Rainn Wilson and Ed Helms practiced the guitar competition in Ed Helms's trailer during lunch the day of the filming; Helms, a proficient bluegrass banjo player, coached Wilson, who is proficient at guitar and drums.
Ed Helms said he was happy to have the opportunity to play banjo on screen, but did not feel the instrument made much sense for his character. Helms said, "It's so fun and weird, but he's a Connecticut preppy guy. How did he pick up a banjo? It's one of Andy's many mysteries, not all of which I even understand."
Although no answer is given as to what a rundown is, in real life it is a list of sales clients that includes important information about their orders (such as quantities and frequencies). Based on real office culture, if Charles was asking for a rundown of Jim's clients, that likely meant he was planning on firing Jim and wanted the rundown to ensure a smooth transition that would not lose any clients for the company.
B.J. Novak came up with the story idea involving Jim and the "run-down" and worked it into Justin Spitzer's final script.
The first episode to feature Erin Hannon, played by Ellie Kemper.