How to create project tasks from barcode labels

If you are already tracking employee time with barcode scanners, you might like this technique. Watch the video below for an advanced topic you might consider adopting.

Automate Task Creation

The idea is this: You are already using project tasks in ST. You are tracking time with a bar-code scanner. But you hate manually entering those project tasks. Can I just scan a barcode label to create project tasks?

The answer is yes!

This video shows how to create scannable tasks in ST using bar-code labels (that you had printed somewhere else). Scroll down below the video for more barcode video links.

Transcription: First off, I have to apologize, this is going to be a pretty advanced video on bar-code scanning.

We're going to get into creating project tasks in Standard Time® automatically; using a barcode scanner, bar-code labels and RFID readers.

The reason for that is that we use these project tasks to track time for employee jobs, manufacturing, assembly line, shop floor, those sorts of things. This video is pretty darn advanced because we are going to get into creating those project tasks.

Warning: This is advanced barcode stuff  :-)

If you're not that far along, if you're seeing this video for the first time, you don't know anything about Standard Time, you're getting into tracking time with bar-code labels; this video may be a little advanced.

If you're already using Standard Time, you're tracking time, you're seeing the time your employees are spending on jobs, out on the shop floor, manufacturing, employee jobs; if you're seeing those time segments that are captured by the barcode scanner or the RFID reader.

If you're already creating project tasks and tracking time to those tasks-you're saying Yeah, this is awesome, this is the greatest thing on earth, this is everything I needed. Then you may be saying OK is there a way now I can automate the process of creating those project tasks. If you're at that point then let's take a look at the software, this is the feature you want.

Let's go into the software here and we'll take a look on how to create project tasks using bar-code scanner, RFID reader and then we can track time to those tasks in Standard Time.

Barcode Builder app

I've switched over to an app called Barcode Builder which is free with Standard Time. Normally Barcode Builder is used to print barcode labels which automatically creates the tasks at the same time. Those are sequential labels on Avery sticky labels.

But I'm going to use a different feature inside Barcode Builder to allow me to scan bar-code labels which are already created from some other source and create the project tasks for them.

I'm going to go ahead and click on create tasks up pops this window. First thing it wants is a project, I'll go ahead and create one. I'll name it 87551, click create, you'll see it show up there. Then I can click in this field to begin scanning barcode labels which will then create the tasks.

It turns out that you can also create RFID records that can be used for RFID reader and that would want a user name. And I can also delete tasks; let's say I start creating those tasks at the beginning of the manufacturing cycle, the life cycle, the process, and then at the end I want to delete them. I can also delete the RFID record as well.

Parcode prefixes are used for RFID scanning

Now these RFID records are actually bar-code prefixes, you'll see that in another video. But if I click here I'll be creating two things; project task and a RFID record. Which is actually a barcode prefix record inside of Standard Time. I know that's pretty advanced but you may see that in other videos or can ask about it.

I'll click here and begin scanning. I've scanned one and created a tasks, scan again and a third one. I'll grab my RFID reader, I've just scanned one card, proximity card, employee badge, scan again I've created those.

Let's switch over to Standard Time to see what happened. You can first of all see this project in the employee timesheet, 87551. I click the + symbol and I then see the five project tasks that were created using barcode builder. You can see the three here were the ones I scanned with the bar-code labels and the other two were from the employee proximity cards.

Project task dashboard for duration, actual, and percent complete

Go over to the project tasks tabs again you'll see the same tasks here. They have zero duration's right now but you can fill in the duration if you want. You will also see actual work accumulate as you scan and time logs are added to the system.

Go back to the timesheet you can press F4, scan the employee name and then one of these tasks. Then you'll begin creating time logs.

Creating scannable tasks is now completely automated

This is all automated, there's nothing you have to do, there's no manual creation of tasks. They are automatically created when you scan. Very simple. That's the Barcode Builder app that you can download and begin creating project tasks automatically.

Barcode videos you will like

Also see: Barcode Time Tracking Part 1, Video: Barcode Scanner Part 2, Barcode Part 3, Barcode Builder Video, How to print barcode labels with MS Word, Manufacturing Timesheet



The BIG Barcoding Page


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