This is the big barcoding page, where you can learn every aspect of tracking time with bar-code scanners. Browse the topics below and click to view a video. After you click, make sure to scroll down below each video for more details.
All Things Bar-code
click for the barcode infographic
This page is mostly important to manufacturers, assembly plants, and shops with employees performing tasks on items moving through the business. Each items is scanned, and the time is tracked.
The Barcode Basics (part 1)
This is the starting point. Here, you'll learn the very basic scanning techniques to start a timer using a bar-code scanner. Employee hours will show up in the timesheet, where you can report and analyze.With these simple techniques, you are now collecting time for each employee, time for each project, and each category. That is information you can use to improve your business, and find out how long things really take.
How to get started: Go to amazon.com and buy a $20 scanner. Plug it into your USB port, open Standard Time®, press the F4 key, and scan your first barcode label. That's not hard!
The Barcode Basics (Part 2)
Take bar-coding and time tracking just a little farther in this video. Scan projects, categories, and project tasks. See how each scan creates a new time log that is timestamped and tagged with the employee, and all the information they scanned.Think about how this new information could affect your business. What could you do with it? Could you improve processes? Eliminate processes entirely? Consolidate?
By the time you finish this video, you will have some inspiration to try new things. If tracking time is this easy, you will commit to doing it every day, all day long.
Multiple Barcode Scanners on a Single PC
Got a larger manufacturing shop? Or a sea of operators that all need to scan tasks? Then you probably need to connect multiple barcode scanners to a single PC.Multiple scanners on a single PC requires that you program a "prefix" into each scanner so the program knows which one is scanning at any given time. Multiple scans will come into a single PC, and the software using prefixes to tell which is which.
Just make sure that each operator has a direct line of sight to the computer so they know their scans are going into the computer and the timer has started.
Collecting More Information for Time Tracking
Sometimes you need to collect more time tracking information than just the user and project. For example, you may want to scan a machine name so you can find out how much time employees spent on that machine. Or how much time they spent using certain tools or other shared resources.The method shown in this video opens your bar-code scanning to a completely new level. You can collect any information you desire. And once you collect it, you can report and analyze it.
Examples: How much time was spent in building 12? How much time on the "green" machine? Or how much time on assembly line number 14? You'll find out pretty quickly!
Using Walmart Nextbook as a barcoding station
Need an inexpensive station for bar-coding on the shop floor. Connect a wired scanner to a Walmart Nextbook and you're in business! In about 2 - 3 hours, you'll be collecting real time tracking info.Sure, the Nextbook is not ruggedized, but you could protect and mount it in ways that make it work. And if you like the results, upgrade to other options at a later time.
"% Complete" gauges motivate employees
Learn how to display a Percent Complete gauge when tracking barcode time. A gauge like this motivates employees to finish up tasks and move on.When employees see that tasks are nearing completion, they naturally speed up and get things done. When they see the color red, they know something is critical. The psychological effects are enormous.
Using MS Word to Print Barcode Labels
The simplest way to print bar-code labels is MS Word (or any other word processor). Just enter some text, select it, and choose the barcode font. Now print it out.But what font should I use for bar-code labels?
Click the link, and then scroll down below the video for a link to download the font. Once installed, you can use it in any program. MS Word is just one possibility.
You'll soon see that the barcode font can be used by the timesheet itself to print bar-code labels.
Printing Barcode Labels for a Selected Project
If you already have a project and some tasks you want to scan, you should consider using a special report that prints barcode labels for them.There is a report that lets you choose a project, and it will print all the bar-code labels for the tasks under it. If the list is short, you can laminate that page and use it to start tracking time right away.
The report also prints the words STOP and CLEAR at the bottom as a convenience.
Barcode Builder™: Print Labels and Create Tasks
Barcode Builder™ is the big leagues. This is where you print dozens or even hundreds of barcode labels, plus create project tasks for each one.Actually, you don't need to be a big operation to use this. It's just a simpler way of printing lots of labels on Avery™ 5160 templates™. Those templates contain 30 sticky labels. You choose the starting number and the quantity. Out comes sheets of sticky labels with the bar-codes printed on them.
Now that you have labels, you can stick them on anything and start scanning time.
Create Tasks using Existing Barcode Labels
If you already have barcode labels printed somewhere else, you can scan them to create project tasks.Project tasks are used to compare estimates to actuals. Give each task an estimate for how long you think it will take. Actual hours will come in from employee scans. Now you know the percent complete, and can compare your original estimates with the actual hours in the timesheet.
How to Print Barcode Labels for Time Tracking
There are many ways to print bar-code labels for time tracking. This page shows several ways, with video tutorials for each one.You could print labels with MS Word. Or, you could use a special report to print them. Another possibility is with Barcode Builder. Browse the list and pick one that works for you.
Barcoding Time and Materials for Manufacturing
Need to track more than just time? How about materials? This video demonstrates scanning materials on the factory floor, and creating expense records to represent them. Now you're tracking time and materials with a bar-code scanner.You'll see materials consumed in "real time" as employees use them. Subtract them from your inventory and you'll know when to order more.
How to get order status with a single scan
Scan one barcode label at each workstation or department, and you instantly have order status. When your customer calls, you know exactly where their order is. You know which employee touched it last. You know which department it is sitting in. You know what has been done to it so far. And you have a pretty good idea how much work is left to complete the order. You can answer customer calls quicker and more accurately.Bar-coding and RFID in Manufacturing
This page share several new ideas for tracking time in manufacturing. Barcode scanning is just one of them. It turns out, you can use RFID and mag card readers as well.RFID is a good choice for employee badges. You just pass your RFID tag near a proximity reader and a timer starts. Pass it by again, and the timer stops. That's about as simple as you can get.
Mag card readers are just as simple to track employee time. Just like RFID, you swipe once to start and swipe again to stop.
This article The Big Barcoding Page was first seen on http://www.stdtime.com
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