Start by checking whether the reports count the same thing, from the same records, over the same period. A dispatch report can count work the field team finished while a billing report counts jobs that reached an invoice. The difference can reveal a handoff worth fixing. To find out, compare the records behind the totals.
Follow the difference from total to job record
Suppose dispatch shows 120 jobs completed last week and billing shows 108 jobs invoiced last week. Both count distinct job IDs. Export the IDs and dates from each report at the same cutoff. In this example, 103 IDs are on both lists, 17 are only on the completion list, and five are only on the billing list. The five billing-only jobs were completed the prior week. A check of earlier invoices confirms that none of the 17 had already been billed. The headline gap is 12, but 17 of the jobs completed last week still need an invoice.
Now check why those 17 jobs are waiting. For example, nine may be in the normal billing queue, six may need a signed work order from the field, and two may be on an approved billing hold. Give the field supervisor the six missing signatures to follow up. Keep the normal queue and approved holds visible under their own owners. These sample numbers show how the reconciliation works.
Check the definition, the clock and the source
- Definition. Confirm whether each row represents a job, a visit or an invoice. One job can have several visits or invoice lines. Agree which statuses, locations and exceptions belong in the metric.
- Timing. Check which date each report uses, the time zone and when its source last refreshed. Agree how to handle records posted after the reporting cutoff.
- Source. Compare on a shared job identifier or a verified mapping. Flag missing IDs and multiple matches for review. Check a handful of records in the source systems before relying on the reconciliation.
Give each number a job
Keep weekly completions for workload planning and weekly invoiced jobs for billing activity. To manage the handoff, add a separate measure that follows the same group of completed jobs until they reach invoicing. Show how long each open job has been waiting, why it is waiting and who owns the next action. Put the definition, reporting cutoff and refresh time where readers can see them.
Start with one week of records. Reconcile it by hand, agree how to classify exceptions, then repeat the comparison for another period before automating it. If the team needs a repeatable way to connect the records, see data engineering and integration. If the handoff itself needs investigation, see what a business technology assessment produces.