Batch Tracking, Quality Checks, and Downtime Logging

Batch Tracking lets you follow one specific batch through five checkpoints — intake, in progress, QC pass, QC fail, and dispatch — with a photo at each stage, instead of relying on a single capture per event.

To log a checkpoint: open Batch Scan from the Factory hub at pos.askbiz.co/factory, take a photo, and enter the batch reference (a code you choose, for example SB-2607). If that reference doesn't exist yet, AskBiz creates it automatically at the checkpoint you're logging; if it already exists, this checkpoint is added to its trail and its status moves forward. There's no need to create a batch separately first — just type the same reference the same way each time.

The Batch hub lists every batch with its current status and photo trail, so you or an inspector can open any batch and see every checkpoint it's passed through, in order.

Quality Checks is a dedicated defect log, separate from a general wastage capture. Open Quality Check from the Factory hub, take a photo of the issue, then record:

• Defect type — dimensional, surface, contamination, assembly, packaging, or other
• Severity — critical, major, or minor
• Quantity affected and a product name
• Optional notes

Today, this tool only logs a fail — there's no "log a pass" or "clear this batch for dispatch" action in the app yet, so use it whenever you spot a defect, not to record a clean check. The Factory hub shows how many quality fails were logged today and flags if any were critical.

This is a different record from a wastage capture (Factory Captures): use a wastage capture to log damaged, spoiled, or rejected material leaving your stock; use a Quality Check to formally record the defect itself — its type, severity, and how much product it affected. Many factories log both for the same incident.

Downtime Logging tracks when a machine on your floor stops running. Open Machine Down from the Factory hub, photograph the machine, pick a reason — breakdown, changeover, no materials, quality hold, planned maintenance, or other — and give the machine a name (there are quick-pick suggestions like Mixer, Cutter, Press, Conveyor, Packer, and Boiler, or type your own). AskBiz remembers machine names you've used before, so typing the same name again links this event to the same machine record.

When the machine is running again, open the same downtime event and close it with a second photo — AskBiz calculates and records how long it was down. The Factory hub shows any downtime events still open, so you always know if a machine is currently stopped.

All three tools are reached from the Factory hub (pos.askbiz.co/factory), alongside Factory Captures. None of them go through the pending-approval queue used for the four capture types — see Approving and Rejecting Captures — they save directly to your production record and are written to your audit trail.

The permission flags are:

• batch.log to log a checkpoint, batch.view to view the batch hub
• quality.check to log a defect, quality.view to view quality history
• downtime.report to open an event, downtime.close to close one, downtime.view to view them

See Factory Roles and Permissions for which of the five factory role templates carry which of these by default.