6. Capture Shop Floor Data for Production Orders in Shop Floor Insight
Scanning Routing Barcodes
Use the production order barcodes printed from the “Printing Barcodes” section of this document.
Scan your badge to unlock the scanning station, and switch to your time card.
Once in, scan the barcode for the production order routing to start. The barcode has the production order, the production order line no, and operation embedded in it.
When the Client Configuration is set to have “Automatic” time entry, then scanning the routing barcode will automatically close the previous line, calculating time passes since it was started, and create a new time card line.
Record Intermediate and Finished Goods Output
There are different output options available in the system for configuration, this quick start guide assumes typical configuration of allowing output on any operation, recorded to an output batch.
“Output” in this context refers to finished goods (and intermediate goods) output, not time. Time is recorded on time cards.
Choose the Output Journal batch that material output will be recorded to in the “Output Batch Name” section in the Client Configuration record for that scanning station. Do not choose the same production output batch defined on Shop Floor Setup.
To record output, in the Shop Floor Insight interface select the time card line that you’re recording output for and click “Output” in the menu.
The screen that shows up next may appear different depending on the item tracking configuration you’ve configured in Business Central.
Output History (unposted and posted) should appear in the ‘Output History’ screen on the right-hand side.
The minimum information necessary is the output quantity, entered in the “Output” text box. Location and Bin are optional, and if left blank will just default to the location and bin that Business Central will default in.
After entering output, choose “Register”. You will be prompted with a confirmation, choose “Yes”. Note: this does not post, this only records output information into the output journal batch configured on the appropriate Client Configuration record for that scanning station.
To review, approve, and post the output recorded in Business Central, search for “Output Journals”.
Navigate to the same batch that you’ve configured on the Shop Floor client configuration. You will now be reviewing output recorded (but not yet posted) from the Shop Floor. The output journal is standard Business Central from this point, and not altered, your existing processes apply from here.
Optionally Capture Quality Inspection on Output
There is an optional additional ability to record quality inspection information while you are recording output. This quick start guide will not review the advanced configuration options possible, but instead will give a brief overview to provide insight to the kind of quality capture process that can be achieved on output.
To get started, create a quality inspection definition to be used for output. This can be an existing Quality Inspection definition, or it can be separate than the quality inspection definition that can be recorded in the main quality recording workflow. In our example, we’re going to capture whether a visual inspection, final color, and measured length on our material output.
In the Shop Floor Client configuration record for the scanning station, choose the quality inspection definition you’ve just created in the “Output QI Definition” section in “Quality Capture” in the “Production Order” group.
Refresh your browser, select a line that you’ve clocked into, and choose ‘Output’ again.
The output screen will change to include embedded quality inspection definitions in the window, shown below.
Record Manual Material Consumption
Manual material consumption can be recorded in the Shop Floor interface above and beyond the ability of Business Central to forward and backwards flush.
To change the batch used for consumption, navigate to the appropriate client configuration record for the scanning station in Business Central, and supply the Consumption Batch Name in “Batches” in the “Production Order” section. Do not choose the same production output batch defined on Shop Floor Setup.
From the Shop Floor client, simply clock onto a time card line and choose “Consumption”. The below screen will start, listing the bill of materials, expected amount, and remaining amount. If the items to consume are lot or serial tracked, then those fields will also become available. Enter the quantity for the items to consume and leave blank the rows where no quantity should be entered.
After supplying the quantities to consume, choose “Register”. You will be asked to confirm, choose “Yes”. At this point the values will be recorded into the chosen production consumption batch. These values are not recorded.
After the consumption window is closed, the Bill of Materials panel in the main window should then update the ‘Remaining’ column, after the amounts recorded.
To review the consumption entered from the Shop Floor, navigate to “Consumption Journals” in Business Central.
Choose the same consumption batch chosen in the appropriate Shop Floor Client Configuration record. This is a standard Business Central screen where recorded consumption can be reviewed and posted.
Capturing Quality Inspection Data
Quality Inspections can be configured to be recorded from a clocked-on time card line referencing a production order. Different quality inspection definitions can then be defined for different patterns of production order routing lines.
There are two exceptions, where an additional extra quality inspection definition can be defined on a Client Configuration, one for additional values to capture on output, and another for additional values to capture when changing a schedule.
Detailed guidance and training on quality inspections configuration and usage is available, this section is just a quick usage overview.
Navigate to Shop Floor Quality Inspection Definitions.
Create a new Quality Inspection Definition or edit an existing quality inspection definition to use.
In our “Basic Example” quality inspection definition we’re going to capture two values, “Weight” and “Torque”.
Once a definition is available, the next step is to configure a quality inspection assignment. An assignment determines which quality inspection definition to use when deciding to create a test from the Shop Floor. Any standard Business Central field on the Production Order Routing Line table (5409) can be used to filter.
When there are multiple matches, the system will just choose the first match found.
If the assignment filter is left blank, then it will match any production order routing.
The next step is giving permission to record quality inspections from the Shop Floor. To do this, navigate to “Shop Floor Function Permission”.
Find or create a row for the user ID that will be creating quality inspection tests. Note, you will also need to make sure this same User ID is defined on a Shop Floor Employee record.
If “Create Quality Inspection Test” is un-checked then a person will not be able to create a quality inspection test on the Shop Floor.
Refresh the browser page in the Shop Floor, and after unlocking the screen make sure that the “Quality Inspections” panel view is showing.
When the Quality Inspections view is showing, and an assignment can be found, and a Shop Floor Employee has appropriate function permission then the “Record” button for quality inspections will become enabled. Click the button, and a Quality Inspections Input window will be shown.
If an existing test for that routing is created, then it will show it, and if no test yet exists then a new one will be created based on the supplied assignment.
Values can be entered immediately, and the “Test Result” column will immediately provide feedback if the values fall within the configured acceptable values definition.
To review quality inspection tests recorded on the Shop Floor, in Business Central navigate to “Quality Inspection Test”.
An individual test can be opened to view all details, including the recorded values, and the control information (which routing line)
To create a re-test, in Business Central choose “Create Retest” from the action list. You’ll be prompted to confirm the control information for the test, choose ‘Yes’.
Once a re-test is created, then the next time a test is loaded on the Shop Floor, it will be the new re-test, allowing a person to record multiple test results from the Shop Floor.
Values from Quality Inspection tests can be analyzed or reviewed either by opening each Quality Inspection noted earlier, or with a few additional analysis pages. In Business Central, search for “Shop Floor Quality Inspection Matrix”.
Filter to the tests, or control information, or specific test values that you’d like to analyze. Basic control information will be available as columns in the matrix view, as well as pivoted values, so individual custom fields will appear as columns (up to a predefined maximum).
For more detailed analysis with PowerPivot or other tools, use “Shop Floor Quality Inspection Test Values”.
This will provide a simple list of control information as well as all values recorded. This “raw” list of information makes it easier to analyze and categorize in tools such as PowerPivot, Power BI, analysis in Excel, or other tools.
Recording Schedule Changes from the Shop Floor
The production scheduler view on the Shop Floor can be either read-only, or it can provide the ability to change the start and end dates on the routing. All upstream and downstream re-scheduling that Business Central performs will continue to operate normally.
To have the Drag and Drop ability, make sure that your Shop Floor Employee record is associated with a User ID. Once it is, navigate to Shop Floor Function Permissions, and either add or edit a row for your User ID.
After ensuring that there is ‘Edit’ access, refresh the browser, identify a routing to alter and drag it to either a new date/time or a new work/machine center.
When a mouse hovers over a routing in the scheduler, additional control information and assignment details are available in the tooltip.
Optionally Capture Quality Inspection on a Schedule change
Note: This section is relevant only to Business Central 14 and older.
Note: This section is relevant only to Business Central 14 and older.
Shop Floor Insight provides the ability to optionally capture additional information for schedule changes. To get started in Business Central create a Quality Inspection Definition that contains the custom fields desired to capture information. In our example below we’re going to ask for a Reason Code and a free text note.
Navigate to the appropriate Shop Floor Client Configuration record, and in the “Production Order” group, change “Scheduler Change QI Definition” to the Quality Inspection Definition defined in the previous step.
Use the Graphical Scheduler. After re-scheduling, the system will prompt with the associated schedule change Quality Inspection, where we see our example of capturing a reason code and free text entry after a drop.