OT: Feedback wanted on Kanban software!

Hey guys!
I've been working on a software tool for my own use and I'm considering selling it so others can use it. With that in mind I'd like to get some feedback on whether it's something you would use, and if there's anything major missing that you would want added!

The basic idea is that it allows you to create/use Kanban cards with QR codes embedded in them. If you have inventory that you order online (I have lots) then when you run out of an item you just show the kanban card to your computer (via the webcam), it scans the code and then takes you to the correct website so you can order more of that item.

I'm sure most of you know what a QR code is, but for those that don't: it's basically a fancy 2D barcode that can have a lot more data embedded in it than the barcodes you see on retail products. In this case I'm embedding web-addresses in the QR code.

Here's a quick demo video showing the scanning/creation of one of the QR enabled Kanban cards:

This is what the editor looks like:


You can edit the values in each row as well as editing the label. If you wanted it to say 'QTY LEFT' instead that's no problem, just change it and the editor will remember that going forward. The URL is automatically populated with the URL of whatever page you were on when you launched the editor. Everything updates in realtime as you type so you can see what the finished card will look like.

The editor/scanner is launched via a button in the top of your the browser:



Which launches the scanning interface. Simply show the QR code to the webcam and you'll be taken to the correct URL:



This is one of the finished Kanban cards that has been printed on green paper and then laminated:


I'll be curious to hear what you guys think! I'm kind of surprised that something like this is not already readily available (perhaps it is and I just didn't find it??). This system is going to save me a *lot* of time/mistakes in the shop and is already making my inventory much easier to manage!

Thanks!
-Aaron

Needs to move off a PC into a mobile app, usability goes way up if I can just scan the QR from my phone and have it added to an order queue.
This isn’t a typical use for KanBan board (I usually think of task management) but I can see the similarity. A cloud app with user account levels where staff can have the app on their device and simply scan it when it is empty and it would add the item to a queue for a manager to order would make a lot of sense. Biggest shortfall I see (unless I missed it) is the inability to automate par levels. Ideally we would reorder at some level of remaining stock before we are out. A good inventory control system will completely automate that function but with this card method you would have to manually decide when to reorder each item.

I have worked with vendors configuring RFID inventory management systems in healthcare and there is a lot of potential for that technology in industrial use but the price point is still too high. Your QR method may be a good way to add some functionality to a shop without to much overhead. I would add barcode support for items that come with bar codes though (fuse packs etc).

What about analytics? Will you be able to pull order/usage trends from the application?


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Thanks for the feedback. This system is not designed for large organizations with dozens or hundreds of employees, it's designed for small machine shops like myself. No analytics or anything, designed to just be very simple.

To set par you simply put the card actually in with the items you're managing. Here you can see an example - in the ziploc there is a month's supply of the item plus the kanban card. Once you have to break open the bag to use the parts you move the card to a bin next to the computer, then at the end of the week place an order for every card in the bin:


Moving the cards around like this is a very traditional implementation of Kanban, and I much prefer a system like this versus a system that manages stock levels in a computer, as computer stock systems always get out of sync.

I think its a great idea. At work, everything is tracked in a database, but this might be a useful addition since you don't need to know 'what its called', to re-order.

aarongough said:

...you simply put the card actually in with the items you're managing. Here you can see an example - in the ziploc there is a month's supply of the item plus the kanban card. Once you have to break open the bag to use the parts you move the card to a bin next to the computer, then at the end of the week place an order for every card in the bin

Click to expand...

We use the identical system except that the card in the Ziploc bag has the part number, the supplier's name, and their phone...

Oldwrench said:

We use the identical system except that the card in the Ziploc bag has the part number, the supplier's name, and their phone...

Click to expand...

Yeah I've seen similar systems in use at quite a few places, but I figured given that pretty much everything in my shop is ordered online I could go one better by adding the QR codes! Can't say I've ever been excited about inventory before

It is an excellent idea !! ...
but it needs to be dirt cheap, simple, and fast.

A plug/work solution with a dirt-cheap android phone option from YOU with SW installed would probably sell a lot of real users. Say 30$ all-in, with maybe a 10$ yearly fee for 3 years.

Almost no-one will use a new 800€ Samsung S9 / iPhone xx to scan barcodes with chips/oil on an ongoing basis.

Any really good user interface has no interface at all, like a light curtain, door sensor, etc.
The expectation is instant results, no interface, no delay, very high reliability.

YOU cannot support small shops users, with low and variable IT skills, for low-cost stuff per site.

Think;
1. Why would somebody smallish buy it, and ...
2. how would they hook it up to their accounting/sales/payments automatically with security ?

Someone will make an app on a smartphone to do functionally the same for 2 $ / month, if it works.
That´s what You are working against.

My current thought on pricing is $5/month and that's it. I'm never going to try to go 'rock bottom' with pricing, just keep it reasonably low and deliver a really good, simple, product.

The scanning is very simple as it stands, just click the button and show the card. It's very simple and very fast.

I don't want to do a mobile version for a couple of reasons:
1) I'll never use it (this is the most important one!)
2) It's not how the workflow should work in the shop. The cards themselves should be moved to a central location (next to the computer) so the person in charge of ordering gets to see them all and make sure everything gets processed correctly. Scanning at point of use doesn't have a real use in my opinion.
3) Editing/printing the cards from a phone screen would be a bad user experience no matter how much I try to polish it. Much easier/faster to do from a computer.

No need to hook anything into accounting, whatever you're already doing when ordering things online will mesh with this seamlessly. In my case I just order the items, then my accounting system (which is hooked into my bank account / credit card) automatically records the transaction.

I'm very much 'eating my own dog-food' with this system, ultimately if it only serves me then it was still an excellent use of my time, but if others are interested in it in a relatively un-modified form then that's great!

Alexa, we are out of part number 537826. Ok LuJon placing more 3/8” set screws into your shopping cart.


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lujon said:

Alexa, we are out of part number 537826. Ok LuJon placing more 3/8” set screws into your shopping cart.

Click to expand...

I'm not squirrely about 'the cloud' but I do really dislike the idea of having an 'always on' listening device in my home or workplace!

aarongough said:

I'm not squirrely about 'the cloud' but I do really dislike the idea of having an 'always on' listening device in my home or workplace!

Click to expand...

Got a smartphone?