Track Manufacturing Labor

Track labor on each work order so the operating record, actual cost, and manufacturing ledger match the work performed. Choose one primary method for the job: a live operator timer, a manual entry, or labor auto-applied from the BOM at completion.

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Open labor tracking

Go to Manufacturing > Work Orders, open the work order, and select Labor. The live timer card also appears above the tabs. You need:

• manufacturing.view to review labor entries, sessions, and cost.
• manufacturing.edit to use a timer or record labor manually.
• A work order in Released or In Progress status.
• A signed-in user for a personal timer.

The Labor tab shows Total Labor, Labor / Unit, and Estimated vs Actual, followed by booked labor entries and timer-session history. A BOM without an estimated time and rate shows an honest no-estimate state.

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Choose one labor method

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Use the live timer

1. Open a Released or In Progress work order.
2. Confirm that the BOM is not set to auto-apply labor unless you intentionally want both standard and actual timer labor.
3. Click Start on the timer card.
4. Click Pause when work stops temporarily.
5. Click Resume to add another segment to the same unbooked session set.
6. Click Stop & Book when the work is ready to post.
7. Open Labor and verify the booked hours, rate, cost, and session rows.

Starting a timer on a Released work order also moves it to In Progress. Each user has a separate timer on the work order, and the avatar cluster shows who is currently clocked in. Arcus refuses a second running timer for the same user on the same work order. When you choose Stop & Book, Arcus closes the user’s running segment, combines all of that user’s paused and open unbooked segments for this work order, rounds the total to hundredths of an hour, and creates one labor entry.

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Handle a timer under one minute

When the accumulated timer is under 60 seconds, choose one of these outcomes:

• Book 0.01h creates the minimum labor entry.
• Discard session removes all of your unbooked segments on this work order without labor cost or GL posting.
• Keep running closes the prompt and leaves the timer state unchanged.

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Outcome

The booked entry adds actual labor cost to the work order and posts labor value into labor WIP. The entry and its timer sessions remain visible on the Labor tab and Timeline.

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Understand automatic timer start

Clicking the work-order header’s Start button normally also starts the current user’s timer when the company setting Start the operator’s labor timer when they start a build is on. The automatic timer is skipped when:

• The BOM auto-applies standard labor at completion.
• The company setting is off.
• The current user already has a running timer on this work order.
• The current user lacks edit permission or signed-in user context.

If the work order reaches In Progress but the timer request fails, Arcus keeps the status change and tells you to start the timer from its card. Review Manufacturing Settings for the timer-start setting and timer fallback rate.

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Record labor manually

Use a manual entry when the hours are known and do not need a live clock.

1. Open the Labor tab.
2. Click Record Labor.
3. Enter Hours greater than zero.
4. Review Rate per Hour ($). Change it when the prefilled rate is not correct for this work.
5. Add an optional Description.
6. Compare the displayed Total with the source timecard or approval.
7. Click Record.
8. Verify the new entry and GL movement.

The interface stores hours and rate to two decimal places. The manual form prefers the BOM rate after it loads. Without a positive BOM rate, it starts with a prior positive labor-entry rate on this work order, or $35/hour when there is no prior entry. Always verify the editable prefill before recording.

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Outcome

One labor row is added with the entered hours, rate, description, user, and time. Actual labor cost and labor WIP increase by the displayed total.

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Auto-apply standard labor from the BOM

Use BOM auto-apply only when a repeatable standard should be booked by completed quantity. The completion calculation uses:

1. The BOM’s Estimated Labor Minutes for its defined output quantity.
2. The number of units in the completion batch.
3. The BOM’s positive labor rate, or $35/hour when that BOM rate is absent.
4. Hours rounded to hundredths before the cost is posted.

Each partial completion adds only that batch’s standard labor. The Labor tab identifies the resulting standard labor entry.

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Common scenario: choose actual time or standard time

A two-person assembly has a BOM standard of 30 minutes per unit, but the team wants actual operator time for a prototype run.

1. Before release, decide whether the prototype should use the standard or actual time.
2. If actual time is required, turn off auto-applied labor on the BOM before creating or running the order.
3. Have each operator use their own timer.
4. Stop and book both timers before the final completion.
5. Compare Total Labor with the BOM estimate.

Leaving auto-apply on while both people time the job would record the standard plus both operators’ actual time. The warning on the timer card flags this risk.

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Review completion, undo, close, and cancel effects

Do not rely on an automatic stop as the operator’s normal control. Stop and verify timers before final completion so the cost review is deliberate. See Complete and Undo Work Orders for completion and reversal details.

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Verify the posted result

After booking labor:

1. Match the Labor entry’s Hours, Rate, and Cost to the approved source.
2. Review Total Labor and Labor / Unit.
3. Compare Estimated vs Actual when the BOM has both estimated minutes and a positive labor rate.
4. Open Cost and confirm actual labor and total actual cost.
5. Expand GL Movements and confirm the labor entry.
6. Check Timeline for the user and event.

Missing labor can make estimated-versus-actual variance appear more favorable than the physical job. Finish this review before close.

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Troubleshoot timer and entry blocks

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Frequently asked questions

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