A Job Board that works for me

[bernie]

After doing a lot of study about visual management, many of the experts are still leaning toward a manual board that provides "at-a-glance" information that is easily accessible (and updateable) by all.

I guess the only way it would work electronically is if everybody were issued a device to do so.


JB

I am totally visual. If its on a board and I walk thru the shop and can see it ... I pay attention.

If its on a computer or device ... I don't spend my days sitting in front of a computer or use gadgets as it interferes with what I'm working on, so ... avoidance is real easy.

Bernie

 

[James Burke]

I am totally visual. If its on a board and I walk thru the shop and can see it ... I pay attention.

If its on a computer or device ... I don't spend my days sitting in front of a computer or use gadgets as it interferes with what I'm working on, so ... avoidance is real easy.

Bernie

"Like"

 

[James Burke]

New Job Board Magnet

After working with my initial design, I added a few improvements to better assist the work flow of the new job board.

The new magnet features an additinal line to briefly describe the nature of the job and nine "bubbles" to check off as the job makes its way through the system. Our paper work orders also feature those nine bubbles so everything stays in sync.

Eventually the quote will transition into a work order (order) which leads to composition (comp.) in SignLab. The materials bubble gets checked once all materials needed to do the job have been verified to be on hand.

Since we only do sandblasting (monuments / rock engraving), plotting is next step. Work in process (W.I.P) takes place on the shop floor and includes stone prep, stenciling, blasting, and clean up. Invoicing and shipping are obvious, but it's nice to have a visual reminder stating that these need to be done.

T.Y. is one or our traditions that sometimes gets forgotten if we're in a hurry. We always make it a point to send a hand written thank-you on the bigger jobs.


JB

 

[jkdbjj]

Geez guys, why not just go to SignVox. It is a program only useful for guys/gals who like the stuff you are talking about. We have been using it, and it changed our business lives. It is like everything you are discussing, but on steroids.
Yes, it is a little over 100/month, but if a shop can't afford that, then... oh well.

 

[SignVOX]

Screenshots of Job Board and Order Board in SV

Hi,
You can view these on our website in the videos we have and also we do have a live webinar almost every day which you can join. Please contact sales@signvox.com for details.

Order Board:


Job Board:

 

[James Burke]

Hi,
You can view these on our website in the videos we have and also we do have a live webinar almost every day which you can join. Please contact sales@signvox.com for details.

Thanks for the intro to SV. It looks like a great program, and I'm surprised how closely I designed my magnets to SV with the job sequencing.

I love all things technical, but strange as it seems, I'm making a conscious effort this year to "de-technify" some areas of our operation.

I know it sounds counter productive, but there's something rather thereaputic about manually filling out the job board magnet, and then erasing it when the job is done.


JB

 

[bleeth]

Went to the Trello site and it didn't like my browser (IE8 on XP Pro) which is the latest for XP. I wouldn't think of upgrading OP Sys for that and for some reason I haven't figured out my office computer doesn't like Chrome although I prefer it. Works fine for a while but then will freeze up.
Anyway, if you like to keep your job board on the computer it's really not that hard to design your own in a spreadsheet. We assign every job a job number and that is always the first column, followed by the job name, then additional columns for each stage of a job with jack-dates filled in. As each stage is completed I'll shade the box.
The magnet concept looks very good for a wall board.

Dave

 

[CES020]

I love all things technical, but strange as it seems, I'm making a conscious effort this year to "de-technify" some areas of our operation.

I know it sounds counter productive, but there's something rather thereaputic about manually filling out the job board magnet, and then erasing it when the job is done.


JB

It does sound so, but it's been proven in case after case that technology in manufacturing can cause costs to go up and not down. I've been in some of the most sophisticated manufacturing plants and there wasn't a computer in sight. The Japanese did so much work in this field and proved that you just don't need many things some people think they couldn't live without for the shop floor.

We ended up with the magnetic strips that allow you to slip paper into. Just a very basic thing, and then we had cardstock sheared to those sizes (something like 1" x 3" and it worked really well. We also used different colored card stock for different due dates. The colors on the card matched the color on the job packs.

Good job in your work James, it's exciting to watch from a distance

 

[particleman]

Previous place I worked at I developed a custom web interface schedule/job board in PHP. The main issues before then were mostly what people mention here, manually writing jobs down and lots of double entry. Particularly in their case was lots of small jobs with very specific deadlines. When an order was entered in quickbooks the due date or ship date was specified, from that point on the system did everything else. Data was periodically synced to mysql (every hour or so) with a 3rd party add in and then everyone in the shop from a PC or tablet could see the progress of a job.

As the job progressed anyone could update the status and see where it was in production. Very handy for anyone in the shop to know immediately when an item is in the box or shipped. It is a great thing to be able to tell a customer, "your order is sitting in the box ready to ship, you'll get a notice soon" instead of running around finding out what the progress is.

Interestingly once you can access order data you can do some neat things. If you properly code substrates and enter sizing consistently in your accounting package you can do things like figuring out how much material you need to do a job and look ahead through out the week at this information. This was really helpful to keep up on sign blanks and sheet stock.

 

[James Burke]

It does sound so, but it's been proven in case after case that technology in manufacturing can cause costs to go up and not down. I've been in some of the most sophisticated manufacturing plants and there wasn't a computer in sight. The Japanese did so much work in this field and proved that you just don't need many things some people think they couldn't live without for the shop floor.

'Tis true. There's been a big push called "Karakuri" at the plant where I'm working this winter. Essentially it's a campaign to eliminate as much of the electronic technology and mechanical power needed on the assembly lines, and replace it with simple hand operated / gravity operated mechanisms.

The thinking behind this is to eliminate not only the extra power consumption, but also the high cost of maintenence required to keep all those servos, drive lines, air cylinders, conveyors, etc. up and running. To stimulate innovation toward this end, the plant even gives cash awards to associates who can creatively think up of ways of doing things the "low tech" way.

Those ideas are then showcased complete with a write-up and photos on the plant bulletin board showing both "before and after" efficiencies and how the problems were solved by a low tech solution. The associate's photo is placed at the top of each announcement giving credit where credit is due.

Way cool...and everybody's a winner.

But at any rate, the debate over high-tech vs low-tech could go on forever....kinda like the Corel vs Adobe threads we've grown accustomed to seeing here. But whichever way you decide to go, the most important factor is to find what works best for you and helps you stay focused and productive. 'Nuf said!

JB