How do I teach a new owner to schedule an irrigation company’s busy start-up weeks?
Show the new owner your actual schedule from past start-up seasons, then explain the rules behind it. Cover how routes are grouped, how crews are sized and what is done when weather or breakdowns force changes. Let the new owner run the board under your watch before you step back.
Pull out the old calendars and booking records from the last few busy seasons. Walk through them together, pointing to what went well and what went wrong. Real examples teach faster than a general description. Start well before the season opens, not during it.
Explain the logic. Which customers get booked first, how routes are grouped by area, how long each type of system takes and how much slack you leave for surprises. Share any notes about difficult properties, locked gates or customers who need extra notice. Write the lessons into a short guide and add the contact numbers of suppliers, so that a bad day does not stop the work.
Cover the people side. Who is the best at start-ups, who needs help and who should never be paired? Introduce the new owner to the crew before the rush begins. Then practise. Let the new owner build the schedule, and you review it. Agree on what to do when frost, rain or staff illness disrupt the plan. If you can, stay available by phone through the first season, as agreed with your lawyer. Ask technicians what they would change about the schedule, since they live with its weak points every spring.
Key takeaways
- Review past busy-season calendars together, including what went wrong.
- Explain how routes, crew size and slack time are decided.
- Let the new owner build the schedule while you check it.
- Agree what to do when frost, rain or illness upsets the plan.
Related reading
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Due diligence
Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaIndustryHow to sell your business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat is succession planning?
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentAdvice for succession planning - Articles and tools
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