30 days ahead: 30 days before the first day of the peak month. It is the day the last four weeks of preparation begin; for a 2x peak month, preparation starts here.
Starting 30 days before the peak month, put one thing in place each week. For a 3x or 4x peak month, you will already have started gathering Sheets 6 or 8 weeks ahead, so these four weeks are the second half of that period (Chapter 2).
Week 1: Gather a "thank-you" Sheet. From the Sheets left during the regular months, the assigned employee chooses one for which a client said "thank you," concerning what will be delivered in that peak month. If there is none, they make a record under the project's conditions and keep it with the specifications written beside it.
Week 2: Turn it into the Line. The assigned employee replaces the abstract claim on the homepage with the facts written on the Sheet. After the top executive checks it, it goes up on the homepage. When a generative-AI draft is used, it goes out only after a person has finalized it, following the order in Chapter 8.
Week 3: Publish the Closing. The assigned employee changes the end of the homepage and the most-visited pages into guidance that lets visitors move forward just by reading (guidance to look at the Sheet).
Week 4: Publish the Entrance. The assigned employee publishes the order-acceptance conditions on the website: "We accept work from clients who can provide specifications."
Figure 7. The four weeks starting 30 days before the peak month
Check Just One Thing at the End of Each Week
At the end of each week (Friday), the top executive checks just one thing finished that week: in week 1, the Sheet; in week 2, the Line; in week 3, the Closing; in week 4, the Entrance. No meetings are held. And a week that hasn't been checked doesn't move on to the next week. If you move on while the previous week is empty, you'll be building the next thing without any material.
In week 1, the top executive looks only at whether the Sheet is in the Folder—not at the quality of the writing. The sole purpose of this week is to preserve the facts.
What if the peak month begins without week 4 having been checked? In that case, write honestly in the Weekly Memo: "There was no preparation this time." It may not look good. But if you write it down, you can later answer honestly the first of the Three Lines: "Was the preparation preserved?"
▶ Decided by the top executive
• On the morning 30 days ahead, write one line in the Internal Memo with the name of the peak month, last year's number of orders, and who is responsible for leaving the Sheet. Also write the name of the person responsible in the fields in Chapter 14.
• Every Friday, look at just one thing finished that week and decide whether to move on to the next week.
▶ Asked of employees
• Week 1: From the Sheets left during the regular months, choose the Sheet for that peak month and put it together in the Folder. If there is none, make a record under the project's conditions and keep it with the specifications written beside it.
• Week 2: Replace the abstract claim on the homepage with the facts from the Sheet and publish it. The project name and specifications are entered by a person, from the records.
• Week 3: Change the end of the homepage and the most-visited pages into guidance to look at the Sheet. Don't put "Please consult us about an order" there.
• Week 4: Write the order-acceptance conditions at the Entrance.
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