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The twelve stages of an elevator cab project

Lead to signoff, stage by stage.

A cab job is a chain of controlled handoffs. Each stage below answers four questions: what happens, who owns it, what must be true before it leaves, and the classic failure that sends cost downstream.

How to use the twelve-stage sequence

Treat a stage as a gate, not a percentage. Work may overlap: estimating can precede survey, long-lead questions can begin during engineering, and site planning can begin before fabrication. But no downstream commitment should outrun its evidence. Record the owner, input, decision, governing revision, and release condition.

  1. 0

    Stage 0: Lead intake

    What happens
    Capture the opportunity, customer, building, cars, requested scope, bid documents, due date, and next action. Qualify whether the work fits the shop.
    Owner
    Sales
    Exit condition
    The opportunity has enough scope and contact information to estimate, with assumptions and bid deadline recorded.
    Classic failure
    A vague email becomes a live quote with no accountable follow-up or documented exclusions.
  2. 1

    Stage 1: Estimating and BOM

    What happens
    Build a preliminary material takeoff and labour plan from the available documents. Separate known scope, allowances, alternates, exclusions, and vendor-quoted items.
    Owner
    Estimator
    Exit condition
    The quote is reviewed, issued, traceable to its BOM, and clearly marked with its assumptions and validity.
    Classic failure
    A copied estimate carries old quantities, finishes, rates, or freight into a different job.
  3. 2

    Stage 2: Field survey

    What happens
    Verify dimensions, existing conditions, interfaces, access, protection needs, and required photographs. Record facts rather than relying on memory.
    Owner
    Surveyor or field lead
    Exit condition
    Required measurements and evidence are complete, legible, tied to the correct car, and exceptions are assigned.
    Classic failure
    Engineering starts around one missing dimension and the assumption survives until installation.
  4. 3

    Stage 3: Contract and e-signature

    What happens
    Reconcile the accepted proposal with the customer PO or contract. Confirm scope, exclusions, schedule basis, payment terms, and authorized signatures.
    Owner
    Sales and contract administrator
    Exit condition
    The governing agreement is executed and differences from the proposal are resolved in writing.
    Classic failure
    The job proceeds on an unsigned quote while conflicting customer terms remain unnoticed.
  5. 4

    Stage 4: Engineering drawings and revisions

    What happens
    Convert survey data and contracted design intent into coordinated shop drawings. Issue, receive comments, revise, and preserve every superseded version.
    Owner
    Engineering
    Exit condition
    Required reviewers approve the governing revision and it is locked Final for Record for downstream use.
    Classic failure
    Purchasing or the shop acts on an emailed PDF without checking its revision or approval state.
  6. 5

    Stage 5: Final estimate and change order

    What happens
    Compare approved engineering scope against the quoted baseline. Re-price changed material, labour, freight, access, and schedule effects.
    Owner
    Estimator and project manager
    Exit condition
    Commercial deltas are accepted, rejected, or removed; the contract value and production scope agree.
    Classic failure
    A drawing comment adds real work but nobody converts it into a priced change order.
  7. 6

    Stage 6: Deposit

    What happens
    Confirm the required deposit or other contractual release condition against the current contract value.
    Owner
    Accounting with project management
    Exit condition
    Funds or documented credit authorization satisfy the agreed production gate.
    Classic failure
    The shop reserves scarce capacity and buys custom material for an uncommitted job.
  8. 7

    Stage 7: Purchasing and inventory

    What happens
    Buy the Final for Record BOM shortfall after checking stock, vendor lead time, quote validity, substitutions, and budget.
    Owner
    Purchasing
    Exit condition
    Every required line is on hand, allocated from inventory, or covered by an acknowledged PO with an actionable date.
    Classic failure
    A buyer orders from an obsolete BOM or treats a vendor promise as a confirmed acknowledgement.
  9. 8

    Stage 8: Material receipt

    What happens
    Match deliveries to POs, inspect quantity and condition, identify the job allocation, and record shortages or damage immediately.
    Owner
    Receiving and purchasing
    Exit condition
    Critical material is verified, accepted, located, and available when its station needs it; exceptions have recovery dates.
    Classic failure
    The packing slip says complete while damaged or incorrect material waits unopened until fabrication.
  10. 9

    Stage 9: Production capacity and shop scheduling

    What happens
    Load approved labour hours by station, sequence work around material readiness, and protect the installation or ship date.
    Owner
    Shop lead or production manager
    Exit condition
    The job has realistic station assignments, released documents, available material, and clear priorities.
    Classic failure
    Management schedules by promised completion date without checking station hours or upstream constraints.
  11. 10

    Stage 10: Installation and field evidence

    What happens
    Confirm site readiness, deliver the correct material, install to the governing drawings, and capture required photos, notes, and exceptions.
    Owner
    Installation lead
    Exit condition
    Installed scope is complete, evidence is filed, deficiencies are identified, and the punch list has owners and dates.
    Classic failure
    The crew arrives without access, current drawings, missing parts, or a defined way to document blocked work.
  12. 11

    Stage 11: Closeout and final signoff

    What happens
    Resolve punch-list work, conduct the required walkthrough, collect acceptance, assemble the record, and trigger final billing.
    Owner
    Project manager and customer representative
    Exit condition
    Acceptance is documented, required closeout material is delivered, commercial items are resolved, and the job is formally closed.
    Classic failure
    Physical work ends but unsigned acceptance, open deficiencies, and final billing remain scattered across inboxes.

The handoffs that deserve a hard stop

Three boundaries carry unusual risk. Do not release purchasing from an unapproved drawing. Do not load production without commercial and material readiness. Do not call installation complete without evidence and a controlled punch list. “Everyone knows” is not evidence.

Go deeper on the submittal and drawing approval loop and the cab estimating structure. Return to the elevator manufacturing resource hub, or compare this reference sequence with the platform's twelve-stage job record.

Frequently asked questions

What are the twelve stages of an elevator cab project?

The sequence is lead intake; estimating and BOM; field survey; contract and signature; engineering drawings and revisions; final estimate or change order; deposit; purchasing and inventory; material receipt; production capacity and shop scheduling; installation; and closeout with final signoff. Some work can overlap, but every handoff still needs a named owner and an exit condition.

Can estimating happen before the field survey?

Yes. A preliminary estimate may use bid documents and stated assumptions before a survey, or it may follow a survey when field conditions are already available. Either way, assumptions must be explicit. Survey findings that alter dimensions, access, finishes, or scope must return to estimating and engineering before material is committed.

When is an elevator cab job ready for fabrication?

A job is fabrication-ready when the governing drawing revision is approved and locked as Final for Record, commercial changes are priced and accepted, required deposit conditions are satisfied, critical materials are received or reliably sequenced, and station capacity is assigned. A sales promise or verbal drawing approval is not a production release.

Who owns the elevator cab project schedule?

No single department owns every date. The project manager owns the integrated plan, while estimating, engineering, purchasing, shop leadership, and installation each own their stage commitments. A reliable schedule identifies the current owner, the next required decision, material lead times, station hours, and the condition that releases each downstream activity.

What causes the most expensive elevator project handoff failures?

The costliest failures usually involve information crossing a boundary without control: an assumption treated as a measurement, a commented drawing treated as approved, a revised finish omitted from the estimate, material ordered from the wrong revision, or installation dispatched without site readiness. Clear exit criteria prevent these errors better than a percentage-complete status.

What belongs in elevator project closeout?

Closeout should contain the accepted final scope, Final for Record drawings, installation and field evidence, resolved punch-list items, customer signoff, warranty or care information required by the contract, and the commercial record needed for final billing. Closeout is a controlled stage, not simply the day the installer leaves the site.

Put one record behind every handoff.

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