This session will explore and teach specific, practical, and achievable techniques for improving workload management in high volume contract shops. We will begin by reframing how we understand our work by borrowing systems-based concepts from engineering that help us see the sometimes easily overlooked obstacles that every contract shop struggles with. With that framework in place, we will then examine specific techniques that reduce stress and increase productivity including 1) intake systems, 2) checklists/“standard work” redlining, 3) playbooks, and 4) template optimization.