Jobcards provide a mechanism for grouping and managing Defects, Schedule Events, Labour, Time-Sheets, and Parts Issues, in relation to a specific asset over a specific period of time.  There are several reasons for considering the use of job-cards:

 

• Easier Management of related tasks:  Although all of the above details can be recorded independently of a jobcard, a jobcard can be used to assist in the co-ordinated management of the causes of work, the work itself, the individuals who carried out the work and the parts that are used in the process.

 

• Recording process dates in addition to action dates:  Jobcards group together parts issues, defects, labour and time-sheet records.  Each of these items allows a separate date to be recorded against them (independent of the jobcard).  The jobcard additionally provides a mechanism for recording the overall stages by which the entire package of causes, work and parts issue are carried out, as well as any administrative tasks that relate to these items.  For example, an 'Opened' date, 'Started' date, 'Collected' date and 'Closed' date (amongst others) could be recorded against a job-card.  Refer to 'Job-card progress' for more detail on this area.

 

• Printed Format for communication and record-keeping:  Jobcards also provide a mechanism for printing an entire package of work.  The printing is typically carried out at several stages of the process.  Initially, for example, the job-card might have defects and schedule items only and might be printed with these details alone.  This could provide a clear mechanism by which a workshop controller could communicate with the workshop or a useful aide memoir for engineers who print their own jobcards.  The engineers can then write the work that they perform directly on the card.  These 'dirty' sheets then provide a mechanism for capturing the work performed back into Freeway.  A new clean copy of work carried out can then be filed (sometimes in conjunction with the original dirty copies).

 

• Parts issue management: The jobcard can also be used to facilitate issue of parts within the workshop (refer to stores module for further details).

 

• Billing:  Jobcards can provide a mechanism for onward billing of labour carried out and parts issued (refer to the Contracts Module for more detail).