Job Card
A Job Card holds real production data on a specific Operation executed on a specific Workstation.
A Job Card is generated from the Work Order and provided to each of the Workstations in the production floor to initiate the manufacture of an item with a specific quantity in each of the operations scheduled in the Work Order.
Job Cards now have the pause and resume functionality, enabling better time tracking. When paused and resumed, a Job Card, time logs get automatically updated based on actual production time. It enhances labor cost estimation and scheduling accuracy.
Job Card enables every Operation's workstation to raise a Material Request and Stock Transfer for Manufacture for raw material required on a Job Card.
In ERPNext v15+, Job Cards enable operators to enter more information like Rework Quantity, Workstation Utilization Rate, and Operator Efficiency. The new fields offer a more comprehensive report of resource utilization and production performance for every stage.
At the time of execution of the job, reasons for rejection and quality control inspection points can now be marked directly on the Job Card. This assists in capturing quality defects and production defects at the operation level, enhancing traceability and corrective measures.
Job Card completion will update the production status in Work Order, and you can now trace the completion of production progress per one of the operations defined in the Work Order more accurately because of these additional metrics.
To view the Job Card list, navigate to:
1. Prerequisites
Prior to creating and utilizing a Job Card, it is recommended that you first create the following:
Bill Of Materials: Make sure that the Item to be produced has a valid Bill of Materials (BOM). The BOM must have operations and raw materials. In ERPNext v15+, you can specify operation-specific scrap, and this is now also visible in downstream Job Cards for improved material planning.
Operation: Specify the Operations needed to produce the Item. In v15+, there are other fields like standard efficiency, setup time, and operation classification that can be set in the Operation master to provide improved planning precision.
Workstation: Establish the Workstations wherein the Operations are to be executed. ERPNext v15+ enables you to set up multiple shifts, maintenance schedules, and downtime logs for every Workstation, which are now accounted for in capacity planning and scheduling of Job Cards.
Work Order: A Job Card is generated from a Work Order. Make sure that the Work Order has been submitted and includes all the necessary information such as associated BOM and operations. Starting from v15+, the Work Order now accommodates parallel operation scheduling and split batch production, which are directly reflected in the manner multiple Job Cards can be generated and handled per operation.
2. How to Create a Job Card
Operations Job Card is created automatically when you submit a Work Order.
Here's how a Job Card appears:
Job Card
Here's how you use a Job Card:
Click the Start Job button, and then on Complete Job when finished. In ERPNext v15+, when you hit Start, the system logs the actual start time and applies the Job Card to the corresponding workstation queue. If batch processing is permissible by the operation, the interface also requests you to provide batch size and operator details prior to proceeding.
Alternatively, you can also enter the From Time and To Time in the Time Logs table. ERPNext v15+ has a new "Duration Validation" feature to verify the entered time against Workstation availability and shift times. This assists in more accurate time-based costing.
Choose the Employee to whom the Job Card was allocated. This worker should be connected through the Employee master and assigned a role or shift (when necessary). Job assignment in v15+ can be set to honor employee skill mapping so that only employees with the proper skill set can be assigned certain operations.
Input the Completed Quantity. This is the count of Items on which Operation was undertaken for the chosen time period. In case of scrap or rework, ERPNext v15+ supports entering both figures in the same Job Card, and this is indicated in the Work Order progress.
Increase rows in the Time Logs table and enter time through the Start/Complete buttons. This enables operators to log partial or staggered operation times per shift or batch. In v15+, Multiple employees per row can now be added as Time Logs, providing improved visibility of collaborative operations.
Click on Submit. Upon submission, the Job Card records the Work Order progress, actual operation time, and updates any associated material consumption (if Backflush was active). In ERPNext v15+, submission also causes capacity update and cost rollup, which are automatically reflected in production costing reports.
Operations and Workstations in a Work Order are retrieved from the BOM of an Item. For simplicity, you should make sure the Routing is done in the BOM.
In ERPNext v15+, Routing configuration accommodates advanced planning features like:
- Parallel Operation Routing: You can now specify if operations need to be done sequentially or may be done in parallel.
- Operation Dependency Visualization: Visual representations now assist in visualizing operation flows when there are multiple routings.
Every Job Card generated will be assigned Workstation & Operations. Raw material needed from every Source Warehouse will be determined by quantity needed for manufacture. Material calculations in ERPNext v15+ also take into account:
- Scrap percentages per operation, when specified in BOM.
- Real-time warehouse stock verification, warning if any item dips below reorder level.
- Raw material reservation batch-wise and serial-wise (if enabled) for increased traceability.
Upon Work Order submission, Job Cards will be automatically created from the Operations table values. The Job Cards will have:
- The attached Operation and Workstation
- Estimated time, operating cost, and employee assignment (if employee skill mapping is active)
- Auto-filled fields such as operation description, hourly rate, and BOM reference.
Each Job Card in ERPNext v15+ also:
- Invokes capacity booking for the workstation.
- Gets associated with Time Logs and the Workstation Schedule calendar.
- Facilitates Job Card grouping for operations involving multiple operators or teams.
2.1 Select Work Order with Item to Manufacture
You can choose 'Transfer Material Against' as 'Job Card' on the Bill of Materials to transfer raw materials for Production against separate Job Cards. This option is also now directly available under BOM settings in ERPNext v15+, and it automatically cascades to downstream Work Orders and Job Cards.
This translates to the system raising Material Requests against Job Card, and raw material can be pulled at Workstations as needed during production execution.
In the Work Order, you can choose the correct transfer type depending on how your operations are set up.
2.2 Utilizing a Job Card
Employee assignment and timing detail are specified directly within the Job Card. The time taken to complete a job can be tracked either automatically by clicking the Start/Complete buttons or manually using Time Log entries.
If several employees are performing the same Operation, you can create multiple Job Cards by clicking the 'Create Job Card' button within the Work Order or from the Job Card list.
In ERPNext v15+, it is also possible to link a particular skill or role of an employee with a Job Card to enable improved filtering and scheduling with workforce capability.
2.3 Material Request against Job Card
A Material Request is initiated from the Job Card as an in-house instruction to make and issue raw material needed for that particular operation. The Material Request will contain a direct reference to the original Job Card number so that there is traceability and operation-wise material control.
With ERPNext v15+, the system has the capability of auto-creation of Material Requests based on Workstation-level material needs, facilitating easy execution and minimizing manual effort.
Monitor the Manufacturing Status in the Work Order by the Completion of Every Operation specified in Work Order.
Job Card completion allows real-time monitoring of the production status in the Work Order. Since every Job Card is submitted with quantities completed, the system automatically updates the status of the respective Operation in the parent Work Order.
In ERPNext v15+, this is now graphically aided with refreshed progress bars and auto-updating status on the Work Order screen, providing production planners an immediate view of production progress.
2.4 Scrap Items
During the process of completing the operations, there may be possibilities that a few scrap materials may be created. These scrap materials need to be added to inventory.
To do that, the user has to enter the details of the scrap items straight into the Job Card in the Scrap Items table. This will ensure proper recording and accounting of scrap output within the system.
You may also mark defective or damaged material in the Scrap Items table. Every entry provides you with the option to note the Item, Quantity, and Scrap Warehouse where the item is to be transferred.
In ERPNext v15+, when you save the Job Card with scrap entries, the system will automatically create a Stock Entry to transfer these scrap materials to the Scrap Warehouse chosen, simplifying handling byproducts or production wastes.
3. Features
3.1 Tracking Quality Inspection
For order of production, the quality of in-process (half-finished) goods must also be monitored. It is determined by the process (operation) carried out on the item, which is itself determined in the Job Card.
In-process inspection tests are distinct from incoming and outgoing materials inspection. In-process quality monitoring ensures that the finished product being produced is of the specified quality.
You can design a Quality Inspection for the Production Item against the Job Card. A link to create or view the associated Quality Inspection is provided directly within the Job Card form under the Quality Inspection section.
In ERPNext v15+, you can:
- Set inspection templates by Operation in the BOM,
- Auto-create Quality Inspections based on routing logic,
- Define pass/fail parameters for every test
- And optionally block the completion of a Job Card until Quality Inspection has been finalized and approved.
This integration provides process-level compliance and assures traceability of quality results per operation.