Guide · Pre-dispatch checks
Blockers before dispatch: pre-dispatch readiness checks for installations
A blocker is a fact about the site that makes the planned installation impossible on the day: the machine does not fit through the door, the foundation has not cured, the power it needs is not there. Every one of them exists days before the truck leaves. A pre-dispatch readiness check is the routine that brings them to the office while the visit can still be moved. This guide describes what counts as a blocker, how to define blockers so they are found without discussion, and who clears them.
Updated October 20, 2026What counts as a blocker
Not every open point is a blocker. A missing photo is an inconvenience; a doorway narrower than the crate is a wasted trip. Separating the two keeps the list short enough that people act on it.
What to ask the customer in the first place is in the site readiness checklist with typical blockers, from the delivery route to the photos.
- A measurement below the requirement: the narrowest point of the delivery route against the shipping width, the available space against the footprint plus service clearance.
- A “no” on a condition the installation depends on: drain at the installation point, foundation complete and cured, route clear on the day.
- A utility that does not match: the voltage or phases on site against what the model needs.
- A required answer that is still missing when the decision date arrives — unknown is not the same as fine.
Define blockers before the job, not during it
A blocker found by somebody reading through answers depends on who reads and how carefully. A blocker defined as a rule is found every time. For each equipment type, decide once which questions are required, which confirmations stop the job on a “no”, and which measurements are compared with the equipment data.
- Keep the equipment data in your catalog, per model: shipping dimensions, voltage and phases, service clearance. The rule compares the customer's answer with that value.
- Name the reason in plain words: “doorway 40 mm narrower than the shipping width” can be acted on; “access issue” cannot.
- Where a model has no stored value, the comparison cannot run. Treat that as a point to check by hand before approval, not as a pass.
Who clears a blocker
| Step | Who | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Flag | The rule you configured | The blocker is raised when the answer is saved, with the reason, and the request is Blocked. |
| Fix the site or the plan | The customer, or your planner | The site changes (a drain is added, a door comes off) or the plan changes (another route, another date). |
| Resolve | A reviewer on your team | Closes the blocker and records why. When the last one is closed, the request goes to Needs review. |
| Decide | An admin or reviewer | Marks the site Ready — or keeps the visit on hold. The decision is recorded. |
Tie the whole sequence to a decision date a few days before the installation. A blocker that is still open on that date is a reason to re-plan, while the crew and the equipment can still be used elsewhere.
Worked example: a machining centre and two blockers
Fictional example. The model is from InstallCue's demo catalog, whose manufacturers are invented; your own catalog holds your real models.
A machine dealer is scheduled to deliver a Nordwerk NovaMill MX-500 to a contract manufacturer. The shipping width in the dealer's catalog is 2,240 mm (about 88.2 in). The decision date is three days before delivery.
- 12 days beforeSentThe request goes to the production manager
One link, opened on a phone on the shop floor. Access, utilities and foundation are asked for; the equipment data is already attached to the job.
- 10 days beforeBlockedTwo blockers, each with its reason
The hall door is measured at 2,200 mm — 40 mm below the shipping width. The customer also answers “no” to a finished foundation. Both are flagged when the answers are saved.
- 5 days beforeNeeds reviewBoth are resolved, with a recorded reason
The customer measures the second hall gate at 3,000 mm and later confirms the foundation with a photo of the anchor locations. A reviewer resolves each blocker and notes the reason.
- 4 days beforeReadyGo, one day before the decision date
A reviewer checks the answers and marks the site Ready. The rigging crew receives the install pack as a PDF, including the route through the second gate.
Had the foundation not been confirmed by the decision date, the visit would have been moved — a planning change instead of a crew standing in front of a hall door.
How InstallCue finds blockers before dispatch
- Deterministic blockers: required answers, a “no” on a blocking confirmation and measurements compared against the equipment data in your catalog.
- The reason is shown with the blocker, including the shortfall of a measurement.
- Resolving a blocker needs a person and a reason; the decision that a site is Ready is restricted to admins and reviewers and written to the audit trail.
- Decision deadlines a configurable number of days before installation (default three), with automatic reminders to the customer.
- Install pack with answers, photos and notes for the crew, printable or saved as PDF.
InstallCue does not replace your scheduling or dispatch software; it hands over a site that a person on your team has marked Ready. Try it with your own equipment: get started or compare the plans and prices.
See how InstallCue checks site readiness · Plans and prices
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