"It's going to snow — what's your plan?"

The mobilization sequence

When the forecast turns, the pre-storm tools work best in order. Here's the full workflow from "it's going to snow" to a shop full of ready operators.

1. Poll for availability

Start the moment you're watching a storm. Send an availability poll to the whole crew — "can you work today?" You're not committing anyone yet; you're taking a headcount so you know what you're working with.

2. Confirm attendance

Once you know who's available and you've decided to run, send an attendance confirmation with a shop time. Now you're locking commitments and watching the late board fill in — on time, late by 30/60/120, or no answer.

3. Open the run and communicate

As operators arrive and start their runs, communication moves from mobilization to the storm itself:

• Use two-way chat for anything one operator needs.
• Use a fleet-wide broadcast for anything the whole crew needs — a property closure, a weather change, a material note.
• Keep the message board open to see every thread at once.

4. Or stand down

If the storm fizzles at any point before roll-out, send a mass stand-down and close the mobilization cleanly. It's the same discipline in reverse.

Why the order matters

Availability before confirmation keeps a soft "maybe" from being read as a hard "yes." Confirmation before roll-out means the swarm opens with a known crew. And a clean stand-down protects the goodwill that makes the next poll work. Each step in this section has its own article if you want the detail.