Thabo Mokoena Advisory memo Decision Call · USD 190
The Monday problem is a Thursday problem
60 minute call, 26 January. Reviewed and signed off by Thabo Mokoena on 28 January.
You asked how to stop Monday overruns. Mondays overrun because Thursday's press schedule is built before Friday's proofs come back, so every Monday starts with a plan made on incomplete information two working days earlier.
Eleven of the last thirteen Monday overruns trace to a job that was scheduled on Thursday and changed by a proof returned on Friday. Moving the scheduling meeting three hours later in the week costs nothing, needs no system and no headcount, and on the record would have prevented nine of the eleven.
The question
What was asked, and what was reviewed
As you put it: "Mondays are chaos. We have tried starting earlier, adding a shift and a new scheduling board. Nothing has worked."
| Reviewed | Source |
|---|---|
| Press schedule and actuals, 26 weeks | Supplied |
| Job records for 13 overrun Mondays | Supplied |
| Proof return timestamps | Supplied. This is where it was |
| The scheduling meeting agenda and attendees | Supplied |
| Overtime records | Supplied |
| The three previous attempted fixes | Discussed on the call |
The chain
What actually happens
-
Scheduling meeting sets next week's press plan
Press time allocated job by job, for the whole week.
-
Proofs go out to customers
Typically eight to twelve jobs.
-
Proofs come back
Median return 15:40 Friday. About a third carry changes.
-
Nobody reschedules
The meeting has happened. Changes are noted and absorbed.
-
Press starts on a plan made on Thursday
Two or three jobs are not what the plan assumed.
-
The day is rebuilt while it runs
Which is what everyone experiences as the Monday problem.
Evidence
The thirteen, checked individually
| Cause of the Monday overrun | Count | Would a Friday meeting have caught it? |
|---|---|---|
| Proof returned Friday with changes | 9 | Yes |
| Proof not returned at all by Friday | 2 | Yes. It would have been rescheduled |
| Stock shortage found Monday | 1 | No |
| Press breakdown | 1 | No |
Eleven of thirteen originate on Friday. Two are genuinely Monday problems and no scheduling change addresses them, which is the right expectation to set before making the change.
Next
What to do
- Move the scheduling meeting to Friday 16:00. After the median proof return, before the end of the day.
- Keep the Thursday slot for two weeks as a provisional plan, so the change is additive rather than a leap.
- Chase outstanding proofs at Friday 12:00, as a standing task with a named owner. It is the other half of the fix.
- Track the same 13-cause breakdown for eight weeks. If Monday overruns do not fall by roughly two thirds, the diagnosis was wrong.
- Do not add anything else at the same time. If you change three things, you will not know which one worked, which is what happened with the previous attempts.