WF-3.1 — Swan Island Fleet Hub Operations Process

Value Driver: VD3 Fleet Readiness Version: 1.0 Date: 2026-07-10 Owner: Roger Thompson Location: 533 NE Jackson St, Hillsboro OR

Purpose

This document defines how work enters the shop, gets assigned, gets executed, gets closed out, and gets billed. Every job follows this process. No exceptions.

Three roles appear throughout:

• Roger — owns the queue, assigns work, builds invoices, manages customers
• Mechanic (Brian / Isaac) — executes the work, closes out the WO before moving on
• Admin / Claude — data entry, inventory tracking, invoice generation, reporting

The one rule

No new job starts until the current WO is closed out.

Closeout takes 5 minutes. Skipping it costs hours — hunting for part numbers, reconstructing what happened, chasing details days later. The box gets thrown away. The receipt gets lost. Do it now.

The process, step by step

1. Work identification

Roger identifies work. Work comes from four sources: customer requests (phone, text, email), scheduled maintenance (PMs, annual inspections, DOT requirements), Roger’s own observations (walk-throughs, fluid checks), or standup discussion (mechanic flags something they noticed). Roger decides what gets done and when.

Roger creates the work order. Every job gets a WO before a wrench touches a truck. The WO includes: truck number, customer, description of work needed, and priority. This is the system of record — not a notebook.

Roger prioritizes and assigns. Roger sets the order. Safety and customer-down situations first. External customer work before cosmetic Cedarfell work. Assignments go to Brian or Isaac based on workload and skill match. The daily assignment is final — mechanics work the list in order unless Roger changes it.

2. Daily standup — 9:30 AM

All three, 10 minutes max.

• Roger hands off the day’s assignments — printed or on the board. Each mechanic knows their jobs for the day in priority order.
• Mechanics flag parts needs, blockers, or carryover from yesterday.
• Mechanics hand Roger any completed WO closeout forms from yesterday’s final job (if completed after standup).

This is not a discussion about how to do the work. It’s a handoff.

3. Execution

Mechanic does the work. Work the assignment list in order. If a job gets blocked (waiting on parts, need a second opinion, customer approval required), tell Roger immediately — don’t skip to the next job silently. Roger will reprioritize.

Mechanic keeps parts packaging. Every part that goes on a truck — keep the box, bag, or receipt until the WO is closed out. Set it on the bench next to the WO form. This is the part number, the cost, and the proof. Once it’s written down, toss it.

4. Closeout — the critical 5 minutes

This happens immediately when the job is done. Not at end of day. Not tomorrow. Not when the other mechanic is back. Right now, before you pick up the next WO.

Mechanic fills in the closeout. Five things. That’s it:

• What did you do? (one or two sentences)
• How many hours did it take?
• What parts did you use? (part number from the box)
• How many of each part?
• Anything Roger needs to know? (needs follow-up, customer should check something, found another issue)

Mechanic puts form in the done tray. Completed WO form goes in the designated tray/bin at the parts bench. Roger picks it up. Mechanic picks up the next WO from their assignment list.

Roger reviews within 24 hours. Check hours, parts, and description. If something’s unclear, ask at the next standup. Don’t let it sit.

Two-mechanic jobs: Whoever finishes last does the closeout. Both names go on the WO. Split hours by who did what — if unclear, split evenly. Don’t wait for the other person.

5. Data entry and invoicing

Admin / Claude enters into warehouse. WO data goes into the data warehouse — hours, parts consumed (removed from inventory), costs calculated. This is not the mechanic’s job.

Roger builds customer invoice. For external customers: invoice is built and submitted via Authorize.net within the same week the work is completed. No more batching weeks of work into a single late invoice.

Roger notifies customer. Customer gets a clear message: “Here’s what was done on your truck, here’s what it costs.” This happens before or with the invoice — no surprise bills.

6. Weekly review — Tuesday

Roger reviews the week. Check: are all completed WOs closed out? Are all external invoices sent? Any unpaid invoices past due? Any open WOs stalled? Upcoming scheduled maintenance? This is Roger’s accountability checkpoint — not a meeting.

Who does what

If it’s not in your column, it’s not your problem.

What mechanics don’t do

To be clear — the following are not mechanic responsibilities. If Brian or Isaac are spending time on these, something is wrong:

• Building invoices or calculating costs
• Entering data into spreadsheets, databases, or software systems
• Managing inventory counts or reconciling receipts
• Communicating with customers about billing or scheduling
• Deciding which customer’s work takes priority over another
• Chasing down part numbers after the fact (that’s what the box is for)

Their job is: fix trucks, and write down what they did when they’re done.

Invoicing rules

Cedarfell (internal): WOs are tracked and reported monthly. Internal rate is $48.69/hr. Parts at cost. Monthly summary report to Vince.

External customers: Invoiced per work order via Authorize.net. Rate is $85/hr flat. Parts at cost. Invoice sent within the same week the work is completed.

Customer-supplied parts: Listed on the invoice at $0.00 with “customer supplied” noted. Still tracked on the WO for the work record.

Customer closeout process

Every external job has a clear handoff back to the customer. No ambiguity about what was done or what it costs.

1. Work complete, WO closed out — Mechanic has filled in the closeout form. Roger has reviewed it.
2. Roger notifies customer — Text or email: “Work on [truck] is complete. [Brief description]. Invoice coming shortly.” Customer knows the truck is ready before they get a bill.
3. Invoice sent same week — Authorize.net invoice with WO number, description, labor hours, and parts breakdown. Net 7 terms.
4. Payment tracked — WO marked as customer_invoiced: Yes in the warehouse. Unpaid invoices flagged at the Tuesday weekly review.

What changes from today

Daily rhythm

Tools

Now: Paper WO forms (pre-printed by Roger), physical done tray at parts bench, whiteboard or printed daily assignment sheet, MotherDuck data warehouse, Authorize.net for invoicing.

Next: iPad-based WO app that replaces paper forms — mechanic taps to close out, part lookup built in, photos attached, data flows straight to warehouse. Same process, less friction.

This document is the standard. If the process isn’t working, change the document — don’t skip the process.