A surface conditioning scheduling process is used to mitigate susceptibility to crack initiation or crack growth in a boiling water nuclear reactor using a plurality of working crews. A plurality of working zones are defined in an annulus region of a reactor vessel flange, and a plurality working zones are defined in a core region of the reactor vessel. One of the working crews is positioned in each of the annulus region working zones, and one of the working crews is positioned in each of the core region working zones. The working crews perform surface conditioning in areas of the reactor vessel accessible from their respective working zones such that the surface conditioning process can be completed in no more than thirty days.