Helping with Adventurer Party Management - Chapter 252

I set down the quill I use to write on the wooden pieces and call out to Sara.

“Okay, I’m done! Sara, go get Gorgoro.”

Sara, who looks like she is about to cry, seems to sense my upbeat tone and silently goes to fetch Gorgoro.

After I briefly explain the situation to Gorgoro and what I want to do, he says, “It would be better for all of us to think together. It’s good to have more heads on this sort of thing.”

We move to the workshop and gather the main craftsmen.

First, I roll the piece of wood with the writing and pictures on it onto the workbench.

Once everyone’s gaze is fixed on the pieces, I begin to explain.

First, I make sure everyone knows about the current situation.

“We have to produce 300 pairs of pioneer shoes for the clergy in the next two months. This is a request from a prominent figure in the church. We cannot decline or delay.”

When I say this, the craftsmen, who have been murmuring until then, suddenly go silent.

I continue without hesitation. “The pioneer shoes are high-quality items meant for the priests. Unlike the Guardian’s shoes, they can’t just be made; they must fit the sizes perfectly and be packaged nicely. We’ll also need a large amount of raw materials.”

The craftsmen hold their breath, watching me closely.

“But there’s a way! I will explain that now. And I want everyone’s wisdom to help!”

Saying this, I indicate the series of wooden pieces. Each piece has job tasks and simple drawings, like “Leather Procurement,” “Wooden Box Packing,” and “Name Engraving.”

“This is the job. We’ll start by measuring the priests’ foot sizes. Then we’ll determine the standard foot size. Therefore, we can’t produce the leather for the soles until after that.”

I draw lines on the workbench to represent each week, explaining as I place the wooden task pieces in the order of our current work.

As I begin laying out the tasks simply, it becomes clear that we are going well over the two-month mark.

“What do you think? Is this the workflow?”

Coming from a background of analyzing the complex workflows of large corporations in my previous world, I feel confident I have captured everything in this workshop, but the craftsmen blink, seeing the concept of workflow for the first time, and look at me with wide eyes.

“Wow… I think it looks right, but I had no idea we were making shoes like this…”

“Truly impressive, sub-captain; you’re on a different level from us…”

They express admiration, but they don’t offer any opinions. However, I feel that their trust in me has increased somehow.

“But this line represents two months, right? We’re well over that, aren’t we?” It is Sara who points this out. All the craftsmen turn their gazes toward her.

“That’s right. We need to solve this puzzle so we don’t go over this line.”

Since referring to it as a workflow might confuse the craftsmen, I deliberately call it a puzzle. I have confirmed that wooden puzzles exist as children’s toys in this world.

Back when I just arrived here, I researched whether I could earn money by producing such toys like that.

“This shows the flow of work, but you could say it’s like a puzzle. Some tasks can’t start until others are done, while some can be completed beforehand. For example, packing the shoes can’t happen until the shoe production is finished, but we can procure the wooden boxes at the start, right?”

As I say this, I remove the wooden piece from the series and move it forward.

This slightly shortens the overall flow.

“The same goes for procuring oils and shoehorns.”

Removing those wooden pieces further shortens the timeline.

“Once we finish procuring the wooden boxes, oils, and wooden pieces, we can do the packing early.”

I split the wooden piece labeled “Packing” into two, moving one to the front and leaving the other behind.

The overall flow becomes even shorter.

“Investigating the foot sizes of the priests—I think we can hire adventurers for that, leveraging their numbers. If we hire 100 people, it can be done in a day.”

As I say this, I turn the narrow wooden piece vertically.

This dramatically shortens the overall flow.

In work analysis, the size of a task is represented by the number of people multiplied by the number of days. A task planned for 20 people over 5 days can be completed by 100 people in just one day.

While it means buying time with money, in this case, saving time is of utmost importance.

“We’ll divide up the tasks that can be done early and those that can be outsourced for payment. I want your help in solving this puzzle. I’m sure you all played with toys like this when you were kids, right?”

I say this with a smile to create a relaxed atmosphere, and the craftsmen loosen their tense expressions a little and nod.