When is the right time to bring in new shop software?
Most owners who ask have a reason why they think waiting is a good idea. Here's the other side of each of those reasons: how it usually plays out, what waiting costs you, and how to get going sooner.
The decision you've already made
Nobody looks at shop software because things are fine. You look because you're doing quotes at night, jobs are late before anyone notices, or nobody's sure what a job made. By the time you're comparing systems, you've already decided the way the shop works now isn't right.
So the real question isn't whether to change. It's how long you keep doing it the old way first.
Every week you wait is another week of doing it the way you've already decided to stop.
Think of a blunt drill bit. You wouldn't keep using it until things quiet down. You'd swap it now, because every hole until then takes longer and comes out worse.
But your business isn't only your shop floor. The spreadsheet you quote from, the whiteboard you schedule on and the system you invoice from are tools too, and when they're not working for you, every job through them takes longer, costs more and slows your growth.
That doesn't make the reasons to wait wrong. Most of them are fair. But each one has another side, and it's worth seeing before you decide when to bring new software in. The right time is the one that gets your shop working the way you want it, as soon as possible.
What we hear, and how it actually goes
If one of these is your reason for waiting, turn it over. Each one shows what waiting costs you and what usually works better.
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Every one of these is a fair call. But setup takes the same four to six weeks whenever you start. Waiting only means more time doing things the old way before it begins.
"The shops that started in their busiest stretch got the most out of it. Busy shows you every place the system could and should be doing the work. A quiet month doesn't."
Paul Lutkajtis, Founder & CEOWhen waiting is the right call
There are a few times when it does make sense to hold off. Most only last a week or two, so you don't need to put off starting. Just plan to go live after them.
What the six weeks look like
One or two sessions a week, about 45 minutes each. Our team does the heavy lifting, and you don't need to be at every session.
"In just 6 weeks we have completely moved from paper based jobs to digital, which was our biggest pain point."
Straight answers
They finish the way they started. Every new job goes in Factory from go-live, and within a few weeks the old ones have shipped.
Yes. If a move, an install or a big delivery lands in your six weeks, skip that week's sessions and pick up the week after.
Book the sessions like a job: same day, same time, every week. If one week doesn't work, move it.
Talk it through with us
Tell us what you're waiting on. On a 15-minute call we'll look at your jobs and show you how setup would fit around it. Getting set up takes 4 to 6 weeks, one or two sessions a week.
Paul Lutkajtis is the founder and CEO of Factory, the job shop system 300+ custom fab shops use to quote, schedule, run the floor and get paid.
We don't just build the software. We know the work.
Straight-talking advice on running a sharper, more profitable shop - pricing, people, and the floor. Written for fabricators, by people who've done the work.