Role Guide · Production Staff

Daily Workflow for Production Staff

Press operators, receiving crew, and bagging staff — this guide covers your shift from start to finish. Two pages do most of the work: the Production Queue and the QR scanner. Everything else supports those two.

Step 1

What the Employee Role Can See

Focused access — you see what you need, nothing you don't.

Production Queue

Your main screen. Shows every job in production stages — Art Approved through Bagging. Sorted by priority (hot rush first).

QR Scanner

Scan any work order, packing list, or shipping label to open the job instantly. No searching, no typing.

Receiving

Mark goods received when boxes arrive. Scan the packing list QR — one tap confirms receipt and updates the job.

Team Chat

Chat channels you're assigned to. Ask the art team if a mockup is ready without leaving the floor.

You won't see billing, customer details, settings, or analytics — those are blocked for the Employee role. That's intentional. If you need info about a job's customer or invoice, ask a Sales Rep or Admin.

Step 2

Start of Shift — Check the Queue

The queue is your to-do list. Start there every shift.

Open /queue (or ask your manager to bookmark it on the shop tablet). The kanban board shows jobs in 5 columns: Art Approved → Films → Screen Burned → In Production → Bagging. Your shift starts at whatever column has cards.

Start-of-shift queue check

Look for HOT RUSH cards first

They're labeled and pinned to the top of each column. These go before anything else.

Check the overdue indicator

Any job with a red due-date badge is already late. Flag it to your lead immediately.

Count jobs in your column

Know what you're walking into. If In Production has 8 cards on a 4-press day, that's a conversation.

Confirm goods are received

Don't pull films for a job until goods are marked received. No goods = no press run.

The queue auto-refreshes every 30 seconds. If a Sales Rep just moved a job to Art Approved, it appears on your board without you doing anything. Keep the queue open on a wall monitor if your shop has one — the whole team can see it.

Step 3

Moving Jobs Through the Stages

Drag the card when the work is done — that's all.

When a job finishes a stage, drag its card to the next column. The job status updates instantly in Kontrol™ — the sales team, admin, and customer (via automated SMS/email) are updated without any extra steps from you.

Art ApprovedFilmsFilms pulled, ready for burning

FilmsScreen BurnedScreens are exposed and washed

Screen BurnedIn ProductionJob is on press, printing

In ProductionBagging / Size LabelingPrint done, sorting and bagging

Don't move a job to Bagging until the print quality check is done. Once the customer gets an automated "ready for pickup" text, they may come in immediately. It's harder to fix a mistake after that conversation.

Step 4

Using QR Codes on the Floor

Every piece of paperwork has a QR code. Use it.

Work orders, packing lists, shipping labels, and invoices all carry a unique QR code for each job. Scan it from the QR scanner button in the top bar of Kontraktr™ (or use any QR app on your phone — it routes to the same place).

Open any job instantly

Scan the work order clipped to a garment hook. The job opens in a second — print locations, mockup, due date, everything.

Scan to receive

On the Receiving page, scan the packing list QR to auto-match the shipment to a job and mark goods received.

Works without login

Not logged in? Scan a QR and you'll see a public status card — job number, status, due date. No password needed for a quick check.

Start a production timer

Open the job from a QR scan, go to Timers, and start a timer for your station. Useful for tracking actual production hours.

Laminate the work orders and clip them to your garment hooks. The QR code survives the whole run without smearing. At the end of the job, scan it one more time to confirm the final status before bagging.

Step 5

Receiving Goods at the Dock

Mark it received the moment it hits the dock — not later.

Open Receiving (/receiving) or scan the packing list QR

The scan-to-receive button on the Receiving page opens the scanner immediately.

Match the job number on the packing slip to Kontrol™

If it scanned correctly, the job auto-fills. If not, search by job number manually.

Count the pieces before you tap Received

Short shipments need to be flagged now, not at press time. Add a note if the count is off.

Tap 'Mark Goods Received'

The job timestamp is recorded. If automations are on, the Sales Rep gets notified and the job moves to the next status automatically.

If a shipment arrives for a job in Quote or Quotedstatus, that means the customer hasn't approved yet. Don't start production — let the Sales Rep know immediately.

Step 6

Production Timers

Track your hours on a job — it takes 10 seconds.

Each job has a Timers tab. If your shop tracks actual production hours for job costing, your lead will ask you to run a timer when you start and stop on a job. It's simple:

Open the job (QR scan or from the queue card)

Go to the Timers tab

Click 'Start Timer' when you begin work on that job

Click 'Stop Timer' when you switch to another job or take a break

Timers are attached to your name automatically — no paperwork

You can only run one timer at a time. Starting a timer on a new job stops the current one automatically. That way the data stays clean even if you forget to stop it manually.

Step 7

End of Shift — Quick Wrap-Up

30 seconds to leave the queue clean for the next crew.

Move all finished jobs to the correct column

Don't leave a completed In Production job in that column overnight. Drag it to Bagging (or wherever it belongs) so the next shift isn't confused.

Stop any running timers

Check the bell icon for an active timer badge. A timer running overnight inflates the job costing data and annoys your admin.

Note anything that needs attention tomorrow

Use the job timeline comment to flag a short-shipment, a screen issue, or a question about the art. Don't rely on verbal handoffs — they get lost.

Related guides

QR Code Workflow (Full Guide)

Deep dive: scanning, receiving, camera tips, and floor setup

Art Department Daily Workflow

How art staff handle mockups, approvals, and file management

Owner Daily Workflow

What the admin sees from the shop owner perspective

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