Define the start and finish
Open a recovery review when the current plan can no longer support the committed date. Confirm the remaining work and prerequisites before issuing a revised promise.
Workflow record and acceptance checklist
| Record | Information required |
|---|---|
| Current status | Completed operations, remaining work, material status, and quality holds |
| Constraint | The specific condition preventing progress |
| Recovery options | Resequence, qualified additional capacity, approved alternative, or revised commitment |
| Impact check | Effects on other orders, cost, quality, and required approvals |
| Customer update | Responsible contact, confirmed information, and next update time |
Run the workflow
- Validate the order status with production records and the people doing the work.
- Choose a feasible recovery option with the required technical, quality, and commercial approvals.
- Communicate the plan and review whether the action actually changed the constraint.
Worked example
Illustrative example: a missing purchased component is blamed for a late order. The recovery review discovers that a constrained machining step also lacks capacity. Expediting the component alone would not restore the date, so planning addresses both dependencies before proposing a revised commitment.
Handle the exception explicitly
Do not quietly prioritize one urgent order without checking downstream effects. Record which commitments move and who approves the tradeoff; qualified quality and safety controls remain applicable during recovery.
Measures to review
Track repeat date changes, recovery actions completed, and causes of lateness. Compare due-date cohorts consistently so rescheduling does not make late orders disappear from the measure.
Pilot before standardizing
Test this workflow on a small set of real cases with the people who send and receive the work. Keep a record of missing information and decisions that were unclear. Assign one owner to revise the operating instructions, then review the next completed case against the revised version.
Related implementation resources
Discuss the operating problem
Elixir consulting starts at $5,000 per month, with final pricing based on scope. Bring a recent example, the current workflow, and the person who owns the result to define the appropriate implementation scope.