A labor management system that replaced spreadsheets and paper procedures
A fulfillment floor ran on spreadsheets, paper procedures, and verbal handovers, so nobody could see who did what or how fast. We built one labor management system that records every batch, task, and hour by person, and removed 345 manager sign-offs a month.
- 260 → 480 items picked per hour
- 345 sign-offs/month removed
- Every mis-pick traced to its picker
The problem
Work was handed out through spreadsheets, paper instructions, and word of mouth. There was no per-person record of output, no live view of throughput, and no way to confirm anyone had read a procedure. Managers signed off every wholesale batch by hand, and a finished batch could wait hours before it counted as closed.
The workflow we replaced
Before
- Work handed out through spreadsheets and word of mouth
- Procedures kept on paper
- No record of who did what, or how fast
- Managers sign off every wholesale batch by hand
- Mistakes are hard to trace back
After
- Managers assign every task and batch in one system
- Crew start and stop a clock on the actual work, from a phone or station
- Every batch is tied to one person with a start and end time
- Batches close the moment they're finished
- A mis-pick caught at packing is charged to the picker automatically
The solution
One system that runs the floor: task assignment, work clocks, presence and idle tracking, a live manager board, error tracking, and reports that follow fixed rules so the numbers can be trusted.
What it does
- Assignment in one place. 34 task types, assigned to one person, a team, or an open pool.
- Clocks on real work. Crew clock into the actual task, batch, or stage of a large order.
- Live floor board. Managers see who is working, idle, or in a meeting, and every override is logged.
- Automatic accountability. When a packer catches a picking mistake, it's charged to the picker.
- Trustworthy reports. Items per hour count only worked time, and entries that look like forgotten clock-outs are excluded.
The impact
- Picked items per hour
- 260 → 480Picked items per hourFloor average before the system and after it went live, counted from the operation's records.
- Picked items tracked by person
- 576,879Picked items tracked by personEvery batch tied to one person, with start and end times.
- Hours of hands-on work recorded
- 4,347Hours of hands-on work recordedBroken down by person, task, and batch.
- Manager sign-offs a month
- 345 → 0Manager sign-offs a monthWholesale batches now close the moment they're finished, instead of waiting hours.
- Mis-picks traced to the picker automatically
- 146Mis-picks traced to the picker automaticallyNo manual investigation needed.
- Visibility the floor never had. Idle and no-work time is now recorded, so managers can put it to use.
Measured from the client's own records. Services used: Software development and implementation, Operations and workflow auditing, Efficiency gap monitoring.
Questions about this project
Do warehouse crews actually use a system like this?
It's built around a phone or station clock on the real work, so tracking happens as part of the job, not as extra paperwork.
How do you keep the numbers honest?
Fixed rules: only worked time counts, and suspect entries are excluded rather than guessed at.
Can it replace our spreadsheets?
Yes. Assignment, tracking, and reporting move into one place.
Losing time to a workflow like this?
Free · 2-3 specific findings · No obligation
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