Guides › Managing a Team
Sketch a better shop floor or warehouse layout
Two or three layout options for your space with the pros and cons of each, based on how people and goods actually move around.
When to use it
Before a refit, a seasonal change or when the space feels cramped
Step by step
Capture the current space
Take photos from each corner and draw a rough floor plan with measurements, doors, tills, fire exits and anything that can't move.
Note what isn't working
List the problems you see, such as queues blocking aisles, long walks to pick popular items or bottlenecks at the door.
Ask for layout options
Attach the photos and plan to your AI assistant with this prompt.
Prompt to copyI manage a [shop / warehouse / workspace] of about [size]. Attached are photos and a rough floor plan. Fixed items: [doors, fire exits, tills, pillars]. Problems now: [list]. Goals: [e.g. faster picking, better flow for customers, more space for best-sellers]. Suggest three layout options. For each: describe where everything goes in plain words, the main benefit, the main drawback, rough effort to change, and anything to check for safety or accessibility (wide enough aisles, clear exits). Then recommend one and say why.Check safety and test it
Run the preferred option past your health and safety lead, then mark it out with tape or move one area first to see if it works.
What you get
Option B: Move best-sellers to the two bays nearest dispatch and slow movers to the back. Benefit: shorter picking walks. Drawback: one weekend to move stock. Check: keep the fire exit aisle clear and at least the required width.
Tips
- Ask staff who work the floor every day for their problems first; they'll spot things the photos won't show.