Enter the number of trees and hours an employee has worked pruning so GrowData can provide key information such as remaining trees to be pruned.
Overview:
There are two methods to record Pruning tasks in GrowData.
1. Simply setting 'pruning' as an activity type in Timesheets;
2. Use the Pruning records feature, which this article will explain.
The main difference with using the Pruning records feature, is that it provides an overview on the number of trees completed versus those remaining in each block, making it easier to compare progress against contractor invoices.
This article will show you how to enter pruning records, and run pruning reports.
Before you get started:
Pruning requires the following features in the Set-Up menu to be fully effective:
- Blocks (Vital - Required to select a block and ensuring tree numbers.)
- Employees (Vital - Required to assign a pruning record.)
- Machinery (Non-vital - Used for tracking machinery costs where relevant.)
- Crops & Varieties (Non-vital - Used in the rate field to calculate Kilo, Bin, Half-bin, Unit, Bag amounts.)
- Picking (Non-vital - Used in the rate field to determine Kilo, Bin, Half-bin, Unit, Bag amounts.)
Instructions:
1. From the Main Dashboard, go to Enter Data, then Pruning.
2. Click ‘Block ID’ drop down menu. You’ll see all your configured blocks in the drop down menu. Select the block you wish to record pruning.
You’ll now be able to create a record for that block in the field below.
3. Starting with the date, it will automatically show the current day. Ensure that if you are reporting for a previous day to change it here.
4. You'll then need to select an employee from the drop down menu. Note that the menu will only display employees and not any contractors or pickers.
Note: If you use a contractor for Pruning, and don't need to record individual people hours, it is advisable to set up a generic employee e.g. 'LabourHire123' so that you can allocate them to the Pruning record.
5. Next, select the rate type that best matches how you intend to pay your workers. For example, if you are paying your employees by the tree or by the hour.
6. You’ll need to enter the number of trees pruned. If you set up the number of rows in the block creation, you can instead type in the total number of rows pruned.
7. Depending on the rate type you have chosen, you’ll then need to enter the amount in the rate field.
An example is entering 1.5 if your employee pruned for an hour and half and your rate type is set to hours.
If the rate type is set to hour, an employee's rate will automatically display when you select the employee if their hourly rate was assigned in their setup.
8. If your rate type is set to hours and you have setup your machinery, you can then select the machine drop down menu which will automatically add the total running costs of the chosen machine to the total cost amount. If not, these can remain blank.
9. With all those steps finished you can create another entry in the same block by clicking on the next line below your previous entry. This is useful if you have multiple employees pruning in the same block or tracking pruning progress over multiple days.
If you wish to see how many trees have been pruned in one record, the total is displayed underneath the data entry table.
If you wish to know more on total trees pruned or how many trees remain are yet to be pruned in a block, click the Pruning Progress button underneath the data entry table. A new window will appear, from here enter the desired start and end dates. Click the re-calculate button to update the amounts, and the done button to exit the calculator.
When you've completed all the records in the field and wish to create a report, click the Pruning Report button at the bottom of the screen. Make sure you enter the correct start and end date as well as the correct property. You can then choose the report type and preview or print the report.
An example report using the "Pruning by block" report type.
FAQ's & other handy things to know:
- If you are pruning multiple blocks, you will need to have a record for each block.
To create a new record, navigate to the 'Find Record' section at the bottom and click on the arrow pointing to the right with an asterisk * and that will create a new record. Navigate between records using the arrows < > or with the dropdown. - When attempting to locate a previous record, older pruning records may not show if the "This seasons records" option is highlighted. "This seasons records" will present records in which every pruning entry is dated to the current year (This means on January 1st, a new season will start and all previous entries will be considered out of season). If you require to view previous pruning records from previous years, changing the sorting option to "all records" to reveal them.