# Schedule Adherence Without Rewarding Unnecessary Starts

Canonical: https://millbase.ca/blog/schedule-adherence-without-rewarding-unnecessary-starts
Author: [Coby Birenbaum](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cobybirenbaum/)
Published: 2026-10-19
Updated: 2026-10-19
Archive edition: 2026-09-14

Schedule adherence should compare planned completions with actual accepted work.

Schedule adherence should compare planned completions with actual accepted work. Counting started jobs can reward releasing more work than the shop can finish. Define the planned unit and preserve changes made during the period.

## Build the measure

- Identify the jobs, assemblies, or operations planned for completion.
- Define what accepted completion means.
- Record approved resequencing and its reason.
- Review the effect on downstream commitments.

## A misleading improvement

A hypothetical shop starts all ten planned jobs but completes only three. A start-based metric looks excellent while dispatch remains short. A completion-based view reveals the gap and prompts a review of readiness and capacity.

## Investigate fairly

Separate missing inputs, changed priorities, estimate errors, and execution problems. One adherence percentage cannot explain all of them.

## Related reading

- [Finishing Schedules for Custom Cabinets](https://millbase.ca/blog/finishing-schedules-for-custom-cabinets)
- [Production Scheduling for Custom Cabinetry](https://millbase.ca/blog/production-scheduling-for-custom-cabinetry)

## Definitions and further reference

- [Lean Enterprise Institute: standardized work](https://www.lean.org/lexicon-terms/standardized-work/)

## How Millbase can help your shop

### Make production conversations specific

A woodworking schedule is easier to review when the team can see the work already recorded. [Millbase Floor Pulse](https://millbase.ca/#floor-pulse) shows active workers, projects, workstations, and elapsed time. Pair it with [project records](https://millbase.ca/#projects) to discuss a delayed cabinet order with the people and work behind it, and compare logged labour with the estimate.

Ask the [Millbase AI agent](https://millbase.ca/#how-it-works) a question grounded in your workspace records. For example: *“Who is working on this project, at which workstations, and how many hours have been recorded?”* You can select a project or worker, ask follow-up questions, and request [supported reports and CSV exports](https://millbase.ca/#insights).

Use the breakdown to prepare the next production conversation. Current activity and recorded hours are evidence for planning; they do not by themselves prove that an assembly has passed inspection or is ready to ship.

## Explore the wider topic

For the broader workflow and decisions behind this guide, read [Production Scheduling for Custom Cabinetry](https://millbase.ca/blog/production-scheduling-for-custom-cabinetry).

## Frequently asked questions

### Should plans never change?

Plans should respond to real conditions, but preserve the change history. Otherwise the metric becomes a comparison against a rewritten target.

### Can adherence be measured by labor hours?

It can provide context, but completed output and customer commitments still need their own view.