Whenever there is a period of time between when an event occurs and that activity is recorded in the shop management system information lag occurs. This means that there is a delay in when the completion of part of the repair process is known by others who depend on it. Information lag time is generated when parts of the repair process are performed outside the shop management system. Following are impacts of information lag time in automotive repair processing:
- Visibility of Repair Cycle Status is not Available – Anytime parts of the repair process cycle are performed outside the shop management software immediate visibility of the event occurrence is lost. As long as the information is not visible other activities that are dependent on it will be delayed. Performing all parts of the repair cycle through the shop management system will allow timely visibility.
- Subsequent Steps are Delayed – When people are not aware that an event in the repair cycle has occurred actions that are dependent on it are delayed. The time between when an event occurs and the next event in the repair process is initiated results in a delay in completion of the process.
- Overall Repair Cycle Time is Increased – Information lag time causes an increase in the time required to complete the overall repair cycle. And time wasted is money lost. By eliminating information lag time repair cycle time will be reduced allowing for increased vehicle throughput, higher sales volume and increased profits.
