Redacted client audit
Shared with client permission. Identifying details have been removed. Reclaimable hours are estimates from the audit, not measured results or a guarantee.

Electrical Contractor

Team42 people
Work mixCommercial projects, service, tenant fit-outs & controls
67reclaimable hours / month
Executive summary

What we found and what to do about it.

67 hrsestimated reclaimable capacity each month
96hours of recurring friction identified each month
7specific workflow problems identified
3quick wins that can start this week
Main finding
The company has enough software. The larger issue is that information crosses departments by email, text and re-entry. Service, estimating, project management, purchasing and accounting each have their own version of the job.
Largest issue
Change orders create the largest recurring delay because field discoveries, pricing, approval and billing do not move through one visible pipeline.
Operational risk
As project volume grows, informal handoffs create margin leakage that is difficult to see until the work is already complete.
Recommended decisionCreate one change-order queue and one material-request channel this week, then standardize the service-to-project handoff.
This week

Quick wins that can be done in 5 working days.

These are intentionally small. The goal is to produce visible improvement now, not begin a six-month project.

1

Launch the change-order queue

Make every active change order visible with an owner and next action.

OwnerOperations + PM lead
Setup3–4 hours
2

Use one material-request form

Stop duplicate and incomplete material requests.

OwnerPurchasing lead
Setup2 hours
3

Define the service-to-project handoff

Capture complete project opportunities from the field.

OwnerService + estimating
Setup2–3 hours
By the end of the week: these changes should be live, tested on real work, and producing baseline data we can compare against next month.
The Friction List

All seven findings, ranked.

The list separates the amount of friction happening today from the portion we believe can realistically be removed.

#FrictionCurrentReclaimable
01Change orders wait between field, PM and billing24 hrs/mo18 hrs
02Material requests arrive through multiple channels16 hrs/mo12 hrs
03Service jobs convert poorly into project handoffs14 hrs/mo10 hrs
04Job-cost data is re-entered between systems12 hrs/mo8 hrs
05Timecards use inconsistent job codes10 hrs/mo6 hrs
06Closeout documents are assembled too late11 hrs/mo7 hrs
07Dispatch territories are adjusted manually9 hrs/mo6 hrs
Total96 hrs/mo67 hrs/mo

Priority matrix

Higher is more operational impact. Further right means more implementation effort.

Impact ↑
Do first
Plan carefully
Easy, lower return
Defer
1Change orders
2Material requests
3Project handoff
4Job-cost data is re-entered between systems
5Timecards use inconsistent job codes
6Closeout documents are assembled too late
7Dispatch territories are adjusted manually
Implementation effort →
Findings + fixes

What is happening, how to fix it, and how to know it worked.

01

Change orders wait between field, PM and billing

Do first
Evidence: Field changes are documented in texts, email and job notes, then chased until scope, price, approval and billing finally align.
Current 24 hrs/mo Reclaimable 18 hrs/mo Effort Medium Owner Operations + PM lead
Recommended fix

Create one visible change-order pipeline.

Field changes are documented in texts, email and job notes, then chased until scope, price, approval and billing finally align.

How to fix it

  1. Define statuses: identified, pricing, sent, approved, scheduled, billed.
  2. Require every field-identified change to enter the queue the same day.
  3. Review aging change orders twice a week with PMs.
Success measure: Change orders older than 7 days without next action → target zero.
Today
Field change → text/email PM → price built → approval chased → billing notified
→
After
Field change → shared CO record → price/approval visible → approved item flows to billing
02

Material requests arrive through multiple channels

High priority
Evidence: Purchasing receives requests by text, email, phone and foreman notes, creating duplicates and unclear urgency.
Current 16 hrs/mo Reclaimable 12 hrs/mo Effort Low Owner Purchasing lead
Recommended fix

Use one structured material-request channel.

Purchasing receives requests by text, email, phone and foreman notes, creating duplicates and unclear urgency.

How to fix it

  1. Create one request form with job number, need-by date, quantity and requester.
  2. Reject requests that arrive only by text unless they are true emergencies.
  3. Give foremen a visible requested/ordered/received status.
Success measure: Duplicate or clarification touches per material request → reduce by 50%.
Today
Foreman needs material → message buyer → clarification → duplicate check → order
→
After
Foreman submits request → buyer sees queue → order/status visible
03

Service jobs convert poorly into project handoffs

High priority
Evidence: Larger opportunities discovered by service technicians are handed to estimating inconsistently and often lack enough photos or scope detail.
Current 14 hrs/mo Reclaimable 10 hrs/mo Effort Medium Owner Service manager + estimating lead
Recommended fix

Create a structured service-to-project handoff.

Larger opportunities discovered by service technicians are handed to estimating inconsistently and often lack enough photos or scope detail.

How to fix it

  1. Define the minimum handoff: customer, location, issue, photos, rough scope and urgency.
  2. Add a project-opportunity button/form to the technician workflow.
  3. Have estimating accept/reject the handoff within one business day.
Success measure: Project leads returned for missing information → target under 10%.
Today
Tech spots project → texts/calls office → estimator follows up for details
→
After
Tech submits complete lead → estimator accepts → quote starts
04

Job-cost data is re-entered between systems

Medium impact
Evidence: Some project and accounting fields are typed more than once because systems are not aligned.
Current 12 hrs/mo Reclaimable 8 hrs/mo Effort High Owner Finance + operations
Recommended fix

Remove the highest-volume duplicate entry first.

Some project and accounting fields are typed more than once because systems are not aligned.

How to fix it

  1. Map every field entered twice across operations and accounting.
  2. Rank duplicates by monthly volume and error risk.
  3. Automate or eliminate the top three before attempting a broad integration.
Success measure: Manual duplicate data entries per job → reduce by at least 50%.
Today
Job data created → re-keyed downstream → corrections if mismatch
→
After
Primary record created once → downstream fields synced/imported
05

Timecards use inconsistent job codes

Medium impact
Evidence: Supervisors correct job-code mistakes before payroll and job costing close.
Current 10 hrs/mo Reclaimable 6 hrs/mo Effort Medium Owner Payroll + field supervisors
Recommended fix

Constrain job-code selection and review exceptions daily.

Supervisors correct job-code mistakes before payroll and job costing close.

How to fix it

  1. Limit field selection to active valid codes.
  2. Flag invalid/missing codes at end of shift.
  3. Have supervisors clear exceptions before payroll week.
Success measure: Payroll/job-cost corrections for wrong codes → reduce by 70%.
Today
Week ends → payroll finds bad codes → supervisors reconstruct
→
After
Daily exception → supervisor fixes same day
06

Closeout documents are assembled too late

Medium impact
Evidence: O&M manuals, warranties and as-builts are collected near project end from several sources.
Current 11 hrs/mo Reclaimable 7 hrs/mo Effort Medium Owner PM lead
Recommended fix

Start closeout when the project starts.

O&M manuals, warranties and as-builts are collected near project end from several sources.

How to fix it

  1. Create a closeout checklist at kickoff.
  2. Assign each required document an owner and due milestone.
  3. Review missing closeout items during regular PM meetings.
Success measure: Projects waiting on documentation after physical completion → target under 10%.
Today
Project ends → closeout chase begins → documents assembled late
→
After
Project starts → closeout list active → documents collected by milestone
07

Dispatch territories are adjusted manually

Medium impact
Evidence: Service scheduling depends on dispatcher knowledge of geography, skills and existing commitments.
Current 9 hrs/mo Reclaimable 6 hrs/mo Effort Medium Owner Service manager
Recommended fix

Document territory and skill rules, then surface only exceptions.

Service scheduling depends on dispatcher knowledge of geography, skills and existing commitments.

How to fix it

  1. Define core service zones and skill constraints.
  2. Build default assignment rules into the schedule view.
  3. Review only jobs that violate the default rule set.
Success measure: Manual reassignment touches per service job → reduce by 40%.
Today
Job arrives → dispatcher mentally checks geography/skills → assigns
→
After
Job arrives → default rules suggest assignment → dispatcher handles exceptions
30-day plan

What to do after the quick wins.

Use the first month to implement, measure and decide what deserves deeper work.

Week 1

Visible queues

Launch change-order and material-request queues plus the handoff form.

Week 2

Enforce adoption

Move existing active items into the new workflows and stop accepting informal requests.

Week 3

Data cleanup

Map duplicate entry and job-code exceptions.

Week 4

Measure leakage

Review aging change orders, duplicate requests and incomplete project leads.

Estimated monthly recovery67 hours

Start with the one-week quick wins, measure the result, then work down the Friction List in priority order.