Office Opening Checklist
A daily opening checklist for offices, studios and small shops: alarm, safety walk, lights, IT, kitchen and front desk checks so the doors open on time.
- Typical schedule daily
- The checklist 4 sections, 19 items
- Variables
{{location}}
Use this checklist every morning in an office, studio, practice or small shop that is opened by whoever arrives first. It turns the opening routine into a short, repeatable round, so the place is safe and ready when the first customer or colleague walks in, no matter who opened it.
Who owns it
The person who opens that day owns the run. In many small businesses that rotates, which is exactly why a written routine helps. A manager or office manager owns the template and updates it when something changes, such as a new alarm code or a new delivery time.
Common pitfalls
- Disarming the alarm and walking straight in. Check doors and windows for signs of a break-in before you go in, and do not enter if something looks wrong.
- Treating the safety walk as optional. Blocked fire exits and wet floors are found in the morning or not at all. It only takes a minute.
- Problems found but not reported. A broken light or a full bin noted on paper helps nobody. Add a note to the item and tell the person responsible.
- Opening late because the till or the IT is not ready. Switch the computers and the till on right after disarming the alarm, so updates and logins run while you do the safety walk.
A daily scheduled run in Runbook creates the checklist each morning. The audit trail shows who opened and when, which is useful when something went wrong overnight.
The checklist: Open {{location}} for the day
Arrival and security
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Outside of
{{location}}checked for damage or signs of a break-in before enteringIf something looks wrong, do not go in. Call the police or your security service from outside.
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Alarm disarmed within the entry delay
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Doors, windows and storage rooms checked for overnight issues
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Overnight alarm or camera messages checked optional
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Computers, screens and till switched on, so updates run during the safety walk
Safety walk
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Fire exits and escape routes clear and exit doors unlocked from the inside
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No water leaks, wet floors or tripping hazards
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Heating or air conditioning working and set to the right temperature
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Lights on in all working areas and any faulty lights noted
Systems and equipment
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Computers, printers and the network working, with any update or login errors resolved
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Phones switched from night mode or voicemail to normal mode
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Card terminal and till started and float counted optional
For shops and front desks that take payments.
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Calendar and bookings for the day checked
Ready for people
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Kitchen checked: coffee machine on, dishwasher emptied, fridge clean
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Toilets stocked with paper and soap
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Reception or shop floor tidy, signs and opening hours visible
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Deliveries or mail from the previous day sorted optional
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Front door unlocked at the opening time
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Problems found during opening reported to the responsible person
Checklist as Markdown
Frequently asked questions
What should be on an opening checklist?
Security checks on arrival, a short safety walk, starting the systems, and making the space ready for people. Keep it to what can be done in about ten to fifteen minutes. Anything that only happens weekly belongs in a separate checklist.
Can I use this as a store opening checklist?
Yes. The structure works for small shops and studios too. Keep the till and card terminal items, and add anything specific to your business, such as checking stock on display or switching on window lighting.
Why use a checklist for something done every day?
Because routine is exactly where steps get skipped, especially when different people open on different days. A checklist makes the routine the same for everyone and leaves a record of who opened and what they found.
Updated