Short answer
You track jobs in real time by putting every active job on one shared board. The board shows each job's current work cell, due date, hours used against budget, and whether material is on hand. Floor updates feed it, and AI can flag jobs at risk and answer "where's job 1234?" in plain English. Lattice Partners is an AI implementation partner based in Los Angeles and New York. We help companies build an AI strategy, train their employees on AI tools, and build custom agents and software.
- The board is only as accurate as the floor updates behind it. Start by deciding how a job's status gets updated.
- A good board reads from your ERP (enterprise resource planning) system, timesheets, and purchasing records, so nobody updates it twice.
- ERP shop floor modules, manufacturing execution systems, and custom boards each fit different shops.
Why do shops lose track of jobs?
Shops lose track of jobs because status lives in several places at once. It sits on the paper traveler, a whiteboard, a spreadsheet, and the supervisor's memory. None of them agree for long.
The cost shows up in small ways. The office walks the floor to answer a customer's "where's my order?" Sales promises a date without knowing what's running. Hours pile up on a job, and nobody sees it until the job ships.
What is a big board in manufacturing?
A big board is a shared display of every active job and its status. It's usually a wall screen or a web page the whole shop can open. It started as a physical whiteboard. A digital board fills itself from your data instead of from someone's marker.
The table shows what a useful board holds and where each piece comes from.
| What the board shows | Where the data comes from |
|---|---|
| Job, customer, and due date | ERP sales orders and work orders |
| Current operation and work cell | Floor updates from a tablet, scan, or supervisor |
| Hours used against budget | Timesheets and operation completions |
| Material status | Purchasing and receiving records |
| Late and blocked flags | Rules the shop writes down |
| What's next in each cell | The production schedule |
How do floor updates get into the system?
Floor updates reach the system in one of four ways: a tablet, a barcode scan, a supervisor at shift end, or timesheets. The best choice is the one your crew will actually use, which is usually the one with the fewest taps.
Oracle's NetSuite documentation describes one version. In NetSuite's mobile manufacturing app, operators pick an assignment (location, work center, date, and shift) and select a work order. They then report what was produced and consumed, and submit. NetSuite can also record labor and machine time for each completed operation, and it uses those times to calculate progress and cost.
Whatever method you pick, the update has to be easier than skipping it. Timesheets and job costing covers how hours get captured when workers split a shift across jobs.
What does AI add to a job board?
AI adds four things to a job board: it turns messy inputs into updates, flags jobs at risk, answers questions, and writes summaries. The board still works without it, but these are the parts that save a manager's time.
- Reads messy inputs. Handwritten timesheets, supervisor texts, and photos of travelers become structured updates.
- Flags jobs at risk. A job that's burning hours faster than it's progressing, or waiting on late material, gets marked before it misses its date.
- Answers questions. "Which jobs are late this week?" or "What's on the press brake tomorrow?" get a direct answer.
- Summarizes. A daily message tells the shop manager and sales what shipped, what's late, and what's blocked.
What are the options for shop floor job tracking software?
Shops can track jobs with an ERP module, a manufacturing execution system (MES), a whiteboard or spreadsheet, or a custom board on their ERP. The right choice depends on how standard your process is and how clean your data is.
| Option | How it's priced | Fits best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ERP shop floor module | Often part of or an add-on to a yearly ERP license | Your process matches the module and your ERP data is clean | Rigid for custom work, and operators learn the ERP's screens |
| MES software | Usually a separate subscription | You run many machines and need detailed machine data | Integration work and another system to maintain |
| Whiteboard or spreadsheet | Free | The shop is small and one person keeps it current | It's wrong as soon as that person is out |
| Custom board on your ERP | One-time build you own | Your jobs and cells are specific and you want one view | Needs a builder who knows shop operations |
What should a job board show first?
A job board should show five things first: the job, due date, current work cell, hours against budget, and whether it's blocked. Add more only when someone asks for it.
A board with 30 columns doesn't get read. A board with five that are always right does. Material status and customer notes can be added once people trust the basics.
"Most of the data is already in the ERP and the timesheets. The board puts it on one screen, so you don't have to ask five people to find out where a job is at."
Martin Anquetil, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Lattice Partners
How does a job board connect to quoting and scheduling?
A job board shares its data with quoting and scheduling, so the three work best together. The hours budget on the board comes from the quote. Actual hours flow back and make the next quote more accurate.
The board also shows plan against reality. The production schedule says what should run in each cell, and the board shows what is running. When orders arrive through automated order entry, the job appears on the board with its due date and budget already attached.
How Lattice Partners does this
We've built custom job tracking boards for metal fabricators and job shops. We start by following one job's path from material receipt to shipping and asking how its status gets updated at each step. That path decides what the board needs to show.
Then we build the board on your existing data: the ERP, timekeeping, and purchasing records. We aim to ship a first version within a few weeks and improve it over 2 to 3 rounds from real weeks of use. It's a one-time build. You own the code, with no per-seat or per-module license from us.
Frequently asked questions
Do we need an ERP to run a big board?
No. A board can read from well-kept spreadsheets. An ERP makes the data more consistent, and inconsistent spreadsheets show up as a less accurate board.
Do floor workers have to learn a new system?
They should only have to learn one small action, like tapping a button or scanning a traveler. If updating the board takes longer than the old method, people stop doing it and the board goes stale.
How is a job board different from scheduling software?
A job board shows where every job is right now. Scheduling software decides what should run when. Both use the same job data, and many shops build the board first and add scheduling later.
How much does a custom job board cost?
Typical market ranges for custom software or an agent are $5,000 to $100,000 per project. Cost depends on how many work cells you track and how the data gets from the floor to the board. Lattice Partners scopes each project after learning how your team works.
Can a board show hours against budget?
Yes, if hours are recorded per job. The budget comes from the quote or the ERP, and the hours come from timesheets or operation completions.
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About Lattice Partners
Lattice Partners is an AI implementation partner based in Los Angeles and New York. We help companies build an AI strategy, train their employees on AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude, and build custom AI agents and software. Clients own the code we build. Lattice Partners was founded by Colin McDonnell, Martin Anquetil, and Christian Yeghnazar. Contact us to talk about your use case.