By DJ Medlin, Senior Business Consultant
How many times has someone had to explain the same process? One too many? Is the same instruction being communicated each time, or is it a game of “telephone”? What if the instructions were in a clear step-by-step process? What if it was in video form?
If the goal is to get the same information to everyone, no matter which shift they are on, then let’s explore options.
The Fix: Links on the Shop Floor
A shop floor management device digitally delivers work instructions across the company in a few formats, with the added bonus of less paper. Odyssey ERP's Shop Floor Manager (SFM) is built to keep operators focused on the job in front of them, and one of the more overlooked ways it does that is through its integration with “links” records. Links are Odyssey's mechanism for attaching supporting files — images, documents, and video — directly to master records, such as Products, Tools, Routing Details, Work Orders, and Equipment.
How it Works
The design of the links isn't just a convenience feature — it's a deliberate choice that treats the shop floor screen as a delivery point for training and process knowledge. Because the link is attached to the record itself (i.e., the product, tool, routing step, or the equipment), the right instructional content follows the job automatically. An operator doesn't have to guess at which video to reference, and they don’t have to go searching for it; whatever is linked to the record they're working on is what appears when they press the button.
The Payoff
By having the same information conveyed to the employees, you will get faster ramp-up and better employee retention. Your new hires get up to speed quicker and more accurately. In most companies, there is a handful of “go-to” employees. New or cross-trained employees can watch a short setup or operation video at the exact moment they need it, rather than relying purely on a supervisor's availability or memory of a verbal walkthrough from weeks earlier. So, let’s get the tribal knowledge out of the heads of those who have been doing this for a while. Capture the expertise once and make it permanent, or at the very least the basis for getting started.
There's a quality and safety dimension as well. Complex or safety-sensitive setups — an equipment changeover, a tooling installation, a specific inspection step — are exactly the kind of tasks where a short video can prevent errors that a written instruction sheet might not catch. Tying that video to the Routing Detail or Equipment record means it surfaces at the point of use, not buried in a binder in the office. Combined with Odyssey's broader Links and Quality Viewer framework, video linkage turns Shop Floor Manager into more than a job-tracking tool: it becomes a lightweight, self-service training system that lives where the work happens.
This is the same mechanism that powers Odyssey’s Shop Floor Quality Viewer's image and comment display for quality instructions. For SFM, it extends naturally to video, giving companies a single, consistent way to manage both stills and moving instructional content from one place.
One Thing to Plan For
Odyssey can have these types of images and videos assigned to the processing steps, products, tools, and equipment. With so many options, there are some decisions to be made on which level you would like to have these instructions/images/videos. At the product level or at the operational level. This should be planned so that everyone knows where to find this information.
The setup will allow for the shop card, shop floor manager screens and follow up to be designed to accommodate where to find the information. It is important to think about this process. To change where the images and videos are assigned later down the line, while not impossible, it will be a project to get them moved.
Getting Started
There are many options available. And with a little strategic planning, this information can be available digitally, so every shift sees the same thing.
Give your shop floor one source of truth. Contact us to see how it works.
