Understanding Order Health

Order health tracking is one of MakeFlow’s most powerful features—it automatically monitors your timeline for each order and alerts you when things are getting tight.

What Is Order Health?

Order health is a visual indicator that shows whether an order is on track to be completed by its due date. MakeFlow calculates this automatically based on:

• Estimated build time: Total hours needed (from product settings)
• Work hours per day: Your studio’s productive hours (from settings)
• Due date: When the order needs to be finished
• Current date: How much time remains

The Three Health States

🟢 Healthy

Buffer: ≥ 1 day

The order has plenty of time to be completed. There’s at least one full day of buffer after the estimated completion date.

Example:

• Due date: October 30
• Estimated completion: October 27
• Buffer: 3 days → Healthy ✅

🟡 At-Risk

Buffer: < 1 day

The timeline is tight. The estimated completion is very close to the due date, with less than a day of buffer.

Example:

• Due date: October 30
• Estimated completion: October 29, 4:00 PM
• Buffer: 8 hours → At-Risk ⚠️

This means: You’re cutting it close. Any delays or unexpected issues could push you past the due date.

🔴 Overdue

Past due date

The order’s due date has passed and it’s not marked as finished or shipped.

Example:

• Due date: October 30
• Current date: November 2
• Status: Overdue 🔴

How It’s Calculated

The formula is straightforward:

Buffer Days = Days Remaining - (Estimated Hours ÷ Work Hours Per Day)

Real Example:

Order for Sarah’s ceramic bowls:

• Due date: 10 days from now
• Estimated build time: 16 hours (from product settings)
• Studio work hours: 6 hours/day (from settings)

Calculation:

• Days needed = 16 hours ÷ 6 hours/day = 2.67 days
• Buffer = 10 days - 2.67 days = 7.33 days
• Result: Healthy 🟢 (buffer > 1 day)

Why Order Health Matters

Prevents Surprises

No more realizing on Thursday that an order due Friday needs 2 more days of work.

Prioritization

Quickly see which orders need attention now vs. which can wait.

Customer Communication

Spot potential delays early, giving you time to communicate with customers before it’s a problem.

Realistic Scheduling

Learn what timelines are actually achievable for your work.

Using Health in Your Workflow

Morning Review

Start each day by checking for at-risk or overdue orders:

1. Open the Build Queue
2. Filter by “At-Risk” or “Overdue”
3. Prioritize these for your day

When Accepting New Orders

Before committing to a due date:

1. Add the order
2. Check the health status
3. If it shows at-risk immediately, negotiate a later due date

Build Queue Organization

Use health as a prioritization tool:

• Move healthy orders to later in your queue
• Bump at-risk orders to the front
• Tackle overdue orders first

Factors That Affect Health

Estimated Build Time

If you consistently underestimate how long products take, orders will frequently show as at-risk or overdue even when you’re on schedule.

Solution: Review and adjust product build time estimates periodically.

Work Hours Per Day

If your studio settings show 8 hours/day but you realistically only work 5-6, health calculations will be too optimistic.

Solution: Use realistic work hours in studio settings.

Due Dates

Unrealistic due dates from customers will show orders as at-risk or overdue immediately.

Solution: Use health indicators when negotiating timelines. Show customers why you need more time.

Improving Order Health

Pad Your Estimates

Add 20-30% buffer to estimated build times for unexpected issues.

Set Realistic Work Hours

Use your average productive hours, not your total hours in the studio.

Negotiate Better Timelines

Use health calculations to show customers why you need specific timeframes.

Track Actual vs. Estimated

Notice when products consistently take longer than estimated and adjust your estimates.

Common Scenarios

New Order Shows At-Risk Immediately

Problem: The due date is too soon for the build time required.

Solutions:

• Contact customer to negotiate a later due date
• If non-negotiable, mark as high priority and adjust other work
• Consider if it’s worth accepting (rush fee?)

All Orders Show Healthy But You Feel Overwhelmed

Problem: Build time estimates are too low, or there are too many orders.

Solutions:

• Review if estimates account for all work (prep, cleanup, etc.)
• Check if work hours setting is realistic
• Consider studio capacity—even with good health, too many orders at once is stressful

Orders Go From Healthy to Overdue Quickly

Problem: Work isn’t progressing as expected.

Solutions:

• Review if there are bottlenecks in your workflow
• Check if materials are causing delays
• Consider if studio capacity needs adjustment

Health in the Build Queue

Orders show their health status in the build queue:

• Color-coded badges
• Visual icons
• Due date proximity indicators
• Days remaining displays

Use filters to focus on specific health states.

Tips for Success

Review Health Daily

Make it part of your morning routine to check order health.

Update Estimates

As you gain experience, refine your build time estimates for better accuracy.

Communicate Early

If an order becomes at-risk, reach out to the customer proactively.

Use Priority Flags

Combine health tracking with priority flags for maximum clarity.

Track Patterns

Notice if certain product types consistently show as at-risk and adjust estimates.

Troubleshooting

Q: Order shows healthy but I know I’m behind A: Your estimated build time is probably too low. Review and adjust the product’s build time estimate.

Q: Order shows overdue but it’s not due yet A: Check the due date is set correctly. Also verify your timezone is correct in studio settings.

Q: All orders show at-risk constantly A: Either estimates are too high, work hours too low, or you’re accepting too many orders too close together. Review your settings.

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Next Steps:

• Creating Your First Order
• Setting Up Your Studio
• Using the Build Queue

Need help? Contact support@makeflow.xyz