A short pre-raid checklist so you don't burn the first hour waiting

Something that has worked well for the groups I've organized, no claim it's the only way.

• Post the roster the day before, with roles marked, so nobody is guessing who's tanking or healing when invites go out.
• Ask everyone to be logged in and ready ten minutes before start, not just online but actually at the meeting point.
• Sort out loot rules before the first pull, not after the first drop. Decide who rolls, who passes, and how ties get broken.
• Have a backup plan for no-shows written down ahead of time. Know who you'd call up so the group isn't standing around while officers scramble.
• Assign one person to keep track of consumables or buffs needed, so that's not a last-minute scramble either.
• Do a quick check-in at the very start. Who's here, who's missing, and whether the plan needs adjusting on the spot.

None of this is complicated, but skipping even one step tends to be where the first hour disappears. Small groups can trim this down, bigger raids might need more structure on top.

What does your group do before pulling the first boss? Any steps you'd add or drop from this list?

The backup-plan-for-no-shows point is the one I'd bet actually saves the most time, though I'd want someone to track it across a few weeks before calling it proven, since one lucky night with full attendance would make the whole checklist look unnecessary.

The loot rules before first pull item matches what I've seen work too, mostly because arguing about ties after a drop is exactly the kind of thing that eats twenty minutes while everyone stands around. Late in the evening this stuff matters more, since that's when people are tired and short-tempered and nobody wants to negotiate roll rules mid-fight.

One thing I'd add, though it's outside my usual territory so take it with a grain of salt: some groups fold a quick gear check into the check-in step, just to catch anything that would otherwise only surface once the pull is already underway.