> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://abundance.alloconomy.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Extra Steps Inside an Ordinary Order - URL: https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-06-extra-steps/ - Published: 2026-10-09T14:07:48.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-29T20:20:12.000Z - Description: Two orders can look alike until one needs a change, a call or a second attempt. Add the steps to see why the work differs. - Author: Sathya Narayanan - Tags: Alloconomy, Foundations, Activity-Based Costing, #series-detail Foundations · Mental model 6 ## Follow the work: ten simple ideas 1. Start here[The ten-idea cheat sheet](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/activity-based-costing/)A simple map of the work behind a price. 2. Idea 1[Costs follow work](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-01-costs-follow-work/)Connect a customer promise to the tasks behind it. 3. Idea 2[Different levels of work](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-02-different-levels/)Find what makes an activity repeat. 4. Idea 3[Averages hide differences](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-03-averages-hide-differences/)Compare equal shares with actual use of shared work. 5. Idea 4[Choose a useful measure](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-04-count-the-work/)Match the measure to the activity it explains. 6. Idea 5[Available and used capacity](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-05-ready-and-used/)Separate available time from time used by customers. 7. Idea 6**Extra steps add up**Current essayBuild a job from its ordinary steps and additions. 8. Idea 7[Follow the customer journey](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-07-whole-customer-journey/)Look at the help before and after a sale. 9. Idea 8[Ask what actually changes](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-08-what-actually-changes/)Compare the money that changes under a decision. 10. Idea 9[Use the time you free](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-09-give-saved-time-a-job/)Turn faster work into a chosen benefit. 11. Idea 10[Keep the model useful](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-10-keep-it-useful/)Measure enough to support the decision, then improve it. ## One sandwich, or one sandwich plus a request? Maya can make an ordinary sandwich in 3 minutes. A customer asks for it cut into four pieces and packed in two separate boxes. That takes 2 more minutes. Both purchases say “one sandwich.” One needs 3 minutes; the other needs **3 + 2 = 5 minutes**. The extra steps explain the difference. This mental model is a small recipe for work: **ordinary steps + extra steps = the whole job**. [![ORDINARY BOOKING: 4 minutes: Check and confirm; DATE CHANGE: + 6 minutes: Find and confirm new dates; WITH A CHANGE: 10 minutes: 4 + 6 = 10](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/a9/f5a9f801-5a10-44d6-b07c-6658660be1a9/content/images/2026/10/06-abc-06-extra-steps.png)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/a9/f5a9f801-5a10-44d6-b07c-6658660be1a9/content/images/2026/10/06-abc-06-extra-steps.png?ref=abundance.alloconomy.com) Count the added step, then add its time. Numerical examples are illustrative; actual business economics require case-by-case analysis. [Open full-size infographic](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f5/a9/f5a9f801-5a10-44d6-b07c-6658660be1a9/content/images/2026/10/06-abc-06-extra-steps.png?ref=abundance.alloconomy.com). ## A hotel booking example Imagine a hotel booking site's support desk. Processing a simple booking takes 4 minutes. A request to change dates adds 6 minutes. These are invented teaching times for the booking site's work, not the hotel's cleaning or room-service work. An unchanged booking uses 4 minutes. A booking with one date change uses **10 minutes**. If support time costs 50 cents a minute, the assignments are **$2** and **$5**. We could count both as one booking and miss the difference. Or we could record the extra step and explain it plainly. The number of extra steps often matters more than a vague label such as “difficult customer.” Naming the step also gives the business something it can improve. ## Apply it to DoorDash delivery A restaurant order may be ready for collection with clear delivery instructions. Another may involve a wait or a support conversation. A grocery order can involve finding an item and discussing a replacement when it is unavailable. DoorDash describes that shopping and replacement work in its [Shop & Deliver guide](https://dasher.doordash.com/en-us/about/shop-and-deliver?ref=abundance.alloconomy.com). These steps use time. A useful example separates the Dasher's delivery work, the merchant's work and DoorDash's own support activity. Minutes worked by one participant are not automatically minutes worked by another. We are not estimating actual DoorDash costs or driver earnings. We are practising how to describe the extra work. ## Apply it to software setup A SaaS customer may create an account and begin immediately. Another may need old data moved into the app and a lesson on using it. Both are “one new customer,” but the setup steps differ. The business could offer a standard setup and a separately described assisted setup. Or it could improve the import tool so fewer people need help. Following the extra steps reveals both options. ## Try it An ordinary package needs 5 minutes to prepare. Gift wrapping adds 3 minutes. A handwritten note adds 2\. How long does an order with both additions take? **Answer:** 10 minutes. The plain order still needs 5. **Carry this idea:** explain the extra work with a named step before giving it a cost. ## Source [Kaplan and Anderson](https://www.library.hbs.edu/working-knowledge/rethinking-activity-based-costing?ref=abundance.alloconomy.com) explain how transaction characteristics can add time to a job. These everyday examples keep that idea to simple addition. --- [← Available and used capacity](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-05-ready-and-used/) · [Follow the customer journey →](https://abundance.alloconomy.com/alloconomy/abc-07-whole-customer-journey/)