What is rework loop?
A rework loop is a stretch of a process that the same case travels through more than once — sent back, corrected and resubmitted — and it is usually the largest single source of hidden delay.
Rework loop in plain words
In the map it appears as an arrow pointing backwards: measurement sheet rejected, corrected, resubmitted. Each pass costs the full waiting time again, and the case that goes round three times takes three times as long as the plan assumed.
Rework loop: a worked example
The same RA bill passing client review three times.
- First submission → sent back
- 11 days, reason: measurement sheet missing
- Resubmitted → sent back
- 9 days, reason: rate mismatch on two items
- Resubmitted → certified
- 12 days
- Total in review
- 32 days against a 14-day contractual term
Every status report on this bill read 'under client review' and was correct each time. Only the journey shows it had been there before.
Why does rework loop matter?
Rework is invisible in every status report, because the status is correct each time it is reported. Only the journey shows that the case has been at that status before.
Where does rework loop mislead?
Not all loops are waste. One extra check on a high-value certification may be cheaper than the dispute it prevents. The loop worth removing is the one that repeats for the same cause — a missing document, a wrong rate — and that cause is the finding, not the loop.
What do people get wrong about rework loop?
- Treating every loop as waste
- One extra check on a high-value certification can be cheaper than the dispute it prevents. The loop worth removing is the one that repeats for the same fixable cause.
- Counting loops instead of causes
- A rework rate is a number nobody can act on. The cause behind it — a missing document, a wrong rate, an unapproved variation — is a ticket with an owner.
- Blaming the last team that touched it
- A bill sent back at review usually failed because of something that happened at measurement. The loop's cost lands at review; its cause sits two steps upstream.
How does Crestline measure rework loop?
Crestline detects a loop when a case revisits an activity it has already passed, counts the passes, and groups them by the reason recorded — so the finding is 'measurement sheets missing on 31% of bills', not 'rework is high'.