Shop-floor Flow and Progress Control

For example, three boxes of the same clasp may be in polishing, in transit to plating and awaiting inspection. A single “80% complete” figure does not identify their location, responsibility or readiness for the next stage. This page explains how to record the actual progress of each quantity.

Record each handover

When one person or department hands parts to another, record the batch, product revision, body or component, sender, receiver, operation, quantity, time and quality status. The receiver confirms the quantity physically counted. “Issued” means sent; “received” means checked by the next party. These are separate events.

For outside work, also record the processor, finish, colour, packing, expected return date and any sample or drawing used. Keep different colours, revisions and components separate.

Use clear production statuses

• Waiting: received but not started.
• In process: work has begun.
• In transit: sent, not yet confirmed received.
• Awaiting inspection: received, but acceptance is not decided.
• Accepted for transfer: this operation passed its required check.
• Held: a drawing, quantity, equipment, safety or quality issue blocks movement.
• Rework: an approved correction is underway; inspect again afterward.
• Complete: the operation ended and the next handover or release is recorded.

The meaning of “complete” depends on the operation. Casting may create only a blank; polishing does not approve plating; plating does not confirm assembly function.

Base quantities on records and physical counts

For a simple flow:

Unconfirmed in transit = sent quantity − confirmed received quantity − returned or cancelled quantity

Retain the original issue record when quantities differ. Add a documented shortage, damage, return or correction rather than changing the record to create an apparent match. The body and components require separate quantities because the slowest critical component often limits the number of sets that can be assembled.

Department WIP (work in progress) can be estimated as:

Confirmed transfers in − confirmed transfers out ± documented returns or approved adjustments

Match product, component, specification, colour and batch before combining quantities. A system estimate should be labelled as an estimate, not presented as a physical count.

Find delays and problems

Record waiting, processing, transit and inspection time separately. A bottleneck is not necessarily the department with the largest quantity; it may be the stage delaying the next shipment, a critical component or a lengthy external finishing process.

When a defect appears, identify the product and batch, hold the affected quantity, check where it has gone, determine the disposition, rework or replace it, and then inspect it again. Rework does not automatically restore acceptance.

See Hardware production management overview, Operation handover, external processing and release and Quality traceability and corrective action.

Related topics

Production planning and readiness · Hardware inspection and testing · Electroplating