−34%average lead time in nine months
Construction and trades
A cabinetmaker that finished jobs before starting new ones
A custom cabinet shop had dozens of jobs open at once and too few of them finished. A simple weekly routine for the workshop cut the open jobs by half.
- Brightwater Cabinetry
- 2023
- jobs open at any one time
- −50%
Brightwater Cabinetry designs and installs kitchens and built-in furniture. Its workshop of twelve was always busy, yet customers waited months for the last few pieces of their jobs.
What we found
New jobs started as soon as they were sold, so every job competed for the same benches. Punch-list visits were scheduled when someone remembered.
What changed
We set up a weekly workshop meeting that limits how many jobs can be open, and a board that shows every job's next step. The workshop manager runs it; we sat in for the first ten weeks.
Where it stands
The number of open jobs halved, and the time from order to final install fell by six weeks.
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