The challenge
Lawrence Landscape Group maintains a mixed portfolio of residential, HOA and commercial properties, from two-hour stops at a bank branch or a private residence to common areas carrying more than 100 hours a week. Like most landscape maintenance companies, Lawrence relied on estimates to establish the labor hours assigned to each property, but those estimates alone couldn’t show whether the work could be completed more efficiently.
When a crew exceeds its estimated hours, the estimate or field execution may come into question. But properties that consistently meet their hours can also hold opportunities for improvement. Without a way to compare estimated hours against a detailed production plan, it can be difficult to identify where labor could be recovered or where an estimate may not account for the work required.
What CrewPlanner revealed
TOP Green planned the 49 properties included in the report and placed each estimate beside the CrewPlanner-planned hours, line by line. Across those properties, Lawrence carried 918 estimated hours per week against 650.67 planned hours, a difference of 267.3 hours per week (about 29%).
The 267.3-hour difference represents identified planning variance, not a verified reduction in hours worked in the field.
What the variances mean
The report identified different kinds of opportunities across Lawrence’s properties. Some were planned below their estimates; others were planned above them.
| Property | Estimated hours | TOP Green planned hours | Variance (hours) | Variance % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookhaven | 40 | 20.9 | 19.1 | 48% |
| Robinwood Village | 23 | 17.2 | 5.8 | 25% |
| Brightmore of South Charlotte | 13 | 7.3 | 5.7 | 44% |
| Oakhurst One | 3.73 | 2.1 | 1.63 | 44% |
| Morrocroft United Bank | 2.23 | 1.57 | 0.66 | 30% |
| Atherton Place | 20 | 22.33 | –2.33 | Planned 12% above estimate |
No two properties tell the same story. Brookhaven and Brightmore show opportunities to review labor allocation and production plans, while Atherton Place points in the opposite direction. In fact, three properties, Atherton Place, Bridle Path and Tynecastle at SouthPark, were planned above their estimates, highlighting contracts that may need a closer look before renewal.
Across the broader analysis, Lawrence’s 18 smallest properties, each estimated at five hours a week or less, showed a combined variance of nearly 40%, compared with about 26% for properties estimated at 20 hours or more.
Putting the plan to work
With estimated and planned hours available across the portfolio, Lawrence can better understand the capacity of its existing crews. When CrewPlanner identifies that a property may require fewer labor hours than originally estimated, production leaders can use that information to plan additional work within the same crew’s schedule, rather than automatically changing crew size. Properties planned above their estimates may also warrant a closer look during contract renewals.
The timing matters. October through March is when maintenance companies plan routes, staff for spring and renew contracts. Using the variance report during this period gives Lawrence an opportunity to evaluate its production plans before the first mow of the season.
The numbers
Across Lawrence’s 49 properties, the variance report identified a potential labor opportunity that adds up over the course of a season.
- 267.3 hours of weekly variance across 49 properties
- 1,099 hours per month at four visits
- 8,793 hours across an eight-month growing season
- $175,862 in potential labor value at $20 per hour
These figures represent the opportunity the variance report identified. Realized savings depend on how fully the planned setup is adopted in the field.
The takeaway
Every property has a number, and most operators only look at the big ones. A variance report puts the estimate and CrewPlanner’s planned production hours side by side for every property in the portfolio, from the smallest contract to the largest. Whether it uncovers recoverable hours, underpriced contracts or both, the promise is the same: after working with TOP Green, an operator has more insight into its production than it has ever had.
