Steering

Where the four workstreams stand

Steering meeting Thursday, Oct 8, 2026 Shrink reduction is red Two stores named as a data gap

Where the four store operations workstreams stand after the status window of Monday, September 28, 2026, with every open decision and every data gap named, so steering time on October 8 goes to deciding, not to finding out status. Prepared by Philippa Sinclair, program director at Ferncastle Operations Group, for Gareth Pryce, chief operating officer at Fairhaven Home Stores, and the steering group. Every figure comes from the program record that the workstreams update themselves. Where two sources disagree, this pack names the gap and does not average it. Issued in draft on Thursday, October 1; the final pack goes out on Wednesday, October 7.

The Fairhaven store operations improvement program runs four workstreams. After the Sep 28 window one is green, two are amber and one is red. Green means on plan with no blocked milestone. Amber means a milestone is late or at risk and has an owner and a plan. Red means a milestone is blocked and the person who can unblock it has not yet acted. The workstream lead proposes the color and the program director questions it when the evidence does not support it.

Decisions requested on October 8

Four requests need the sponsor or a named Fairhaven owner. Each one has an owner and a date.

1. Name a Fairhaven owner for loss prevention data access. Gareth Pryce, at the Oct 8 meeting. The request has been open since Sep 16 and nobody on the Fairhaven side has accepted it. The shrink baseline cannot be agreed without read access to the loss prevention system.
2. Approve, defer or decline the store-level shrink dashboard change request. Gareth Pryce, by Oct 10. It needs about 15 consultant days and data from the loss prevention system, which is outside the agreed scope.
3. Confirm the HR sign-off date for the new shift template. HR lead, asked before the meeting. The sign-off is due Oct 5 and holds up the labor scheduling pilot.
4. Confirm that the store system data extract is scheduled. IT director, due Oct 9. The Oct 16 pilot date holds only if it is.

Approval gates in front of the next work

Four gates sit in front of the next work. Two are approved: the replenishment rules, approved on Aug 24 and live in 12 stores, and the shift template owner, approved on Sep 26 when the regional operations manager was named. Two are waiting: the shrink dashboard change request, which needs Gareth to approve, defer or decline, and the shrink baseline, which needs the loss prevention lead to agree it.

How far the work from the last meeting and the register has moved:

• Actions from the Sep 24 decisions that are done: 5 of 14
• Dependencies closed since the program started in June: 17 of 23

Detail by workstream

Replenishment

Amber Update in on time

What moved. The pilot date moved to Oct 16 and all 12 store managers confirmed it. The order calendar now starts the new rules on Oct 16.

What is blocked. The store system data extract is escalated at 34 days open and due Oct 9. The planogram file sent in August covered 9 of the 12 pilot stores, so Saoirse Quigley is waiting for the file for the three missing stores, due Oct 6.

In progress. Re-run the store stock test on the extract sample (Saoirse Quigley, Oct 12). Brief store managers on the Oct 16 start (Emeka Achebe, Oct 9, after the Oct 7 regional call).

Next. Confirm the extract is scheduled before the Oct 16 date is relied on.

Store labor scheduling

Amber Update in on time

What moved. The two stores were excluded from the pack totals and the exclusion is closed. The regional operations manager was named on Sep 26 as owner of the shift template pilot.

What is blocked. Hamish Aldous is reconciling the two store labor trackers, due Oct 7. HR sign-off on the shift template is due Oct 5 and the HR lead has not yet given a sign-off date. The three shift template actions are owned but not started: choose the eight pilot stores (Oct 9), train store managers (Oct 16) and set the review measure (Oct 16).

Next. Check the three shift template actions are underway before the Oct 8 steering meeting. Owner: Emeka Achebe.

Shrink reduction

Red Update a day late

What moved. The request for loss prevention system access is drafted but cannot be sent until a Fairhaven owner approves it. Philippa Sinclair owns it, due Oct 9.

What is blocked. There is no agreed shrink baseline and no Fairhaven owner for loss prevention data access. The baseline method draft, owned by Saoirse Quigley and due Oct 23, starts only once access is granted. The shrink dashboard change request waits for the sponsor.

Consequence. Shrink results cannot be shown as a change until the baseline is agreed with the loss prevention lead, which is meant to happen before the November value review.

Next. Name the owner on Oct 8, then send the access request.

Distribution center flow

Green Update in on time

What moved. Wave 2 carrier appointments are confirmed for the first two weeks and the receiving doors are mapped to the new product groups. Wave 2 starts in November.

Watch item. The wave 2 cutover plan (Hamish Aldous, due Oct 16) depends on the slotting window at the second distribution center, due Oct 12. The window needs two days outside the peak receiving days. The stream turns amber if the DC operations manager has not agreed the dates by Oct 12.

Next. Agree the slotting window dates, then draft the cutover plan.

The next six weeks

Bars end on the due date in the program record. Red bars are blocked by an open owner or decision. Bars begin on Oct 1, the first day of the six weeks, or later when the work cannot start sooner. The wave 2 marker sits on Monday, November 2 only to show where November falls; the program record has no day for it yet.

Open checks before steering

Who is on this pack

• PS
  Philippa SinclairProgram director, Ferncastle Operations Group, prepares the pack

• EA
  Emeka AchebePMO analyst, Ferncastle Operations Group, keeps the program record

• GP
  Gareth PryceChief operating officer, Fairhaven Home Stores, sponsor