Holy Cow - Crazy Turnaround 2 2

[Tony S]

On 3/16/2022 at 11:47 AM, Axe Elf said:

I don't know if Venn diagrams would help, but all businesses exist as a subset of life--a thing that isn't fair.

 

Nice graphic.

Is there a reason CGC cannot or should not adhere to first in first out, based on submitted tiers?  If there is a reason they should not, then why do they even publish estimated TAT? Why not just say "life isn't fair. We'll grade your books whenever we feel like it?" 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Tony S

[Axe Elf]

On 3/17/2022 at 1:43 AM, Tony S said:

Nice graphic.

Eh.  It's fair.

On 3/17/2022 at 1:43 AM, Tony S said:

Is there a reason CGC cannot or should not adhere to first in first out, based on submitted tiers?

Of course there is, or they probly WOULD adhere to first in first out, based on submitted tiers.

I'm speaking as an outside, uninvested and unbiased observer to the complaints and policies surrounding CGC services as presented on these boards, and it seems obvious that the reason is they cannot--and they should not attempt to do any better.  Can you imagine what kind of bureaucratic quality controls would have to be instituted (and ultimately paid for by you, the customers) to absolutely 100% guarantee that a submission was never, EVER processed out of order?  It would be a completely disproportional response to a relatively minor problem--and it would be likely to slow the whole process down even more while every inventory list is checked and double-checked for time-stamp accuracy.  Sometimes humans make mistakes.  Sometimes a box gets put on top of another box when it should have been put under the box.  Or in a different pile.  Or maybe in a different room.  It happens.  And in the grand scheme of things, it's really not important enough to even try to fix--sometimes somebody gets their order in a month instead of ten.  Oops.

Expect it's going to take a while, and don't complain that it does.  If you're lucky and it doesn't, then praise your lord and skip on down the path.

On 3/17/2022 at 1:43 AM, Tony S said:

If there is a reason they should not, then why do they even publish estimated TAT?

Again, as an outsider, a little application of reason here reveals the obvious answer--if they didn't, there'd be ten complaints a day about not publishing estimated TATs, and everyone who sent their books in more than two weeks ago would be ringing their phones off the hook.  Again--Hofstadter's Law--it always takes longer than you think, even when you take Hofstadter's Law into account.  Take the TAT.  Add 20%.  If it takes longer, Hofstadter's Law.  If you get them back faster than that, Merry Christmas.

On 3/17/2022 at 1:43 AM, Tony S said:

Why not just say "life isn't fair. We'll grade your books whenever we feel like it?" 

And once more as an objective observer, I'd say that's basically what they ARE saying.  And y'all are still shoveling them more business than they can handle because you turn up your snoots at any competition that would make it a competitive market.  That said, it does appear that CGC is the worldwide gold standard in comic certification services--despite their faults, they seem to be the best that there is--but until a serious competitor comes along, being the best that there is comes with the downside of a monopoly--it doesn't have to be all that and a bag of chips, as long as it's the only brand of chips in town.

 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Axe Elf

[rexinnih]

Well congrats to the OP on a quick turnaround. Check what the local lotto pot is up to and try it out. Maybe lightening will strike twice 

[Tony S]

On 3/17/2022 at 2:34 AM, Axe Elf said:

Eh.  It's fair.

Of course there is, or they probly WOULD adhere to first in first out, based on submitted tiers.

I'm speaking as an outside, uninvested and unbiased observer to the complaints and policies surrounding CGC services as presented on these boards, and it seems obvious that the reason is they cannot--and they should not attempt to do any better.  Can you imagine what kind of bureaucratic quality controls would have to be instituted (and ultimately paid for by you, the customers) to absolutely 100% guarantee that a submission was never, EVER processed out of order?  It would be a completely disproportional response to a relatively minor problem--and it would be likely to slow the whole process down even more while every inventory list is checked and double-checked for time-stamp accuracy.  Sometimes humans make mistakes.  Sometimes a box gets put on top of another box when it should have been put under the box.  Or in a different pile.  Or maybe in a different room.  It happens.  And in the grand scheme of things, it's really not important enough to even try to fix--sometimes somebody gets their order in a month instead of ten.  Oops.

 

 

Well...actually it's not near so hard as you think.  There are a number of data centric companies that make work flow management systems that do 98% of scheduling and progress tasks for a company. The other 2% is handled by managers or more often someone with the title of workflow manager. I experienced this first hand as mid level manager during our transition from an old assign jobs (cases in our case) to people to a modern, break the job down into specific tasks that progress along to completion. It is literally off the shelf software that is tweaked for the specific users needs. 

I - and virtually all field staff - were skeptical. There were ugly moments - a lot actually - but IBM and the contractors delivered on the workflow management software.  So it's straightforward and it appears CGC is already doing something like this -- so they just need to improve.  Books come in and get assigned a control number. Entered in at receiving with the received date and submission tier. From there the system can do all scheduling and tracking. The system knows the due date for completion. The system moves (schedules) the book(s) to each task based on timeframes.  So workers should not be going into the vault and grabbing the first box they see. They have been handed - by the system - what exact books should be going that day. That same list tells them not just what books but exactly where they are at. As each worker does their part (task) the system tracking is updated and the next task for the book scheduled. 

Higher level managers and/or a work flow manager can view a color coded report at any time for any or all tiers and a work flow manager will be / should be viewing it several times a day. Green is good - books are within timeframes. Yellow is stuff due soon. Red is overdue. You don't want to see red and if you are seeing red for more than a couple of days in a tier then the advertised TAT's need to be adjusted to reality. The workflow manager or high level managers can also go in and override individual books, orders or tiers forcing the system to move those up in scheduling. 

So no - any grading company CAN do first in first out within the submitted tier.  That should not even be hard.  What will be hard is forecasting TAT's that are months later. Because at any moment, the estimated TAT can only - at best - be 99% accurate for AT THAT MOMENT.  No one and no computer program can accurately predict today how many books at what tiers will come in next week, next month. This is why the fastest tiers are also the most accurate. Since books spend much less time in the system, there is much less time for things to happen that substantially affect the TAT.  Plus the most expensive tiers have the highest priority. So if there is a big increase in submissions at the higher priced tiers, it will push back lower cost tiers. 

The workflow management system knows all this....TAT's are and can be updated on the fly.  There is no good reason - with a modern work flow management system - for books that should take 135 days to be done in 20 days - while other books in the same tier wait the 135 days. 

Edited March 20, 2022 by Tony S

[TroyT7986]

I sent my Hulk 180 and 182 in 6/5/2021 to be pressed and graded to go with my 181. Just found out that my books will be in limbo for 2 YEARS before I get them back. 14 months for pressing and another 10 for grading. WOW. That is insane.

[JollyComics]

On 3/23/2022 at 1:48 PM, TroyT7986 said:

I sent my Hulk 180 and 182 in 6/5/2021 to be pressed and graded to go with my 181. Just found out that my books will be in limbo for 2 YEARS before I get them back. 14 months for pressing and another 10 for grading. WOW. That MAKES ME insane.

Yep CGC drives me crazy too.

[PINWHEEL]

My first ever submission to CGC was a group of 7 magazines for pressing and grading delivered in 11/2020, the first book (don't ask why it was separated out) arrived back about a 6 weeks ago, the other 6 are being graded now some 16 months after the original submission.  On the flip side I had a 25 book prescreen arrive to cgc on 12/20/21 and ship back to me on 1/5/22.  I figure it all balances out somehow.

[Chuck K]

Wow, OP here...it's happening again. 2 Orders this time. Got the old horseshoe working its magic.

• This one was mailed:  2 Orders 18 Jan 23
• Marked as received: 2 Orders 23 Jan 23
• Scheduled for grading: 2 Orders 24 Jan 23
• Grading / Encapsulation / Imaging: 2 Orders 25 Jan 23
• Quality Control: 1 Order 25 Jan 23
• Shipped:1 Order completed on Jan 25 and shipped on 26 Jan 23

2-3 day turn-around. That has to be a record...LOL

[Chuck K]

Nice, 2nd order finished up overnight. So 3 and 4 day turnaround time on these 2 orders. Time to try the lottery next...lol