Production Report Assistant
By Schroeder, Kristin; Shones, Josh; Tareski, Val; NSF 2005 Engineering Senior Design Projects to Aid Persons With Disabilities, pp. 110-111Publication Date: 2005
Description of an electronic production monitoring system for a center providing services to adults with developmental disabilities. Circa 50 participants at the center perform meaningful work for which they earn money on a piece-rate basis, requiring staff members to keep detailed records. Developed at the Department of Electrical Engineering of North Dakota State University, the system allows the center’s staff to monitor each individual’s production, eliminate bulky paperwork, and streamline storage of data. The system consists of PDAs (personal digital assistants) with custom-formulated Pocket Excel spreadsheets that include names and performance evaluations of each worker. Each PDA supports every client, allowing staff members to check on any individual. An administrative assistant receives the PDAs at the end of the day when data from all spreadsheets are automatically combined into a master spreadsheet and tallied. The spreadsheets can be transferred to a computer via USB, IR, or Bluetooth. The center staff tested the system for three weeks during mid-design, and feedback was incorporated into the final design.
Published by: Creative Learning Press, Inc. (Website:http://www.creativelearningpress.com)
Link to text: http://nsf-pad.bme.uconn.edu/2005/North%20Dakota%20State%20University.pdf
ISBN: 1-931280-03-7
