Planning Module

Purpose

Manage the full lifecycle of events — from initial 03 - CRM Module through on-site execution to post-event close-out. Co-ordinates 01 - Inventory Management, crew, transport, and venue logistics into a single operational view.

Core Concepts

Entity Hierarchy

graph TD
    Project["Project\n(e.g. Summer Tour 2026)"]
    Event["Event\n(e.g. London O2 - June 14)"]
    PullList["Pull List\n(Equipment needed)"]
    CrewAssignment["Crew Assignments"]
    Load["Load / Truck Pack"]
    Venue["Venue\n(O2 Arena)"]

    Project -->|"contains"| Event
    Event -->|"has"| PullList
    Event -->|"has"| CrewAssignment
    Event -->|"has"| Load
    Event -->|"at"| Venue

Entity Definitions

Entity	Description
Project	A group of related events (a tour, a festival with multiple stages, a recurring corporate series)
Event / Job	The core planning unit — a single gig, show, or production with defined dates and a venue
Pull List	The specific equipment list needed for an event, built from the product catalogue
Load / Truck Pack	The physical shipment — what goes on which truck, weights, volumes
Crew Assignment	Who is working the event, in what role, for what hours
Venue	The location where the event takes place, with its own technical specifications

Event Lifecycle

stateDiagram-v2
    [*] --> Enquiry
    Enquiry --> Quoted : Quote sent
    Quoted --> Confirmed : Client confirms
    Quoted --> Cancelled : Client declines
    Confirmed --> Prep : Prep begins
    Prep --> LoadOut : Equipment dispatched
    LoadOut --> OnSite : Arrived at venue
    OnSite --> LoadIn : Strike complete
    LoadIn --> DePrep : Equipment returned
    DePrep --> Closed : Inspected & invoiced

Phase Definitions

Phase	Key Activities
Enquiry	Initial client request received, feasibility & availability check
Quoted	Equipment list + pricing + crew costs + transport costs sent to client
Confirmed	Client accepted — stock reserved, crew booked, transport arranged
Prep	Equipment pulled from warehouse, tested, cases packed, prep notes generated
Load-Out	Equipment dispatched — truck pack list signed off, driver assigned
On-Site	Setup → show → strike. On-site issue tracking, additional requests
Load-In (Return)	Equipment returns to warehouse
De-Prep	Return inspection, damage reporting, cleaning, re-shelving
Closed	Final invoicing, profit/loss analysis, post-event review notes
Cancelled	Event cancelled — reserved stock released, cancellation fees applied

Feature Breakdown

Event / Job Management

Feature	Description
Event creation	Dates (setup, show, strike), venue link, client link (→ CRM)
Multi-day events	Events spanning multiple days with per-day schedules
Multi-venue events	Festivals or events with multiple stages/spaces
Project grouping	Group related events under a project (tours, recurring shows)
Event status workflow	Progress through lifecycle phases with validation rules
Event templates	Save and reuse event configurations for recurring job types
Event duplication	Clone an event as a starting point for a similar job
Internal notes	Free-text notes, checklists, and file attachments per event
Event tags	Categorise events (corporate, festival, wedding, concert, etc.)

Pull Lists / Equipment Planning

Feature	Description
Build from catalogue	Add products/kits from the inventory catalogue to the pull list
Kit/set expansion	Adding a kit auto-adds all component products
Availability check	Real-time check against inventory — green/amber/red indicators
Conflict detection	Alert if requested equipment is already booked elsewhere
Shortage handling	When stock is short, suggest sub-hire or alternative products
Quantity management	Request quantities by product, system allocates specific assets
Weight & volume totals	Auto-calculate total weight and volume for transport planning
Pull list printing	Printable pull list for warehouse prep team
Pull list versioning	Track changes to the pull list over time
Category grouping	Group pull list items by category (audio, lighting, video, staging)

Crew Planning

Feature	Description
Crew database	Profiles with skills, certifications, contact details, rates
Availability calendar	Per-crew-member availability with blocked/booked dates
Role-based assignment	Assign crew by role: sound engineer, lighting tech, rigger, driver, etc.
Skill matching	Filter available crew by required skills/certifications
Crew costs per event	Track day rates, overtime, expenses per crew member per event
Shift scheduling	Define shift start/end times per crew member per event day
Crew notifications	Notify assigned crew via email / push with event details
Freelancer vs. in-house	Distinguish between employed staff and freelance contractors
Timesheet capture	Record actual hours worked for payroll/invoicing

Crew Portal

Crew members can log in (web or mobile app) to:

Feature	Description
View assigned events	See all upcoming events they're assigned to
Confirm availability	Accept or decline event assignments
View event details	Access schedule, venue info, and call times
Update personal profile	Skills, certifications, contact details

Transport & Logistics

Feature	Description
Vehicle fleet	Manage owned/hired vans and trucks with capacities
Truck pack lists	Define what goes on which vehicle, with weight/volume calculations
Weight limits	Warn when truck pack exceeds vehicle capacity
Driver assignment	Assign drivers with licence validation
Route planning	Basic route info or integration with mapping services
Dispatch tracking	Track when vehicles leave warehouse and arrive at venue
Return tracking	Track when vehicles return from venue

Venue Management

Feature	Description
Venue database	Venues with addresses, contacts, and technical specifications
Technical specs	Power supply details, rigging points, dimensions, load-in access
Site plans	Attach CAD files, PDFs, or images of venue layouts
Technical riders	Store standard technical requirements per venue
Venue contacts	Key contacts: production manager, venue technician, security
Blackout dates	Track dates when a venue is unavailable
Venue history	See all past events at a venue with notes

Timeline & Scheduling

Feature	Description
Gantt-style timeline	Visual timeline of events with setup/show/strike phases
Per-event schedule	Detailed schedule: load-in time, setup, rehearsal, doors, show, strike, load-out
Milestone tracking	Key milestones with due dates and notification
Dependency management	Task B can't start until Task A completes
Recurring schedules	For events with repeating structures

Calendar Views

View	Description
Company event calendar	All events across the company, filterable by type/client/crew
Equipment availability	Heatmap calendar showing utilisation density per product/category
Crew availability	Who is available on which dates
Warehouse calendar	Scheduled load-outs and load-ins per day
Vehicle calendar	Vehicle booking and availability

Reporting

Report	Description
Events per period	Count and breakdown of events by week/month/quarter
Revenue per event	Total revenue and margin per event
Revenue per client	Client ranking by revenue
Crew utilisation	Percentage of available days booked per crew member
Vehicle utilisation	Percentage of available days booked per vehicle
Profitability per event	Revenue minus equipment, crew, transport, and sub-hire costs
On-time performance	Load-out and load-in schedule adherence

00 - System Overview — High-level system overview
01 - Inventory Management — Equipment data consumed by pull lists
03 - CRM Module — Client data and pipeline feed into event creation
06 - Module Integration — How planning connects to inventory and CRM

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