Voodoo RoboticsWarehouseWorkflow Lab
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Problem-solving guide

We miss carrier cutoffs

Follow late orders from release through shipping to find the step where work first fell behind.

What to look for · What to measure · What to try this weekNot sure about a term? Open the plain-English glossary
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A simple example

Picking finishes by 3:30 p.m., but 280 orders wait at packing until after the 5 p.m. cutoff. Packing and work release—not picking speed—need the first test.

01 · Check the complaint

Signs to confirm on the floor

  • Overtime spikes near cutoff
  • Work is picked but not packed, labeled, and ready for the carrier
  • Rush work constantly changes priority
  • Staging or pack queues hide completed orders
02 · Possible causes

Check more than one possible cause

The first explanation may sound right and still be wrong. Use the measurements in the next section to separate these possibilities.

1

Release pattern overloads one stage

2

Packing or consolidation is the constraint

3

Critical replenishment is late

4

Priority changes after work starts

5

Definition of ready for carrier pickup is weaker than actual handoff

03 · What to measure

Numbers that can change the decision

Hourly demand and capacity by stageFor each hour, compare work arriving with realistic output at picking, sorting, packing, and shipping.
Unfinished work and age at each handoffCount unfinished orders waiting between steps and record how long the oldest work has waited.
Cutoff attainment by release cohortGroup orders by the hour they were released and calculate what share was packed, labeled, and ready for the carrier by cutoff.
Replenishment-caused delayRecord orders that waited because a pick location needed stock and total minutes lost.
Complete-to-pack and stage wait timeMeasure time from finished picking to packing start, and from packed to loaded or handed to the carrier.
04 · Possible fixes

Choose a fix only after the facts point to it

1

Throttle release to the bottleneck

Use this when: Large waves flood later work

2

Rebalance stage labor

Use this when: Hourly demand shape is predictable

3

Control completion and staging

Use this when: Picked work becomes invisible

05 · This week

A practical seven-day starting plan

  1. 01

    Build an hourly flow map for three cutoff days

  2. 02

    Calculate raw and sustainable capacity by stage

  3. 03

    Tag every order late at cutoff with its first missed state

  4. 04

    Protect one cutoff cohort with controlled release

  5. 05

    Measure overtime, unfinished work, and on-time packed, labeled, and ready for the carrier together

Turn what you measured into a small test

The diagnostic compares practical options and shows which limits could change the answer.

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