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Shift Handover

Overview​

Shift Handover adds a structured end-of-shift handoff workflow to ShopPulse. When an outgoing operator clocks out, they can review their shift analytics, add notes about machine conditions or issues, and submit a handover summary for the incoming operator. Max AI — MachineMetrics' built-in AI agent — processes the operator's raw notes and generates a structured, machine-grouped summary. The incoming operator sees this summary alongside their assigned work when they sign in.

Shift Handover helps ensure critical information — machine issues, maintenance needs, job status, and other observations — transfers reliably between shifts instead of being lost in verbal handoffs or forgotten entirely.

Feature Availability​

RequirementDetails
ModuleMES Package
ERP IntegrationRequired. Active integration with a supported ERP.
MES EnabledMES must be enabled on the individual machine.
Manage Jobs InMust be set to ShopPulse (not ERP Driven).
Clock Out FlowMust be enabled at the account level (IT Admin or higher). Shift handover requires Clock Out Flow — without it the feature cannot function.
Shift Handover ToggleMust be enabled per machine — either from the MES Settings page (Handover column) or the individual machine's Production & Operations tab (Optional Features section → "Enable shift handover").
Access LevelOperators interact with shift handover during clock out and clock in via ShopPulse. Manager, Executive, or IT Admin users enable/disable the feature in MES Settings or individual machine settings.

How It Works​

Shift handover has two sides: the clock-out flow (outgoing operator) and the clock-in flow (incoming operator).

Clock Out​

Tapping Sign out asks first whether you're leaving for the day:

  • No signs you out of this machine only. No handover.
  • Yes starts the clock-out sequence.

On the Yes path, any unsubmitted work is resolved first. What that looks like depends on how much is open: nothing open goes straight to the handover, one job opens that job's submission form directly, and two or more open the review sheet so they can be worked through in sequence. See How to Use ShopPulse on MES-Enabled Machines for how submission works.

Once the work is resolved, the handover wizard opens:

  1. Shift analytics summary — stat cards with key shift metrics, and colour-coded timelines showing how each machine's time was spent. Everything is scoped to the machines you actually ran this shift, not the whole floor.
  2. Add a note (optional) — free-text typing or voice dictation, with quick-insert badges for tagging what happened. Notes can be informal; Max AI does the structuring.
  3. AI review — Max AI generates a structured, machine-grouped summary from your note plus what happened on your machines. Review it, revise the note if needed, and submit.

To leave without a note, use Clock out without note on the analytics screen. The next operator sees "No notes from previous shift."

Clock In​

Every time an operator signs in for the day, they see a two-panel handover screen before their job queue loads:

  • Today's Work on the left — the jobs assigned for the shift, grouped by machine.
  • Previous Shift on the right, with the shift's date — the previous operator's handover summary. If they clocked out without submitting a note, this panel displays "No notes from previous shift."

Both panels always appear; neither can be suppressed by configuration. The incoming operator dismisses the screen and begins work.

The handover screen can be reopened later in the shift from the Shift Handover item in the ShopPulse utility menu — useful when the notes get dismissed and are needed again hours later.

What the Analytics Summary Shows​

Four stat cards, each with a headline figure and a supporting detail:

CardDetail line
MachinesUtilization across the machines you ran
JobsSetup rate
PartsReject rate
RateChange against the previous shift — improvement or decline

Below them, one timeline per machine, coloured by state: Setup, Active, Idle, Fault, and Not reporting.

What the Note Editor Offers​

The editor accepts free text. A microphone button dictates instead of typing, which is useful with gloves on or in a noisy cell.

Above the text field, quick-insert badges offer shortcuts drawn from what actually happened on your shift — machines that faulted, tickets you submitted, jobs in progress, and machines with a downtime category logged. Tapping one inserts a tagged reference into your note, which helps Max AI group the summary against the right machine. If little has happened yet, there may be no badges to offer — you can always just type.

How to Use It​

For Administrators: Enabling Shift Handover​

  1. Navigate to Settings → MES → Machines tab.
  2. Locate the machine in the table and enable the Handover toggle.

Alternatively, open the individual machine's settings, go to the Production & Operations tab, scroll to Optional Features, and toggle "Enable shift handover" on.

Shift handover can be enabled on any MES-enabled machine where "Manage jobs in" is set to ShopPulse.

For Operators: Clocking Out with a Handover​

  1. Tap Sign out from the ShopPulse control bar.
  2. When asked "Clock out for the day?", tap Yes.
  3. Resolve any unsubmitted work when prompted.
  4. Review your shift analytics summary.
  5. Tap Add note to leave observations for the next operator.
  6. Type or dictate your notes. Use the quick-insert badges to tag machines and orders — Max AI will structure everything.
  7. Tap Save changes and review the AI-generated summary. Tap Edit note if anything needs revising, then tap Submit and clock out.

To skip the handover, tap Clock out without note on the analytics screen.

For Operators: Viewing the Handover on Clock In​

  1. Tap Sign in on the ShopPulse device and identify yourself.
  2. Review the handover screen: Today's Work on the left, Previous Shift on the right. If the previous operator didn't submit a note, the right panel shows "No notes from previous shift."
  3. Close the screen and begin work.

To bring it back later in the shift, open the utility menu and choose Shift Handover.

Tips & Best Practices​

  • Be specific in your notes. Mention machine names, order numbers, and specific issues. Notes like "press was acting weird" are less useful than "Line 3 Press required 2 PLC reboots — possible sensor fault." Max AI works best with concrete details.
  • Use the note editor tools. Tap the quick-insert badges to tag machines and orders — this helps Max AI associate notes with the right machines. If typing is impractical (gloves, noisy environment, pressed for time), use the microphone button to dictate instead.
  • Leave a note even on a quiet shift. "Nothing unusual" is genuinely useful information to the next operator, and it's faster than they'd expect.

FAQs & Troubleshooting​

  • Why don't I see the handover screen when I clock out? Shift handover must be enabled on your specific machine by an administrator. If you don't see it, check with your manager. Also confirm that you selected "Yes" when asked "Clock out for the day?" — selecting "No" signs you out of the machine without the handover flow.

  • Why am I being asked to submit labor before the handover? Clocking out for the day resolves your open work first. Once everything is submitted, the handover wizard opens.

  • Why is the Handover toggle disabled in MES Settings? Clock Out Flow must be enabled at the account level before the Handover toggle can be turned on. Hover over the disabled toggle to see a tooltip confirming this dependency. Clock Out Flow requires IT Admin access — contact your IT Admin to enable it.

  • What's the difference between "Enable shift handover" and "Clock Out Flow"? Clock Out Flow is an account-level setting (enabled by an IT Admin or higher) that provides a structured clock-in/out experience for MES machines managed in ShopPulse. Shift handover is a per-machine feature that builds on top of that experience by adding the shift analytics summary, note-taking, and AI-generated handoff. Clock Out Flow is a hard dependency — shift handover cannot function without it.

  • I dismissed the handover notes and need them back. Open the utility menu in the ShopPulse control bar and choose Shift Handover.

  • The numbers on my analytics summary don't match the whole floor. They aren't meant to — the summary covers only the machines you ran during your shift.

Need Help?​

Contact your Solutions Delivery Manager or email support@machinemetrics.com.