A system is only as good as the accountability of the people using it. If you think that work order information is valuable, then you need to make providing that information valuable to operators. You can use a high-tech solution (e.g. bar coding), but if operators don't see the value of swiping the bar codes, you've only introduced a faster way to accumulate errors.

Traveler forms can accompany a work order. These have pages to fill out for each routing step in the process. Operators enter

• number of items completed
• processing time
• set-up time
• flawed inputs
• process errors

...and so on. Info is then entered by a clerk.
Advantages: simple; covers each step
Disadvantages: only as reliable as supervision; clerk needs training to spot discrepancies

Daily records can contain the same information as traveler forms. The records are handed in once each day. The advantages and disadvantages are the same as for traveler forms, plus:

Advantages: more reliable than traveler forms if always completed
Disadvantages: use much more paper; operators tend to wait until the end of the day to fill them out

Other factors, which may not always be visible to individual operators but concern the whole process, include

• how quickly you need the information
• whether your shop operates according to "just-in-time"
• whether you're building to order or to stock
• the extent to which your customers require traceability

If you're dealing in government contracts (especially for the military), traceability is a big issue. You may be required to keep paper and database records for some time after the contract ends. If there's a product recall, the traveler forms can isolate the part and point in the process that led to the problem.

You can eliminate the clerk from the above processes, and reduce the paper load, by allowing assembly workers to input data as parts are built. To make sure the workers enter the data at the appropriate times, you may need to implement some sort of (usually annoying) alert. Once the workers get used to plugging in the data, the alert can always be lifted.