Overview
Clocking in and out in ShopView tracks how technicians and other team members spend their time — whether working on a billable Work Order line or non-billable Department task.
Work Order lines represent billable work tied to a customer and asset.
Departments track non-billable time such as shop cleanup, training, or parts pickup or if the user is hourly but not a technician.
Although technicians are the main users of the punch clock, any user with time clock enabled can clock into either job lines or departments as available.
⚙️ Note: ShopView allows flexibility — technicians can punch into any job, even if they’re not assigned, ensuring they can assist others without being restricted by assignment.
How It Works
Work Orders vs. Departments
Type | Purpose | Billable | Linked to Asset | Example Uses |
Work Order Line | Billable time tracking that is tied to an asset's history and invoiced to a customer. | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | Technician time on a job line that is billable to a customer |
Department | Internal, non-billable, payroll only time tracking | ❌ No | ❌ No | Shop Cleanup, Training, Parts Pickup, Tool Maintenance. Any hourly staff can have a designated department for tracking their payroll hours |
Departments record time for payroll reporting but do not count toward billed hours or appear on a WO. Do not use departments for unpaid breaks, the time will be reported for payroll.
🧭 Use WOs for any asset-related work to ensure proper history tracking. Use Departments for internal or general tasks.
Step-by-Step Example
Clocking Into a Work Order
There are three main ways to start work on a WO line:
From the Time Clock Widget (Top Right)
Click the Play button (round with grey triangle) in the top right corner.
A modal will appear showing:
Start Work header
Left side: Work Orders assigned to you
Right side: Departments available to you
Click a WO to open it, then select a line to start, or choose a department directly.
From the Schedule
Open the Schedule view.
Find your assigned job and click it to open the WO Schedule modal or use the white hyperlink (box with arrow) on the far left of the scheduled job
If already in the WO schedule modal, click the blue hyperlink (box with arrow) to open the WO and select a line to start work.
From a Work Order Listing
Navigate to the WO from the Work Order list, Customer file, or Asset file.
Open the WO and click the Start button on the line you’re working on.
Once clocked in, there are indicators at a glance:
The line turns green
The WO is bolded on the Work Order list
On the Schedule, the WO changes from blue to green
The time widget (top right) starts counting and shows the active WO number or Department.
Switching Between Lines and Work Orders
When you’re finished with one line and ready to start another:
Click Start on the next line.
A modal appears showing:
Stop Working on WO# [Line Description]
Toggle for Line Completed?
Select if work is done (only available if all parts are received, cores are marked OK/Not OK and you have written a story)
What have you been doing on this line? (Technician Story field — required only when completing a line, not required if switching tasks but the line remains uncompleted)
Below, you’ll see Start WO# [Next Line Description].
Click Start to transition directly — no need to punch out first.
This same process applies when switching between different Work Orders. No need to clock out of your current WO to move to another one, simply find the new WO with one of the options as mentioned above and click start on the line you are required to work on.
🧩 You can always click the Time Widget to return to your current WO or if you are on your current WO, when you click on the widget, it will open a modal to Stop working on the line, start on a Department or Clock Out.
Clocking Into a Department
When you’re ready to work on a non-billable task:
Click the Time Widget (top right).
The modal will list all departments available to you (e.g., Coffee Break, Shop Cleanup, Training).
If not already punched in, you will see any available departments on the right.
If you are punched onto a WO or another department, you will see your departments at the bottom. (you will have the same options you have when switching between lines)
Select a department (checkbox)
A Start button will appear, replacing the Clock Out button
When the department time ends:
Click the Time Widget again.
The modal shows Stop [Department Name] and asks for a description under “Please enter a description of the work performed.”
This description is required for all departments to ensure accountability.
Below that, you can select Start WO# [Description of Line] to move directly into the next job.
Clocking Out for the Day or Unpaid Breaks
Click the Time Widget.
Choose Clock Out (red button) to end all work for the day or take an unpaid break.
This stops your active timer and completes your time record for the session.
End of Day and Time Totals
When you’re clocked into a job or department, you’ll always see two key time indicators in the top right corner of ShopView:
Area | Description |
Active Punch (counting up) | Shows your active punch — the job line or department you’re currently clocked into, counting up in real time. |
Daily Total | Displays the total time completed you’ve worked so far today, minus your active punch, including all completed punches (lines and departments). It updates automatically each time you stop or switch jobs. |
Example:
If you’ve finished three repair lines and one 15-minute coffee break totaling 4.0 hours, your Daily Total will show 4.0h.
If you’re currently clocked into another job for 1 hour, the timer on your widget will show 1:00, but your Daily Total remains 4.0h until you stop that active punch — then it becomes 5.0h.
You can click either section for more details:
Clicking the Active Punch (⏱️) opens your active WO or modal to switch tasks
Clicking the Daily Total opens your Time Detail modal, where you can:
Review all punches for the day (lines and departments)
Use date filters to view past time records
When you finish your day, click the Active Punch (⏱️) and select Clock Out. This ends all active punches and finalizes your time entries for that day.
Related Articles
Assigning Technicians to Lines in ShopView
Adding Lines and Parts to New and Existing Work Orders
Work Order Status Workflow in ShopView
Work Order Overview in ShopView