# The Rule Card

A rule card turns one repeated judgment call into one line the team can run without you. The sixth time the same question comes up, the answer is already on a card, and it never reaches your phone. Six good cards cover most of what a service business argues about in a week.

Each card has four parts:

- **Trigger.** The situation that keeps coming up.
- **The rule.** One line a new hire could run on their first day.
- **The boundary.** The exact point where it stops being the team's call and goes to the manager.
- **Owner.** The role that owns the rule, so it survives when a person leaves.

> If you cannot write the boundary, it is not a rule. It is Owner-only, and it stays with you.

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## Six filled cards, across the trades

**Card 1 · HVAC · Parts overage**
- **Trigger:** A repair needs parts that run over the quoted amount.
- **Rule:** Under $250 over the quote, the tech approves it and notes it on the ticket.
- **Boundary:** Over $250, call the Service Manager before proceeding.
- **Owner:** Service Manager.

**Card 2 · Landscaping · Small add-on request**
- **Trigger:** A customer asks the crew to add a task during a scheduled visit.
- **Rule:** Under 30 minutes and no risk to the next appointment, do it and log it on the ticket.
- **Boundary:** Over 30 minutes, or it risks the next appointment, goes to the crew lead.
- **Owner:** Crew lead.

**Card 3 · Pest Control · Re-treat request**
- **Trigger:** A customer requests a re-treatment.
- **Rule:** Within 30 days of a covered service, schedule it free and reference the original ticket.
- **Boundary:** Outside 30 days, quote the standard re-service rate; a waiver goes to the branch manager.
- **Owner:** Branch manager.

**Card 4 · Renovation · Change order**
- **Trigger:** A customer asks for a change mid-job.
- **Rule:** Under $500 and no change to the finish date, write a signed change order and proceed.
- **Boundary:** Over $500, or any change that moves the finish date, goes to the project lead.
- **Owner:** Project lead.

**Card 5 · Plumbing · Diagnostic-fee dispute**
- **Trigger:** A customer disputes the diagnostic fee on a first visit.
- **Rule:** First visit, first dispute, waive the fee, note the account, and move on.
- **Boundary:** A second waiver on the same account, or a dispute on a completed repair, goes to the office manager.
- **Owner:** Office manager.

**Card 6 · Electrical · Permit pull**
- **Trigger:** A job needs a permit before work can start.
- **Rule:** Permit fees under $150, pull it and add it to the invoice at cost.
- **Boundary:** Over $150, or any variance or inspection issue, goes to the lead electrician.
- **Owner:** Lead electrician.

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## The blank card (copy this)

**Card __ · Trade · Name of the call**
- **Trigger:** ______________________________________________
- **Rule:** Under / within ____________, the team ____________________________.
- **Boundary:** Over / outside ____________, it goes to ____________________ (a role, not a person).
- **Owner:** ____________________ (the role that owns it).

## How to write a good one

Write the rule as one line, with a real number, that a new hire could follow on day one. If it takes two lines, it is two rules. Test each card against a week of live calls before you laminate it: if the team hits a case the card does not cover, the card is not wrong, it is incomplete, so add the missing condition. A rule card that is right 9 times out of 10 and names where the 10th goes is doing its job.
