Define the question before the metric
A manager may need to understand station capacity, estimate delivery risk or review training needs. Each question requires different evidence. A raw case count ignores restoration complexity, shared work and interruptions, so it should not be treated as a complete productivity measure.
Record work at the workflow step
Start and complete sessions against a specific technician, case and station. Pause time should be excluded when it is recorded correctly. Keep the restoration and workflow context so similar work can be reviewed together rather than comparing unrelated tasks.
Balance output with quality
Review completion alongside QC results, holds and rework relationships. A faster step is not an improvement if it moves defects downstream. Use notes and exception history to discuss process constraints, material problems and training needs.
- Net work time by station and comparable work type
- Completed steps and current work in progress
- QC outcomes, production issues and rework context
- Skills, assigned stations and available capacity
Use measures for planning, not surveillance
Share definitions with technicians and verify the data before making decisions. Missing pauses or shared tasks can distort records. The goal is to improve scheduling, remove bottlenecks and support development—not to claim precision the operational data cannot provide.
Questions labs ask
Is completed case count enough to measure a technician?
No. It lacks complexity, time, shared-work and quality context.
Should break time count as labor time?
Pause-aware sessions can exclude recorded breaks while preserving actual work time.