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Manufacturing / Work Orders & Job Cards

Know What Every Production Job Has Finished — and What Is Still Waiting

A work order tells your factory what to make. Job cards help your team record what was done at each workstation, so everyone can see the progress of the same job.

Follow a Production JobDiscuss My Shop-Floor Process

A real process. Clear records. Fewer calls to find out what happened.

Follow 40 Cabinets Through the Shop Floor

One production job. Four workstations. See what has been done and what is waiting for the next team.

Follow 40 Cabinets Through the Shop Floor

  • Work Order WO-1047
  • 40 steel cabinets
  • Cutting → Bending → Assembly → Packing

Illustrative example — not live factory data.

Illustration of a shop floor with four workstations in a row - a sheet cutting bay, a press brake, an assembly bench and a packing table - with the cabinets of work order WO-1047 waiting in piles between them.

Assembly3 of 4

10 cabinets are ready for assembly. After 10 more are assembled, this station must wait for the bending team.

Each piece in a pile is one batch of 5 cabinets:

  • Sheet, not cut yet
  • Cut panels
  • Bent parts
  • Assembled cabinet
  • Packed carton

This demonstration shows how operation records help teams follow a job. Recording a job card is not the same as putting finished goods into stock.

One Work Order. A Clear Record for Each Operation.

Work OrderWO-1047

What should we make?

Make 40 steel cabinets.

  1. Cutting40
  2. Bending40
  3. Assembly40
  4. Packing40

The work order sets the product, quantity and planned manufacturing work. It links the job to the relevant materials and operations.

Bill of Materials (BOM) & Costing

Job CardJC-1047-03

What happened at this workstation?

Assembly Bench A · Meena · 10 cabinets assembled.

Meena
+5 · 50 min
Meena
+5 · 50 min
Assembly
10 / 40

A job card records the operation, workstation, person, time and quantity completed. These entries help show progress against the work order.

The work order gives direction. Job cards show the work being recorded.

Work Done at a Station Is Not the Same as Finished Stock

Cutting 30 parts does not mean 30 cabinets are ready to dispatch. The remaining operations still matter.

In our example:

  1. 30

    cabinets have passed Cutting.

  2. 20

    have passed Bending.

  3. 10

    have passed Assembly.

  4. 0

    have passed Packing.

Finished stock needs its own manufacturing stock entry.

Cut 30 → Bent 20 → Assembled 10 → Packed 0

Completed manufacturing stock is recorded through the required stock transaction, not by assuming every job-card update is a finished product.

Know what has moved forward — and what is still in process.

Make the Next Shift's First Question Easy to Answer

When a shift ends, the next team should not have to guess which job was running or how much was done.

A clear handover starts with a clear record.

Shift handoverWO-1047

A useful operation record answers:

Which work order?
WO-1047
Which station?
Assembly Bench A
Who recorded the work?
Meena
How much was completed?
5 more cabinets
What is next?
Continue Assembly when the next bent batch is ready

See Where Work Is Waiting Before You Ask Why

If the assembly team finishes everything available from bending, it cannot keep assembling the same batch without new parts.

The recorded quantities help show where the next handoff is needed. Your supervisor can then check the actual reason — material, machine, people or a different production priority.

A progress record shows what was reported. It does not automatically know why a machine has stopped.

Example

Assembly is ready for the next batch.

Bending recorded 20. Assembly recorded 20.

Nothing more has been recorded as ready for Assembly yet.

Next action: Check with the Bending team.

Reason: not shown by these numbers alone.

Set Up Production Records Your Team Will Actually Use

Every factory has its own steps, workstations and shift habits. YourOrderBook helps plan a practical ERPNext manufacturing setup around the way your team works.

We can help you:

  1. Define the work: Map your products, BOMs, operations and workstations.

  2. Record the work: Configure suitable Work Order and Job Card processes for your team.

  3. Make progress understandable: Set clear responsibilities and useful status views.

  4. Connect the next step: Bring recorded production work into the wider manufacturing and stock process.

We start with how work happens on your floor, then decide which records, settings and changes are needed.

Specific screens, roles, mobile workflows and integrations depend on your ERPNext version, setup and agreed scope.

A Job Card Makes More Sense When the Rest Is Connected

Can Your Team Say Exactly What Was Finished Today?

If production updates are spread across paper, messages and spreadsheets, show us how your team follows a job today. We'll help you identify a practical starting point for clearer work orders and shop-floor records.

Start Business AuditTalk to YourOrderBook

You do not need to know which ERPNext settings you need. Start with the process that is hard to follow.

Frequently Asked Questions About Work Orders & Job Cards

What is a work order in manufacturing?
A work order tells the factory which product to make, how many to make and which manufacturing steps are planned. It gives production teams a common job reference.
What is a job card?
A job card records work done at a particular operation or workstation. It can include the employee, working time and quantity completed against the related work order.
What is the difference between a work order and a job card?
A work order describes the manufacturing job as a whole. Job cards record the work performed at individual operations. They are connected, but they serve different purposes.
Can ERPNext create job cards from a work order?
Yes. ERPNext can create Job Cards for operations defined on a Work Order, when the manufacturing records and settings are configured appropriately.
Can we track how many units are completed at each workstation?
Yes. Job Card operation records can capture completed quantities. The team needs to keep those records up to date for progress to be useful.
Can we record who worked on a job and how long it took?
ERPNext Job Cards support employee and operation-time information. Your team must follow an agreed way to record that work.
Does completing a job card automatically add finished goods to stock?
Not by itself. Finished goods and material consumption are recorded through the relevant manufacturing stock transactions, depending on your ERPNext setup.
Can job cards help when a production job is only partly finished?
They can record work at individual operations, making partial progress easier to see. The exact handling of pending quantities and process loss depends on the ERPNext version and configured workflow.
Does the system automatically detect machine breakdowns?
Not just from a Work Order or Job Card. A person must record the relevant information, or a separate machine-data integration must be designed and implemented.
Is this suitable for a small factory that uses paper job sheets?
It can be. We start by understanding your real production steps, then help decide how to introduce useful ERPNext records without making the shop-floor process unnecessarily complicated.