The field needs thirty backing plates by Friday. The request came by phone, the drawing is in an email, and the quantity changed in a text.
You can spend half the morning sorting that out and still not know whether you can promise Friday. Meanwhile, the crew already has work scheduled.
Before adding the request to the schedule, settle two questions: what exactly are you being asked to build, and when can you deliver it?
A repeat order for a standard assembly may need little review. A changed detail needs someone to check it. Something the shop has never built may need design work before you can estimate the labor.
Keep the job, quantity, installation area, drawing and requested date together. Whoever reviews the request should be able to understand it without retracing the phone calls.
That person will vary by team. Designers may find prefab opportunities in the field and coordinate directly with the shop. Project managers may collect requests and work through the scope. Agree who gets the missing information and who can commit the shop to the work.
Consider this scenario. The field requests thirty backing plates for Friday. Twenty-four match an approved detail. The other six fit a different condition, and all you have is a site photo.
The shop lead checks the twenty-four against the schedule. Material is available, the crew has time, and fabrication, inspection and delivery fit before Friday without moving another job.
You accept those twenty-four. The six go back for design review, with someone responsible for getting an answer and updating the field.
The field still needs all thirty Friday. Six are still unresolved. Splitting the request lets the crew build the twenty-four while the team works out what to do about the rest.
If another message adds six plates, review the addition before changing the order. They may need a different detail or more material. They may also take time already promised to another project.
Keep the requested date alongside what the shop has agreed to deliver. When a drawing or quantity changes, record the change and its effect on the work.
Later, you can look back at when the request arrived, what was missing and what happened to the delivery. That gives you something specific to improve the next time.
Create the order for the twenty-four plates with its quantity, route and due date. Keep the drawing reference and scope in the order notes. Record the outstanding six and who is following up.
As the crew records progress, the project team can follow the work without calling the shop for each update. Once the remaining detail is resolved, you can assess those six against the schedule and commit to a delivery date.
See how your team can review field requests, schedule accepted work and keep the field updated in Building Swell.
