#003 The Work List
Observation
I was discussing workload and scheduling with the owner of a small tree care company.
The business is primarily operated by one person who performs most of the work himself and occasionally hires help when needed.
When asked how many jobs he was booked out, he estimated approximately fifteen jobs.
When asked whether he had a list containing those jobs, their values, approval dates, customer information, and scheduling details, he did not.
During the conversation, I asked about a job I had referred several months earlier. The customer had approved the estimate, but the owner had forgotten about the job entirely.
As the conversation continued, it became clear that approved jobs existed, but there was no centralized system for tracking them.
Customers would often call asking when work would be completed.
Timing estimates were often vague.
The owner knew he was busy but could not clearly see how much approved work existed, when it would be completed, or what future revenue looked like.
Evidence
No list of approved jobs.
No dollar value assigned to future scheduled work.
No centralized record of customer approvals.
Referred job was forgotten after approval.
Customers regularly request scheduling updates.
Workload visibility depends largely on memory.
No system for reviewing estimating accuracy after job completion.
Cost of the Constraint
When approved work is not tracked, several outcomes become more likely:
Jobs are forgotten.
Customers lose confidence.
Scheduling becomes reactive.
Revenue forecasting becomes difficult.
Workload visibility decreases.
Owner stress increases.
The business may remain busy, but busyness is not the same as control.
Without visibility into approved work, future planning becomes increasingly difficult.
Constraint
There is no system for tracking approved work from customer approval to job completion.
The issue is not the owner's work ethic.
The issue is not service quality.
The issue is that accepted jobs rely on memory rather than a system.
Once a customer says "yes," there is no reliable process ensuring that the work remains visible until it is completed.
Assumptions
I may be incorrectly assuming:
Forgotten jobs occur regularly rather than occasionally.
The owner wants greater visibility into future workload.
Customers value more scheduling certainty.
The owner would consistently use a simple tracking system.
These assumptions would need to be validated.
Possible Interventions
Create a simple approved-work tracking system.
Each approved job should include:
Customer name
Contact information
Date approved
Job description
Estimated revenue
Scheduling status
Completion status
The goal is not complexity.
The goal is ensuring every approved job remains visible until completed.
Measures of Success
Reduction in forgotten jobs.
Improved visibility into upcoming work.
Faster response to customer scheduling questions.
Better revenue forecasting.
Increased percentage of approved jobs completed on time.
Key Insight
The constraint is not a lack of work.
The constraint is not poor service.
The constraint is the absence of a system that keeps approved work visible.
A customer saying "yes" should never depend on memory.
The opportunity is creating a repeatable process that ensures every approved job remains visible from acceptance to completion.
