Job 1142 was supposed to ship Friday. The customer asked about it Wednesday, and the planner confirmed: 'You'll have it Friday.' It is Thursday at 4 pm. The CNC operator just reported the spindle started overheating and he shut down the job. The parts are at 40%, not 100%. The job will not finish Friday. It will finish Monday.
The planner knew this an hour ago. He has not called the customer. He is still thinking about what to say. By the time he calls, it is 5 pm and the customer is annoyed that he was not called earlier.
Why communication breaks down
You have a schedule that says Friday. You have no visibility into whether the schedule is still true. When a problem emerges at 4 pm on Thursday, the planner is surprised. The customer is surprised later when they do not get the delivery they expected.
The planner knows what the plan says. The planner does not know what the floor is actually doing. So promises are made based on the plan, and reality rewrites them at the last minute.
The customer consequences
A customer who hears at 5 pm Thursday that Friday delivery is not happening is furious. They have a schedule based on Friday delivery. They have likely told their own customer. They have maybe pulled a truck. They are upset and they blame you.
A customer who hears Wednesday that Friday might be at risk, and then gets a call Thursday morning saying 'We have a spindle issue, we'll be Monday instead' — that customer is disappointed but not angry. Advance notice makes a difference.
How to get ahead of it
- You know Monday morning what the delivery date will be — the schedule is live and reflects reality
- If a job is at risk of missing the date, the planner sees it three days ahead, not three hours before
- The planner can call the customer Wednesday and offer options: ship partial Monday, or ship complete Tuesday
- The customer makes a decision based on real information, not an assumption
- You have a reputation for reliability because you communicate early, not because you hit every deadline
A customer would rather hear Friday at 8 am that the job is delayed until Monday, than hear it at 4 pm Thursday when they have already made plans. The first is a partnership. The second is a surprise.