Timesheet & Project Management Blog

Barcoding with Walmart Nextbook for Manufacturing

Details

Category: Blog

Published: Wednesday, 07 September 2016 13:25

Written by Ray White

Watch this video for an inexpensive way to get started with barcoding. For about $200 you can put a Walmart Nextbook on the shop floor. Connect a barcode scanner to it and you have a self-contained barcode station.

If you need an inexpensive barcode station for manufacturing or shop floor for employee jobs, consider using a Walmart Nextbook. The Nextbook is a simple tablet that connects to your network wirelessly over Wi-Fi. That means your barcode scans are sent to a server the moment they occur. You'll see information immediately, in real-time.

You will collect timestamps for each employee, for each job, for each kind of work, each product, each box, and each stage of the manufacturing and assembly operation. You will know exactly how long employees are on the job, and how long each job takes. You'll know exactly how much time goes into each product.

Stop guessing. Find out exactly how long things actually take. Then use that information to shave off a small layer of inefficiency. Layer after layer gets you to an efficiency you may have never seen before.

Connect a wireless barcode scanner to a Walmart Nextbook for an inexpensive barcode station. You can get started for $200.

Get More Value From Your Timesheet

Details

Category: Blog

Published: Monday, 29 August 2016 15:37

Written by Ray White

Here are some tips to get more from your timesheet. It's not just for employee hours and client billing. There is so much more you can collect.

See the video below.

Tasks can double the value you're getting from your timesheet because of the information they collect. Things like "actual work," costs, and percent complete are free. There's nothing you need to do to get this information. That means you get task warnings when percentages are exceeded. And, you get email notifications when project hours and costs are exceeded. All this comes from your timesheet. Watch this video to learn how to get more from your timesheet, and learn what information timesheets collect.

Project managers like this information because it is not a guess. It is the actual work and actual costs their projects are incurring. You don't have to wonder which projects are profitable and which are under-performing. You don't have to guess how much projects are costing. That information is collected automatically from the timesheet.

Executives like this information because they know that their strategic efforts are paying off. Costs are under control. Projects will be delivered on time. Customers are happy.

Employees like this because they don't have to manage anything. There's nothing to babysit. Just enter hours and go on with the job. The project management is automatic.

Sync Microsoft Project Costs with Timesheet

Details

Category: Blog

Published: Monday, 15 August 2016 14:02

Written by Ray White

From http://www.stdtime.com Learn how to bring Microsoft Project costs down to your timesheet in Standard Time. There are other videos that describe sending actuals up to MS Project, but this video focuses on costs only. MS Project has three types of resources. Work, Material, and Cost. Work resources and normally human resources that charge a certain amount per hour. But they could be machines that are rented for an hourly rate.

Material resources are objects used on the job. Examples might be nails, bricks, computer cables, pens and pencils. Material resources have a cost per object. The video describes a bucket of nails with a cost for each bucket.

Cost resource just have a purchase cost. You are buying something for the project, and that becomes an expense that must be added to the cost of the project. The video describes buying a hammer for roofing.

All these resource costs come down into Standard Time during synchronization. You’ll see them in the project task view, and optionally in the employee timesheet. Only administrators will see these costs. Normal employees, who normally only enter time into timesheets will not.

Each resource will be shown in ST as an assignment. In other words, you’ll see hammers, nails, and roofing assigned to tasks in ST. That helps understand the use of non-human resources on a project.

Even if you’re not using Standard Time, this video will still help inform you about resources and how they are used on projects to calculate costs.

The video helps answer the questions: How do resources work in MS Project, What types of resources are in MS Project, What are non-human resources in MS Project. How do material resources work in MS Project. What are “Cost” resources in MS Project?

See more at: http://www.stdtime.com

LET'S CONNECT!
Standard Time ► http://www.stdtime.com
Twitter ► http://twitter.com/ScoutwestInc
Facebook ► http://www.facebook.com/timesheetsoftware
Google+ ► http://plus.google.com/114409741935383434971
Linkedin ► http://www.linkedin.com/company/scoutwestinc
Pinterest ► http://www.pinterest.com/scoutwestinc
Android App ► http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.scoutwest.standardtime
iOS App ► http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/standard-time/id818412788
YouTube Subscribe ► http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=scoutwestinc

Strategies for serial numbers when barcoding

Details

Category: Blog

Published: Wednesday, 10 August 2016 18:55

Written by Ray White

From http://www.stdtime.com This video answers the question of what to do with product serial numbers when barcoding in Standard Time. You have serial numbers on the products you are manufacturing. They are pre-printed, and permanently stuck onto each unit. Now what do you need to do to start barcoding them? What needs to be set up in Standard Time to use them?

The answer depends on how long you’ll need the barcode labels for time tracking. If you’ll use them for a long time, you should create a project in ST. But if you’ll only use them for hours or days, then consider creating tasks instead.

After you have created projects and tasks to represent the serial numbers, you can begin scanning in ST. Just press the F4 key to open the barcode scanning window. Scan your label and ST will recognize it.

Automatic Microsoft Project Sync with Timesheet

Details

Category: Blog

Published: Thursday, 04 August 2016 20:27

Written by Ray White

This little program can synchronize your MS Project files with your timesheet without a single click. It is completely automated. No pop-ups, not nags, no user input. It just runs in the background and syncs. What gets sync'd? MS Project tasks come down from MSP and go into the Standard Time database. Employee actual work goes up to the Microsoft Project Task Usage View.

Define Gantt Chart

Details

Category: Blog

Published: Monday, 01 August 2016 13:36

Written by Ray White

Meet Baily

Self-Avowed Project Geek

Geeked out on Standard Time®

Ask Baily

Define Gantt Chart:

                Our project tasks in all their

                Graphical splendor

                For everyone to ignore

                But me

In Standard Time, that means

                Task bars and task links

                Milestones and summaries

                Graphically displayed in a Gantt chart

Baily tests your geeky knowledge,

                What color are

Late tasks

In Standard Time?

stdtime.com

How to use MSP Add-in to Sync Time

Details

Category: Blog

Published: Thursday, 28 July 2016 15:49

Written by Ray White

Follow the steps below to use a Microsoft Project add-in to sync with Standard Time®.

The MSP add-in will connect to the Standard Time database and create project tasks that match the MSP project. After matching up all the project tasks, it will send any timesheet hours to MSP. This completes a bidirectional sync between Microsoft Project and ST.

The MSP add-in is a special download. Contact the Scoutwest support department for download instructions. Once downloaded, you'll run a small setup program to install the add-in into MSP.

Watch the video and comment on YouTube. We'd love to hear what you think!

Define PMO Office, Project Management Office

Details

Category: Blog

Published: Monday, 25 July 2016 12:29

Written by Ray White

Meet Baily

Project Manager

And Standard Time® admin

Ask Baily

Define PMO:

                The Office of

                Project Maniacs

                That schedule your

                Weekly meltdown

In Standard Time, that means

                Project schedules and Gantt charts

                Task linking and assignments

                Employee timesheets

Baily wants to know,

                Who managers your

Crazy projects

In Standard Time?

stdtime.com

Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCKOmFqayvs

Create Project Tasks from Barcode Labels

Details

Category: Blog

Published: Monday, 18 July 2016 12:30

Written by Ray White

With Standard Time you can fill in the project by scanning a barcode label.

Barcode Labels Report

Details

Category: Blog

Published: Tuesday, 12 July 2016 12:48

Written by Ray White

Print barcode labels using a special report in ST. The report first asks you to choose a project. After choosing the project, you will get a page with barcode labels for that project.

The project name label is displayed at the top, followed by task names below it. The labels for *STOP* and *CLEAR* are printed at the bottom.

Employees begin by scanning their username. Then they scan the project name and a task. The timer will start. After completing the job, scan *STOP* to stop the timer.

Time logs contain the timestamps for the beginning and end of the job.