Newbie to Access. Help on project

[bgup]

I am new to the Microsoft Access life but I was tasked with a job that may or may not be a good idea to use this software. I would like some opinions before digging deep into access in order to save time and hassle. I am willing to learn the software but again, not sure if this is a good project to use Microsoft Access.

I work in a manufacturing plant and we assemble "X" amount of units every day. This value changes monthly, which effects our manpower and the time required to fully assemble 1 unit. I have a set number of stations where him/her will be tasked to complete the necessary steps based on the amount of units being produced for that month. Thus, is it possible (given the amount of time for each station) to organize all my tasks automatically?


Example:
Major steps Time to do task (sec)
Install seal tight strip 50
Check torque 30
Insert nut 30


Install Part A 120
Torque bolts 20
Torque brake 95

THUS I want Microsoft access to generate the following:
Person A will install seal tight strip, check torque, insert nut for a total time of 110 sec
Person B will install Part A for a total time of 120 sec
Person C will torque bolts and brakes for a total time of 115sec

I want steps broken down evenly. Can Access do this? If so can I get a super general breakdown and I can do research on how to generate this. Much appreciated!

[ranman256]

Access IS the tool to use.
I too work in manufacturing and I use Access for for storing data on each machine.
With all the history, you can generate reports of the past data.

I doesnt sound like a complicated project so you should be able to learn as you make the db. (the best method)

[mike60smart]

Hi

You will need a table for Employees and a Table for Tasks

So then 1 Employee has a set number of Tasks to complete

[bgup]

What if the number of employees changes? Is there a way to enter how many employees there are prior to assigning the tasks to each employee?

[mike60smart]

Hi

Yes you would have a Main Form based on Employees and a Subform based on Assigned Tasks.

This Form would be edited by the Administrator as and when Employees Change Tasks or New Employees Added

[bgup]

The name or information about the employees does not matter. The only important information that I need is the number of employees. Then I want to use that number and tabulate my information. I basically want to input (single button) the number of employees and have it generate everything else.

[mike60smart]

Hi

I have no idea how to achieve that for you.

You must first allocate tasks for A, B & C or however many people you need for the whole process.

[bgup]

That is what I am asking. Can Access generate the task list for each employee if I give the number of available employees.

[mike60smart]

Well I am told that Access can do all things but when you enter say 5 as the number of Employees.
Who will be the 5 Employees?
Do you want access to randomly allocate the list of Tasks?
When, at a later date, How will you know which Employee completed a specific Task?

I doubt you have thought the process through completely as a task must be completed by a specific Employee.

[bgup]

For my example, the employees change all too often. Rather than employees maybe "stations" is a better word. So at each station, a specific number of tasks have to be completed multiple times a day ("X" amount of seconds). I have a list of all the tasks (with times associated to each task) but they will be allocated to each station differently depending on the number of units being produced every day. I want access to generate the list of tasks for each station up to a specified time allowed at each station.

[davegri]

A complication might be that when evening the steps, what about priority? Torque Brake might need to be completed before Insert Nut. That limits how you can combine the tasks to even out the times. That's a very complicating factor if you have many dependent tasks.

[bgup]

That is my concern too because there will be instances where I can't split evenly. Will that be an issue?

[davegri]

Will that be an issue?

It will certainly be a major coding issue in Access. You have to decide if it's an issue for the work flow in your plant.

[bgup]

If it is not an issue, is the best route to make a table with my tasks then add up the time needed to perform the tasks until it is capped by "X" time per station then proceed to the next station, etc?

[davegri]

If it is not an issue, is the best route to make a table with my tasks then add up the time needed to perform the tasks until it is capped by "X" time per station then proceed to the next station, etc?

Sounds OK, but there are considerations.

Are you manufacturing many hundred of products a day with a few steps, or a few products a day with hundreds of steps?

How often would you set up your production line with this?
How many products, subassemblies, etc do you have?
How many steps does it take to complete a product?
How many stations do you have?
How will you manage the flow of work from station to station?
How do you know if a missing or broken part will throw the whole thing off and how will you adjust for this?
You can't just ignore the dependency issue.

These aren't questions I expect you to answer here, just various things that might need consideration.