# Job card and stop-code templates

> A printable production job card, starter stop reason codes mapped to OEE losses, and a daily production report. Free to print or download as CSV.

Source: https://deda.systems/handbook/job-card-template
Last updated: 2026-11-13

Three templates that give a plant the data for OEE and order tracking using nothing more than paper. **Print them, or download the CSV files and open them in Excel.** They are starting points written by our team, not a standard: change the fields and the codes to fit your shop.

## Production job card

> One card per work order per operation. It travels with the batch. The fields in the lower half are the ones a paper card usually lacks and OEE needs: start and end times, a stop code with times, and separate good, reject and rework counts.

- [Download job card (CSV)](https://deda.systems/handbook/downloads/job-card.csv)

**Production Job Card** (printable form). Fields: Job card no., Date, Shift, Work order no., Customer, Part no., Part name, Drawing rev., Operation no., Operation, Machine, Operator, Material / heat no., Planned qty, Ideal cycle time (s), First-off approved by, Start time, End time, Good qty, Reject qty, Rework qty, Reject reason, Stop code, From, To, Minutes, Note, Remarks, Operator sign, Inspected by, Supervisor sign.

| Job card no. |   | Date |   | Shift |   |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Work order no. |   | Customer |   |
| Part no. |   | Part name |   | Drawing rev. |   |
| Operation no. |   | Operation |   |
| Machine |   | Operator |   | Material / heat no. |   |
| Planned qty |   | Ideal cycle time (s) |   | First-off approved by |   |

## Stop reason codes

> Seventeen codes are enough to start. More than about twenty and operators stop choosing carefully. Each code maps to one OEE factor, as set out in the [six big losses](https://deda.systems/handbook/oee-calculator#losses). Codes marked “not counted” are planned time and are removed before OEE is calculated.

- [Download stop codes (CSV)](https://deda.systems/handbook/downloads/stop-reason-codes.csv)

**Stop Reason Codes** (printable form). Fields: Code, Stop reason, OEE category, When to use.

| Code | Stop reason | OEE category | When to use |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| M1 | Waiting for material | Availability | Raw material, bought-out part or previous operation not ready |
| M2 | Waiting for tool, fixture or gauge | Availability | Tooling not at the machine when needed |
| M3 | Waiting for operator | Availability | No operator available |
| M4 | Waiting for drawing, program or instruction | Availability | Documentation or NC program missing |
| M5 | Waiting for inspection or first-off approval | Availability | Quality sign-off pending |
| S1 | Setup or changeover | Availability | Changing from one job to the next |
| S2 | Tool change or offset adjustment | Availability | Planned tool life change or adjustment during the run |
| B1 | Machine breakdown, mechanical | Availability | Unplanned mechanical failure |
| B2 | Machine breakdown, electrical or control | Availability | Unplanned electrical or controller failure |
| B3 | Utility failure | Availability | Power, compressed air, coolant or water |
| P1 | Minor stop | Performance | Short stop cleared by the operator: jam, sensor, chip clearing |
| P2 | Running at reduced speed | Performance | Feed or speed below standard |
| Q1 | Rework at the machine | Quality | Parts reworked during the run |
| Q2 | Start-up or trial rejects | Quality | Rejects after a setup, before the process settles |
| N1 | Planned maintenance | Not counted | Scheduled preventive maintenance |
| N2 | No plan or no order | Not counted | Machine not scheduled |
| N3 | Break or meeting | Not counted | Planned breaks and meetings |

## Daily production report

> One row per machine per shift, filled from the job cards. The last four columns are the OEE calculation; the formulas are on the [OEE page](https://deda.systems/handbook/oee-calculator#formula).

- [Download report (CSV)](https://deda.systems/handbook/downloads/daily-production-report.csv)

|  |
|  |
| Machine | Work order | Part no. | Operator | Planned min | Stop min | Total qty | Good qty | Reject qty | Main stop code | A % | P % | Q % | OEE % |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |

## How to roll it out

1. **Start with one machine or one cell** for two weeks. Pick the one the owner asks about most.
2. **Agree the ideal cycle time** for each part number with the production head before you start, and write it on the card.
3. **Put the stop code list at the machine,** laminated. Walk through every code with the operators and remove the ones that do not apply.
4. **Review the cards every morning** for the first week. A stop with no code is a conversation, not a mistake to punish.
5. **After two weeks, count the minutes per code.** The top three codes are your improvement list.

When the paper version is working and the daily typing becomes the burden, the same fields move onto a tablet at the machine. That step is described in the [paper job cards to live OEE](https://deda.systems/case-studies/paper-job-cards-to-live-oee) case study.

## Frequently asked questions

### What should a production job card contain?

At minimum: the work order, part number and operation; the machine and operator; planned quantity and ideal cycle time; start and end times; good, reject and rework quantities; and each stop with a reason code and its start and end time.

### How many downtime reason codes should a plant use?

Start with fifteen to twenty. With a longer list operators tend to pick the first plausible code, and the data becomes less reliable. Add a code only when the same note keeps being written by hand.

### Can I edit these templates?

Yes. They are free to use and change. The CSV files open in Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice.

### Is a job card the same as a work order?

No. A work order is the instruction to make a quantity of a part. A job card records what actually happened at one operation of that work order: who ran it, on which machine, when, and with what result.