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Tracking actual completion time for tasks

Track actual task completion times to monitor production efficiency and ensure accurate workflow management.

Dayvid Lorbiecke avatar
Written by Dayvid Lorbiecke
Updated over 2 weeks ago

Track the actual time spent on production tasks in Katana to monitor shop floor efficiency, evaluate planned vs. actual operations, and improve cost accuracy.


Why track actual time?

Tracking the actual time helps you:

  • Calculate accurate manufacturing costs based on real production time. Read more

  • Compare planned vs. actual time for better workflow decisions. Read more

  • See how much time each operator spends on tasks over any time period.

We recommend using the Shop Floor App for effortless, real-time time tracking. However, you can also track time manually on the main Katana site.


How time tracking works

Via Shop Floor App (Recommended)

Only tasks that are started through the Shop Floor App will have automatic time tracking.

The planned and actual time for an operation to complete

Operator workflow

  • Start a task: Time tracking begins once the operator presses Start.

    Start buttons in the task of the shop floor app


    ➤ A yellow bar appears next to the task to show it’s in progress.

    A task in the shop floor app that is currently in progress
  • Pause a task: Pauses the timer.

    Pausing a task in the shop floor app
  • Resume: Continues tracking where it left off.

  • Quit a task: Saves partial time but resets the task status to Not started.
    ➤ Previously tracked time is stored but not counted as final.

  • Finish a task: Stops the timer. The total tracked time is logged as Actual time on the manufacturing order (MO).

Example: If an operator works 1 minute on a task, pauses and quits, then restarts later for 1 more minute, the final Actual time = 2 minutes.

On the Katana website

Time tracking is manual on the main site (unless the task was started from the Shop Floor App).

  • When a task is marked as In progress or Done from the website, Planned time is automatically copied as Actual time.

  • You can edit the Actual time afterward directly from the MO.

    Editing planned and actual time for a task on a manufacturing order

Note: Actual and planned times cannot be edited in the Shop Floor App after a task is completed.


Where to view time info

  • Use the Make screen > Tasks tab to see Planned vs. Actual time for all Done tasks.

  • Export task data for additional analysis in Excel or Sheets.


Your feedback is invaluable. Let us know your thoughts on this article or anything in Katana you'd like to see improved: [email protected]

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