The One-Page Weekly Plan
How to keep older accounts from becoming “when we have time”
Aged AR does not usually stall because people are not trying.
It stalls because the week gets crowded.
New denials show up. Payers ask for documents. Leaders need updates. Current AR feels closer to cash. And when the day is full, older accounts quietly move to the bottom of the list.
That is how “we will work it later” becomes “we are still here next month.”
A simple fix is a one-page weekly plan.
Not a big report. Not a new system. Just a short plan that makes aged work visible, owned, and easier to finish.
Why older accounts need a weekly plan
Older balances need a different approach than day-to-day follow-up. The work is usually more complex. It often involves missing information, repeat denials, internal blockers, or escalation. And because it is harder, it is easier to delay.
Without a weekly plan, aged work becomes inconsistent. People touch an account, then move on. Notes get vague. Escalation happens late. Ownership shifts. And the next person has to re-read everything to figure out what is true.
That is time leakage. And over time, that time leakage becomes revenue leakage.
A one-page weekly plan solves the biggest problem first: it gives aged work a “home” in the week.
What the one-page plan is
The plan is one page because it forces clarity.
It is not meant to capture everything. It is meant to capture what the team needs to move accounts forward without guessing.
A strong one-page plan answers three questions:
Who owns aged work this week
If ownership is unclear, aged accounts get touched by multiple people without real progress. Or worse, they get touched by nobody because everyone assumes someone else is handling them.
Ownership does not need to be perfect. It needs to be visible. Even a simple list of names and responsibility is enough.
What is the focus this week
Most teams cannot move every aged account at once. If the plan tries to cover everything, it turns into a wish list.
Instead, the plan should name the focus. For example, accounts near timely filing, high-dollar items, repeat denial categories, or accounts waiting on the same internal blocker.
When the focus is clear, people stop jumping between unrelated problems. The work gets cleaner and faster.
What does “done” mean by the end of the week
This is the part that changes outcomes.
“Done” does not have to mean paid. In aged AR, “done” often means the next decision point is completed.
Done can look like: appeal submitted with proof. Reprocess requested and confirmed. Escalation completed and documented. Internal request assigned with an owner and a due date.
When “done” is defined, the team knows what success looks like for the week. It also prevents endless activity that does not move the account.
What to include on the page
You can keep this very simple.
Start with the ownership and the focus for the week. Then list the priority accounts or work groups. For each one, capture the essentials: current status, last action, what is blocking progress, and the next action with a due date.
The goal is not long notes. The goal is enough clarity so someone can step in and continue the work without restarting it.
If you want one rule that makes this plan work, make it this: every priority item must have a specific next action and a due date.
If a next action is missing, the account will stall.
If a due date is missing, the account will drift.
How to use it without creating more work
The one-page plan should not take hours.
Build it from what you already know. Then update it briefly as part of a weekly rhythm. Many teams do this in a short review once a week and a quick check mid-week.
The weekly conversation stays simple:
What moved
What got stuck and why
What decision or support is needed
What we will do next
This creates a steady pace. It also helps leaders remove blockers without needing a long meeting or a heavy deck.
What changes when teams use a weekly plan
When aged work has a weekly plan, a few good things happen quickly.
The team spends less time re-reading history because the next step is clear.
Escalation becomes more consistent because triggers are visible.
Handoffs get easier because ownership is defined.
Leaders see real barriers earlier, not weeks later.
Progress becomes measurable because “done” is defined.
Most importantly, the work feels lighter. Not because it is easy, but because it is guided. People stop guessing. They stop repeating the same steps. And the backlog is less likely to refill from preventable resets.
How to start this week
Start small.
Do not try to plan the entire AR book. Start with older accounts only.
Pick a manageable set. Define an owner. Define the focus. Define what “done” means for the week. Keep the page simple. Then run it for a few weeks and adjust.
A strong AR system does not depend on one person carrying everything in their head. It depends on a process that makes work clear, repeatable, and easy to continue.
Zybex helps teams design simple weekly plans and operating habits that keep aged AR moving with control, consistency, and less rework.