.
On Thursday you read Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in order, then decide each item under Waiting on you.
Write the plan. Name the waiting items. Read the reports.
