Free Excel template
Time and action calendar template
Every milestone from PO to ex-factory, planned back from your ex-factory date. Enter a revised date when something moves; the status and the slip update themselves.
| Milestone | Owner | Days before | Planned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PO confirmed | Buying | 120 | 15 Nov 2026 | Done |
| Tech pack issued to factory | Design | 115 | 20 Nov 2026 | On track |
| Lab dips submitted | Mill | 105 | 30 Nov 2026 | On track |
| Lab dips approved | Design | 98 | 7 Dec 2026 | Moved 6 days |
| Ex-factory | Factory | 0 | 15 Mar 2027 | On track |
What’s inside
- T&A calendar
- Style details, the ex-factory date, and 19 milestones with owner, lead time, planned, revised and actual dates, status, days moved, and where each change was agreed.
- Summary
- Milestones late, due in the next 7 days and done, and the biggest slip so far, at the top of the sheet.
- How to use
- Five steps to set it up, and what each status means.
How to use it
- Enter the style, factory, quantity and ex-factory date in the yellow cells.
- Change the days before ex-factory to your real lead times. Add or delete milestones as you need.
- When a date moves, enter the revised date. When a milestone is done, enter the actual date.
- Note where each change was agreed, so you know who said what when it slips.
- Review it in your weekly production call. Late and due-this-week milestones are coloured.
Where a sheet like this goes wrong
A T&A calendar is only as current as the last time someone updated it. Dates move on calls and in WhatsApp groups, and the sheet hears about it days later, if at all.
What Spurby does instead
Spurby moves the dates from the chats and calls where they change, shows what each slip does to ex-factory and launch, and asks the owner to confirm.
Questions about this template.
What is a time and action calendar?
A time and action (T&A) calendar is the schedule of milestones a style passes from order to shipment, such as lab dips, samples, bulk fabric, cutting and inspection, each with an owner and a due date. It is usually planned backwards from the ex-factory date.
Is the template free?
Yes. Download it and use it however you like. There is no sign-up.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload it to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. The formulas, dropdowns and status colours carry over.
How should I set the lead times?
Start from the ex-factory date and work back using what each mill and factory has actually delivered on past orders, not what they quote. Leave buffer before the milestones that most often slip, usually bulk fabric and PP sample approval.
Or let Spurby keep it current.
Spurby fills this in from the WhatsApp, email and calls where things change, and does the chasing.