What Must Be True Before You Finish¶
Purpose¶
Finishing the physical work is not the same as finishing the day. This page is the check you run at the end: what has to be true for each part, and what to do when it is not.
Who does this¶
Office, dispatch and warehouse staff closing out the day's work.
Before you start¶
- You have the right account (see Permissions and Access).
- The record and date you are working on are correct.
- Words you do not know are in the Glossary.
The one rule¶
An unfinished item, written down with a name against it, is a good close. An unfinished item quietly marked done is not.
Never move something to "complete" just to clear it off a list. If it is not done, say what state it is in and who owns it.
The checkpoints¶
| The work | It is done when | If it is not |
|---|---|---|
| Loading or unloading | The load shows completed, with the staff and time on it | Carry the load and the first step that did not finish |
| Load review | The review is confirmed, and any extra or leftover stock is recorded | Leave it pending with an owner. Do not force a confirmation |
| Stock correction | The lot balance, its history and its location all agree | Carry the exact lot and load it belongs to |
| Yard move | The instruction is done and the item is where it physically is | Carry the instruction, the item and the location |
| Yard to driver | The driver has actually started, or it is written up as a half-finished handoff | Carry the delivery, the container and the instruction |
| Delivery | The delivery status, times, photos and parking are all recorded | Carry the delivery and the first thing missing |
| Driver's day | The finished and outstanding work has been reviewed before checking out | Leave the day open, or record who takes over. Do not delete the day to make it go away |
| A problem that was undone | Everything the undo touched has been compared | Carry it as an exception. An undo does not put everything back |
The distinctions that cause mistakes¶
These are the ones people get wrong. None of the left-hand items proves the one on its right.
| This | Does not mean |
|---|---|
| The loading is finished | The load review is confirmed |
| The load review is confirmed | Stock was moved, or placed in the warehouse |
| Stock was corrected | The warehouse knows where it is |
| A label was printed | The stock was placed or reconciled |
| The container was moved in the yard | The delivery was started |
| The delivery was delivered | The paperwork is done |
| The transaction is closed | The invoice was sent to the accounts system |
| The invoice is "ready" | It reached the accounts system |
| A file is attached | It was emailed |
| An email says sent | It arrived |
| You reopened a review | You undid the stock movement behind it |
The ones you must check on the outside¶
Some things only the outside can tell you. Check them there, not on our screens:
- Did the invoice reach the accounts system? Search there by customer, number and amount.
- Did the email go? Check the mail system's record.
Never resend anything because our screen did not confirm. A duplicate invoice or a duplicate email to a customer is much harder to undo than a late one. Search first.
Recording what you are carrying¶
For anything unresolved, write down:
- What it is — the load, order, delivery or lot
- What state it is actually in
- What evidence you have
- Who owns it next
That is a complete hand-over. A list with no names on it is not.
If something goes wrong¶
| Situation | What you do |
|---|---|
| I need to clear the list | Do not. Carry the item with a name and its state. |
| A load will not confirm | Leave it pending and say why. Do not force it. |
| The driver day will not close | Leave it open or hand it over. Do not delete it to hide the work. |
| I used undo and things still look wrong | Undo is not a full reversal. Carry it as an exception. |
| A label printed but nothing is placed | Expected. Printing proves nothing about placement. |
| An invoice or email result is unclear | Check on the outside before resending. |
| Something was done by someone else today | Check their work against the records before you rely on it. |
Who owns the next step¶
Whoever holds the open item owns it. Office and accounting own the billing checkpoints — see Closing Out the Day's Billing and The working day, step by step.