Cylinder
A cylinder refers to a distinct phase or department within the deal workflow. Instead of a mechanical reference, it represents a clearly defined stage of a transaction (such as Sales, F&I, Service, or Accounting).
Each cylinder contains its processes, documents, and responsibilities, and serves as a checkpoint that a deal passes through as it moves toward full completion. Because every department plays a specific role, the cylinder model creates transparency and allows dealerships to track progress on a deal-by-deal basis.
Purpose of Cylinder
The purpose of organizing the deal workflow into cylinders is to provide accountability, visibility, and process control. By assigning each operational phase its cylinder:
- Teams know exactly who is responsible for the next step
- Management can see where every deal currently sits in the pipeline
- Bottlenecks become easy to spot and correct
- Variability in customer experience is reduced
Rather than allowing the deal to move in an informal or undocumented manner, the cylinder structure imposes a disciplined series of steps and makes the entire workflow measurable.
How It Works
Most dealership workflows include several standard cylinders, though the exact structure may vary by store size and brand. Common cylinders include:
Sales Cylinder
- Lead qualification
- Vehicle presentation and demonstration
- Negotiation and agreement on deal structure
F&I Cylinder
- Credit application and lender communication
- Presentation of protection products
- Execution of finance contracts and forms
Service Cylinder
- Pre-delivery inspection
- Accessory installation and cosmetic preparation
- Readiness verification before delivery
Accounting Cylinder
- Verification of contract paperwork
- Funding follow-up
- Closing the deal in the management system and archiving documents
Within each cylinder, the platform records:
- Time of entry
- Time of exit
- Completed tasks
- Any exceptions or escalations
These time stamps enable accurate dwell-time reporting and drive more precise decision-making.
Importance of Cylinder in the Dealership Context
Breaking the process into cylinders provides critical operational benefits:
- Clarity: Everyone understands who owns the task and where the deal is
- Speed: Bottlenecks can be identified and corrected before they delay a delivery
- Consistency: Customers receive the same structured experience every time
- Insight: Dwell-time and status reporting help leadership improve performance
- Scalability: Multi-rooftop groups can compare like-for-like cylinders across stores
Example of Cylinder
A customer arrives at a dealership and agrees to purchase a vehicle after a test drive. When the Sales team completes the deal paperwork, they mark it “Sales complete,” and the system moves it to the F&I cylinder. The F&I manager receives an alert and immediately begins the credit approval and product presentation process.
After the customer signs the finance contracts, the deal is moved to the Accounting cylinder for funding and final audit. The controller reviews the timing data:
If Accounting is trending well above 18 hours, the controller can investigate workload levels, reassign staff, or update processes.
Common Challenges
- Clear Boundaries: Every cylinder should have well-defined ownership and outcomes
- Consistent Updates: Teams must move deals immediately to prevent inaccurate reporting
- Proper Customization: Cylinders should reflect actual workflows (e.g., split F&I into two cylinders or add a Delivery cylinder if appropriate)
- Avoiding Silos: Staff in different cylinders must still communicate, especially when a change in one phase affects another
- Audit Trail Discipline: Returning a deal to a previous cylinder should always be documented to maintain an accurate history
By using cylinders effectively, dealerships gain complete operational transparency and ensure every deal is handled with discipline from start to finish.
Automotive Training Network (ATN) provides hands-on training to help dealerships streamline processes, cylinders, and equip staff for real-world operational success.
Contact ATN today to enable a dealership-ready, performance-driven team.