What Is an Opening Day Go or No-Go Record?

Published September 23, 2026 · 2 minute read · General information, not legal advice. Your licensing regulators decide what applies to you.

An opening day go or no-go record is a short, signed document stating that the practice reviewed its readiness and decided to open, or decided to wait, with the checks reviewed, the items still open, and who made the decision. It is the last entry in the launch readiness file and the first entry in the practice's operating history.

Why write it down

Opening is usually decided informally, on momentum, because the date was announced. A written go or no-go forces a short pause to confirm the essentials are actually in place. If something is missing, it is better to delay a day than to open with a gap that shows up in the first week.

What the review covers

The review covers each workstream in the readiness file at the level of one line: status, confirming owner, and any open item. The practice defines what must be complete for a go. Typical candidates are signed documents in use, orientation records for everyone working that day, a drill logged, and the emergency kit checked against its list. The criteria are the practice's own.

Opening with open items

A go decision with open items is normal. The record lists them, their owners, and their dates, and states why opening with them is acceptable. That statement matters later if someone asks what was known on day one.

What to record

• Date and time of the review
• Participants
• Go criteria defined by the practice
• Status of each workstream
• Open items with owner, date, and reason accepted
• Decision: go or no-go
• Signature of the decision owner

This record completes the sequence in How to Open a Med Spa. It closes out the launch readiness file.