Imagine If Santa’s Workshop Ran on Spreadsheets

If Santa ran his workshop on spreadsheets, Christmas would be canceled. Not because the elves are lazy or Santa didn’t plan ahead, but because spreadsheets don’t hold up when volume, change, and deadlines collide. Version confusion, unclear handoffs, missed updates, and constant status checks would turn the North Pole into chaos. Yet every year, Santa delivers on time because his operation is built on clear responsibility, visible processes, and a single source of truth. 

Now imagine Santa’s workshop trying to manage millions of toys with the same tools many manufacturers use every day.

Version Control Chaos at the North Pole

Santa opens his laptop.

• “Final_Toy_List.xlsx”

• “Final_Toy_List_v2.xlsx”

• “FINAL_Final_Toy_List_Updated.xlsx”

An elf asks, “Which one are we building from?”

No one knows.

In manufacturing, this is how rework starts. When jobs, plans, and changes live across spreadsheets and shared drives, teams lose time just figuring out what’s current — let alone getting work done.

Who Has the Next Step?

An elf finishes assembling a toy and updates a cell in the spreadsheet.

Now what?

Does someone else see it?
Do they know it’s their turn?
Or does the job sit there until someone checks in?

Spreadsheets track data — they don’t drive work forward. Without clear responsibility baked into the process, progress depends on follow-ups and tribal knowledge.

Changes Get Lost in the Noise

A last-minute change comes in: different toy color, different quantity, different delivery.

Someone updates a spreadsheet.
Someone else misses the email.
Another elf keeps building the old version.

In truss manufacturing, this is where margin disappears. Untracked changes create rebuilds, delays, and uncomfortable conversations — especially when deadlines are tight.

Leaders Are Always Chasing Answers

Santa doesn’t want to ask every elf:

• “Where is this toy?”

• “Is that one done?”

• “Did anyone update the sheet?”

But in a spreadsheet-driven operation, leaders spend their days doing exactly that.

When visibility isn’t built into the process, management turns into constant status checks instead of real decision-making.

Christmas Eve Would Be a Nightmare

Now it’s December 24th.

• Someone’s out sick

• Another elf is on vacation

• A spreadsheet hasn’t been updated

And no one knows what’s actually ready.

That’s what happens when processes live in files instead of systems designed to manage work. Spreadsheets might get you started — but they fall apart when volume, change, and urgency collide.

What This Means for Truss Manufacturers

If spreadsheets were good enough, Santa would be using them.

But high-volume, high-pressure operations need more than rows and columns. They need structure, visibility, and accountability — especially during the busiest time of year.

Cadynce helps truss manufacturers replace spreadsheet chaos with a connected, visual platform that shows where every job stands, who owns the next step, and what changed.

So jobs move forward — even when things get busy.

Don’t Let Spreadsheets Cancel Christmas

If your team is still managing critical workflows in spreadsheets, the holidays are the perfect reminder of their limits.

If you’d like help preparing for the holiday rush or want a walkthrough of how other truss plants use Cadynce to manage their processes, we’d be happy to show you. Book a demo today!