One of the basic building blocks for a system, at least, for the ones I have used, is assigning a number to every job that comes in. It can start as a quote, be converted to a job (or work order) number, and even branch out into a PO system, with prefixes or suffixes to link it back to the original file, where it all starts.....as a quote. Of course, it doesn't have to start as a quote, it can come in as a regular job. As long as you maintain a strict numerical order, with no gaps, you have the basis for a powerful tool for tracking the workflow. When you buy materials for that job....issue a PO based on the WO number. XXXX-1M for the first piece of material, and -2M for the next, and so on. For outside services, such as HT, shot peen, anodize or plating, deep hole drilling, honing......anything that is a service you don't do in shop, suffix it with a S (XXXX-1S, and so on). All of these documents are kept in a master folder, per job according to the min 4 digit job number. At the end of the job, you can do an analysis and make a paper copy with any notes you may want to review if/when the job comes in again. This may include material source and price, and special tooling that you may need to order, or even perhaps the length of time the job took, so you can give a good estimate on delivery.
I used to do the scheduling for about 100 guys, and about 300-500 different jobs a month. Some had 6 week lead time, but orders often came in soon enough to be run with the last order, so we made better money because of more volume buying material, more time to tweak the programming and processing, discounts on any outside processes, and of course, the setup time is amortized over more parts. And at times, when the orders were different size, and smaller orders carry higher prices.......but our cost was actually lower.
One day I should write a program that is really basic enough for a one man shop and would not cost a lot. No need to drag a lot of HR capacity in, for instance.
