ArrangeDeskPrintable funeral arrangement checklist vs a shared checklist
Updated October 26, 2026 · For independent funeral homes
Many funeral homes keep a printed arrangement checklist in every case folder: the steps from first call to final disposition, ticked off in pen. It is a good discipline, and it means nothing depends on memory.
The paper checklist lives in one folder in one place. When a director is out, when the folder is on someone’s desk, or when a family asks what is left, the checklist can’t help. Here is how to get the most out of paper, and when sharing the list makes sense.
Making the paper checklist work
- Start every case with the same printed list.
- Cross out steps that don’t apply rather than ignoring them.
- Initial and date each tick.
- Keep the folder in one known place, never in a car.
- Review open folders at the start of each day.
Printed checklist vs ArrangeDesk
- Steps per case
- Printed checklist The same printed list
- ArrangeDesk Your list per case; add or remove steps
- Progress at a glance
- Printed checklist Open the folder
- ArrangeDesk Each case shows its completed and open steps
- Across cases
- Printed checklist Open every folder
- ArrangeDesk Open items across all cases
- When a director is out
- Printed checklist Find the folder
- ArrangeDesk Any staff login sees the case (Chapel plan)
- Families
- Printed checklist Updates by phone
- ArrangeDesk A private page showing completed steps
| Printed checklist | ArrangeDesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Steps per case | The same printed list | Your list per case; add or remove steps |
| Progress at a glance | Open the folder | Each case shows its completed and open steps |
| Across cases | Open every folder | Open items across all cases |
| When a director is out | Find the folder | Any staff login sees the case (Chapel plan) |
| Families | Updates by phone | A private page showing completed steps |
Keep the folder
A shared checklist doesn’t replace the case folder with signed authorizations and certificates. It replaces the question “where are we on the Hernandez case?”, and the call from the family asking the same thing.