Most workshops I visit track production in similar ways. They often use a whiteboard, sometimes two, or a spreadsheet someone created three years ago that no one fully trusts anymore.
When a job comes in, someone writes it down. Another person updates the status as it moves along. If a client calls asking "where's my order?", someone walks to the board, squints at the handwriting, and gives their best guess.
This method works, until it doesn't.
It fails when someone forgets to update it. It fails when the board runs out of space. It fails when two people give a client different answers. It also fails when someone copies the wrong row in the spreadsheet, resulting in a missed job.
The whiteboard isn't the main issue. The spreadsheet isn't either. The real issue is that others can't see the information, neither the client nor the office.
That's why I started creating simple digital systems for workshops. I'm not talking about ERPs or complicated software. I'm suggesting a board that everyone can see: the team, the office, and the client if necessary.
If your workshop still relies on a whiteboard or a spreadsheet, I'd like to know what works and what doesn't.