TMS Performance Recovery Checklist (Service Level Restoration)

When service levels drop after a go-live or major routing/config change, use this checklist to regain control fast: command center setup, rapid triage, routing corrections, carrier relationship repair, and a hypercare plan that sticks.

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Stand up a command center and run the "First 72 Hours" checklist immediately.
Define guardrail KPIs and review them daily during hypercare.
Separate containment vs root cause so workarounds don't become "the new normal."
Don't exit hypercare until exit criteria is green for 5–10 business days.

First 72 Hours: Regain Control (Containment)

Command center live (single intake, triage, severity levels, comms cadence).
"Top failure modes" list created (late pickups, late deliveries, tender rejections, status gaps, invoice mismatches).
Containment rules approved (manual tender fallback, routing overrides, escalation triggers, customer comms script).
Priority lanes/customers identified (service impact + customer sensitivity + revenue risk).
Carrier escalation paths activated (dispatch + leadership + lane owners).
Daily KPI pack defined (see "Guardrail KPIs" below) and published to stakeholders.

Goal: Stabilize service first. Root cause work begins in parallel, but service restoration comes first.

Weeks 2–4: Fix Root Causes (Prevention)

Root cause documented for each recurring issue (not just "resolved").
Configuration changes peer-reviewed and regression-tested (avoid new lane failures).
Process drift corrected (dispatch SOPs, escalation rules, training reinforcement).
Carrier performance issues separated from system issues (so fixes go to the right owner).
Prevention backlog created (monitoring thresholds, automation, governance changes).

Carrier Relationship Repair (Parallel Track)

Carrier comms simplified: factual lane-level issues + clear asks + expected response times.
Chronic lanes identified and jointly re-planned (cutoffs, dwell, appointment lead times).
"Escalation ladder" agreed (dispatch → manager → leadership) with response SLAs.
Reward and reinforce reliability (protect strong carriers from whiplash changes).

Key Risk Callouts (Recovery Programs)

Risk: Hypercare without exit criteria

If hypercare ends by date instead of metrics, you either exit too early or create a "forever project."

Risk: Fixing symptoms only

Workarounds are fine temporarily. Without root cause + prevention, incidents rebound after support steps down.

Risk: Carrier confidence drops

If carriers feel blamed for system-driven issues, tender acceptance can deteriorate. Keep reviews lane-specific and factual.

Hypercare Support Expectations (Vendor ↔ Org)

Hypercare should be a defined stabilization window with elevated support, monitoring, and an explicit exit strategy, then transitioned into steady-state support with clear ownership.

Minimum Hypercare Requirements

Hypercare dates + coverage hours defined (including peak/overnight/weekend rules if needed).
Severity model + SLAs agreed (response time, update cadence, workaround expectations).
Daily war room cadence set (KPIs first, incidents second, change decisions last).
"No silent failures" rule: integration/visibility failures must alert owners automatically.
Knowledge capture required (each incident closes with root cause + prevention note + owner).

Vendor ↔ Org Responsibility Split (RACI Starter)

Activity	Org	Vendor	Shared Notes
L1 Support (dispatch questions, operational workarounds, customer updates)	R/A	C	Super users own the floor; keep vendor out of routine ops.
L2 Support (routing guide/config, carrier setup, integration triage)	R	R	Joint triage; rapid config patches with change control.
L3 Support (defects, performance, vendor code, platform issues)	C	R/A	Hotfix window + regression check required.
Monitoring ownership (alerts, reconciliations, response)	R	C	Org must own "first response"; vendor supports remediation.
Exit decision	A	R	Exit only when criteria holds for 5–10 business days.

Exit Criteria (You're Stable When...)

No Sev-1 incidents for 10 business days (tendering/tracking/settlement stable).
FTA stabilized at target on priority lanes (no systemic rejection-driven re-tenders).
OTP/OTD stabilized (no systemic misses tied to TMS configuration or workflows).
Visibility events timely enough to prevent "surprise misses" (milestone gaps trending down).
Support handoff complete (runbooks, known errors, monitoring ownership, escalation paths).

Long-Term Maintenance for Stability (Post-Hypercare)

Release management + regression testing policy (routing rules, rate logic, integrations).
Monthly incident theme review (top causes, training gaps, carrier issues, tech debt).
Quarterly carrier performance reviews with action plans (acceptance, service, claims, comms).
Routing guide governance maintained (who edits, who approves, how exceptions are documented).
Monitoring "health" reviewed quarterly (alerts/noise ratio, missing milestone detection, reconciliation quality).