Shop floor time tracking

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Introduction

The Shop Floor module in Odoo makes it simple for your team to track the time they spend on production tasks. By signing in as an operator, employees can record exactly how long they work on each Work Order (WO), giving you accurate insights into productivity and job costing.

Odoo records:

  • The total time to complete each Work Order.
  • The individual time each operator spends on each task.

This helps UK manufacturers monitor efficiency, identify bottlenecks, and keep production schedules accurate.

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Sign in as an Operator
  • Sign in to your Odoo database.
  • Open the Shop Floor module — the signed-in employee profile will be automatically signed in as an operator.
  • The operator panel on the left lists all active operators.
    • Click the show/hide panel button (white square with black column) to collapse or open it.

 

Switching Operators:

  • Click + Add Operator at the bottom of the panel.
  • Select an employee from the pop-up list.
  • If the employee has a PIN code, a keypad will appear — enter the code and click Confirm.

 

Setting an Employee PIN:

  • Go to Employees → select employee → HR Settings tab → enter a numeric code in PIN Code.
  • This PIN is used in Shop Floor, Kiosk Mode in Attendances, and Point of Sale sign-ins.

Managing Operators:

  • Click an employee’s name to make them active (highlighted in blue).
  • Click the X next to a name to sign them out.
  1. Track Time on Work Orders
  1. In the operator panel, select the employee working on the task.
  2. Navigate to the Work Centre page:
    • Use the top navigation in Shop Floor, or
    • Click the work centre name on the Manufacturing Order (MO) card.
  3. On the Work Centre page, find the Work Order card.
  4. Click the card header to start the timer.
    • The header timer shows total time for all employees working on that WO.
    • The operator panel timer shows time for the selected employee.

 

Working on Multiple Tasks:

  • Operators can track time on several WOs at once — each appears under their name with its own timer.

Pausing or Completing:

  • Click the card header again to pause and remove it from the operator panel.
  • When finished, click Mark as Done. If a timer is active, it will stop automatically.
  1. View Work Order Durations
  1. Go to Manufacturing → Operations → Manufacturing Orders.
  2. Remove the To Do filter to see completed MOs.
  3. Open the MO and click the Work Orders tab.
  4. The Real Duration column shows:
    • Total time from all operators.
    • Time tracked in Shop Floor plus any manual time entries in the MO.

 

 

Tips

  • Keep operator logins up to date to avoid tracking errors.
  • Use PIN codes for secure sign-ins.
  • Encourage operators to pause timers when switching tasks.
  • Regularly check the Real Duration report to spot inefficiencies.
  • Combine time tracking data with Odoo reporting for labour cost analysis.

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