Any ideas for a "job" progression reader board

[myront]

I work in a very fast paced sign shop. 95% of our printing/production is done in house. Currently we have a 4ft x 8 ft dry erase calendar to aide in tracking workorders. The sales staff will jot down when a proof should be expected (promised or tentative, customer/business name, material, etc. The product will move along with different agencies for final production. Art dept for layout and proof file for email, then back to sales for emailing with price and such, back for any changes, once approved it goes back to the art dept to prep a print file, then off to the print tech, then on to production staff for application and finishing, then in for quality/qty check, then to pickup. Problem is that's it's very difficult for the sales staff to know where the job is in the process.
Ideally we'd like to have an electronic reader board that sits some where the sales staff can view. It needs to be updated throughout the process by any individual.
Some time back I had experimented with an internal Excel spreadsheet that could be updated but it got voted out. Too complicated for novice pc users.

p.s. our accounting software is antiquated Mass90. Perhaps a better sign specific software exists that can be loaded on everyone's pc but only have certain aspects changeable or updated with destroying or deleting info.

 

[TrustMoore_TN]

Check out Trello.com - and read about the methodology behind Kanban https://kanbanize.com/kanban-resources/getting-started/what-is-kanban/
I've seen many shops using Trello and they have a free version to get started, but it may be that you want to upgrade to get the most out of it. Good Luck

 

[jimbug72]

Trello

 

[2B]

There are multiple threads related to this,

Trello is a great option, we use it.

or look at an all in one program

 

[equippaint]

What about a magnetic dry erase with boxes for each part of the process. Whoever finishes the task just moves over to a que for the next process. Whoever is in line for the next task goes to the que and moves the magnet into the next process until it is done. Use a job number and list to track, put the job number on the magnet. Take a picture in the am, lunch and closing time and email it to whoever needs it and isn't in the office.
I personally don't like electronic schedules, it always seems like a full time job keeping stuff moved around in them.

 

[bannertime]

Trello. Some times it gets to a point that I have to update it on a weekly or bi-weekly process. Some jobs get finished before I can even enter it. So it's typically reserved for permit/install or outsourced jobs.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

I prefer "in house solutions".

Be it an excel spreadsheet, can even wrap a nice UI around it if needed (I'm a little disturbed for the reason that it was voted down when you tried to bring it up, I don't care if it's Office, Works, LibreOffice whatever, use of those programs in an office related environment is expected, at least with me).

Or, can create html pages that are self hosted and everyone uses a web browser to access the server on the LAN and make adjustments.

Or, can go overboard with a CRM option that can be self hosted. I prefer open source (free or pay doesn't matter) and then tailor it to your needs.

 

[bosdub]

We use Airtable which we customized to our needs.

 

[Evan Gillette]

I have used a few but currently run Asana, it is usually used for longer term projects or outsourced jobs as mentioned by bannertime but this is because of the size of our shop (small). If we were larger I would make sure 90% of new jobs run through such a "system" and also look to integrate a CRM platform for the sales team. Most of these newer web based platforms have integrations with many other popular apps and functions which can take some time to figure out but be very useful. The biggest hurdle is always changing peoples habits...it will certainly meet some resistance as change always does.

 

[ColorCrest]

Some time back I had experimented with an internal Excel spreadsheet that could be updated but it got voted out.

1) You might re-create your Excel solution using a better tool; FileMaker. 45 day trial at their site.
(Feel free to re-create my WIP board layout which I've posted a few times already.)


2) The perfectly awesome MAS 90 already has a WIP list. Never knew that? Never configured for your shop?

 

[printguyjohn]

Without a shadow of a doubt, ShopVOX is your best option. It's like $19 or something per month for their electronic job board.

 

[Alistair1]

I work in a very fast paced sign shop. 95% of our printing/production is done in house. Currently we have a 4ft x 8 ft dry erase calendar to aide in tracking workorders. The sales staff will jot down when a proof should be expected (promised or tentative, customer/business name, material, etc. The product will move along with different agencies for final production. Art dept for layout and proof file for email, then back to sales for emailing with price and such, back for any changes, once approved it goes back to the art dept to prep a print file, then off to the print tech, then on to production staff for application and finishing, then in for quality/qty check, then to pickup. Problem is that's it's very difficult for the sales staff to know where the job is in the process.
Ideally we'd like to have an electronic reader board that sits some where the sales staff can view. It needs to be updated throughout the process by any individual.
Some time back I had experimented with an internal Excel spreadsheet that could be updated but it got voted out. Too complicated for novice pc users.

p.s. our accounting software is antiquated Mass90. Perhaps a better sign specific software exists that can be loaded on everyone's pc but only have certain aspects changeable or updated with destroying or deleting info.

Shopvox is a very powerful application for this purpose. Not for the faint-hearted though! But it is very powerful in workflow management and its job board is awesome. Its big weaknesses are that some folk find it a little complex (personally not an issue once familiar with it) and the big one is that it is impossible to get some data out of (not reports but dumps of data such as customer or product). So you need to be careful what data you hold in Shopvox vs data held elsewhere. But it is integrated well with Quickbooks and with Xero so you have choices where to store data.
The other one you could take a look at is Printavo. This is a calendar based rather than job board based system. It is a lot simpler to use that Shopvox but not not quite as powerful. Still good though.
Both of these applications are cloud based so all you need is a good internet connection and a browser. Good luck!

 

[myront]

1)....The perfectly awesome MAS 90 already has a WIP list. Never knew that? Never configured for your shop?

Our sales staff uses Mass 90. I know nothing about it. I did ask them about it though and they had never heard of it. We're currently looking to get away from Mass 90 anyway for its limitations.

 

[JTBoh]

+1 for ShopVox
-1 for Printavo
+1 for Magnetic Dry-erase. It's info available at a glance, that can be updated in seconds, without special training or time spent.

 

[KMC]

we use google docs spreadsheet everyone can log into and make changes as necessary with drop down menus for stages etc

 

[ColorCrest]

Our sales staff uses Mass 90. I know nothing about it. I did ask them about it though and they had never heard of it. We're currently looking to get away from Mass 90 anyway for its limitations.

Well, know that it's a strong system but apparently some capabilities haven't been used. I'm guessing the shop has been using it mainly for bookkeeping and if you're looking to get away from it altogether, then more than just a job progression board is another matter.

 

[myront]

All we need is a color coded system to show job progression. The problem seems to be the number of the various steps involved.
Stage 1 - job itself with particulars i.e. client/agency name, due date ,etc.
Stage 2 (blue) - proofing stage. Date proof is expected to be completed, a way for the designers to indicate they have started it
Stage 3 - In for review with sales team and or "boss"
Stage 4 - proof has been emailed
Stage 5 - any revisions
Stage 6 - approved and date expected to be completed be it "Promised" (P) or "Tentative"(T)
Stage 7 - Designer has it for prep to print
Stage 8 - In Print Dept.
Stage 8 - Printed but needs laminated, printed and moved to next stage
Stage 9 - weed, apply, ready for scheduled install

 

[bannertime]

The problem seems to be the number of the various steps involved.

We've gotten around that by having different categories or boards. Signs and such that require manufacturing or permitting go one place while general banners and decals would go somewhere else. Gets too frustrating pushing all these smaller orders past larger ones stuck in permit purgatory or order approval.

 

[ColorCrest]

All we need is a color coded system to show job progression. The problem seems to be the number of the various steps involved.

Well, maybe it's just your layout and concept. See the attached. The 4 status columns are departments, not mfg steps. I just made this in FileMaker while reading your post and I could have it on the LAN to iPhones & iPads in the shop in about 3 more minutes. Not showing off, just want to show how easy it could be for you since you've already made an Excel version. You just could use a more suitable software.

 

[equippaint]

Heres a rough idea for magnets, it's crude don't laugh. You move them around boxes and each person knows what box to keep their eyes on. The initial work que would be arranged by the boss or whoever dictates the order of production. The next hot thing gets put on the top and whoever makes the proofs grabs from the top of that line.
We don't have many small transactions so Im not real sure how this would work but maybe it will give you an idea for something.