Problem guide
Finished work waits for pickup or delivery
Finished work waits for pickup or delivery because nobody tells shipping, billing and the customer the moment a job is done, so the job sits until someone notices it. Mark each job complete at a single point, notify the people who move it and bill it the same day, and keep a visible list of finished work still in the building.
What it usually looks like
A coating shop finishes a batch of powder coated railings on Wednesday and stacks them on a rack by the dock. The lead marks the traveler done and puts it in the office tray. The office manager is out Thursday. On Friday the customer calls to ask when the railings will be ready, and the person answering says they will check. Nobody schedules the truck until Monday. The invoice goes out Tuesday with the delivery ticket. The railings sat finished for most of a week, and one got scratched while the rack was moved twice.
Signs you have this problem
- Finished jobs crowd the shipping area or the yard
- Customers call asking whether their order is done when it has been ready for days
- Invoices wait until the work ships, and shipping waits for someone to schedule it
- Nobody can list every finished job still in the building without walking it
- Finished parts get damaged or mixed up while they wait
What usually causes it
- Nobody can see which jobs are finished and still sitting in the buildingThe invisible queue
- Completion is not passed to shipping, billing and the customer at the same timeThe handoff gap
- Delivery and invoicing wait on someone to approve or schedule themApproval drag
What to try this week
- Count what is sitting todayWalk the shipping area and yard and list every finished job, the date it was finished and what it is waiting for. Do it again in a week.
- Pick one moment for doneAgree on the single point where a job counts as finished, such as final inspection passed or packed. Everyone uses that moment, not their own idea of done.
- Send the same-day noticeWhen a job reaches done, one person tells shipping, billing and the customer contact that day. A short standard message is enough.
- Keep a finished-not-shipped listKeep one shared list of finished jobs still in the building, with the date done and what each is waiting for. Review it daily, oldest first.
- Ask billing to invoice on doneWhere your terms allow, bill when the work is finished and ready, not only when it leaves. Check your agreements with each customer before changing it.
Where do-it-yourself stops
These steps get finished work noticed sooner and cut days off the wait. They still rely on one person sending notices and keeping the list current by hand. A lasting fix is a tool built around your own job, shipping and billing systems, so finishing a job tells everyone who needs to act on it without anyone retyping. That is what a Workflow Spec designs.
Questions people ask
Why does finished work sit in the shop?
Because finishing a job is not the same as telling anyone it is finished. Shipping, billing and the customer each find out on their own schedule.
Should we invoice before the work ships?
It depends on your terms with each customer. Check them first. Where it is allowed, billing on completion shortens the wait for cash.
Who should send the done notice?
Whoever signs off the last step, or one named person in the office. Pick one so it happens every time.
Is this a shipping capacity problem?
Sometimes. Your finished-not-shipped list will tell you. If most jobs wait for a truck, it is capacity. If most wait for someone to notice, it is information.
How do we measure what the wait costs?
Track the days between done and shipped, and between done and invoiced, for a few weeks. Then use your own numbers to price the delay.
Next step
How we fix this
This guide is how to find it and work around it. If it keeps coming back, the fix is usually a tool built around how your crew already works.
Fox & Santiago, Genesee, Idaho. Home territory: the Inland Northwest, where we respond fastest. We fly anywhere in the United States for paid engagements.