Shop-floor documentation: What is the packet of paperwork (or its digital equivalent) that travels with materials through each step of the production process commonly called?

Introduction / Context:
Manufacturing operations traditionally attach documentation to materials to guide routing, record completions, and capture quality checks. Knowing the correct term for this bundle aids communication between planning, production, and quality teams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The paperwork moves with the physical item between work centers.
• It includes routing steps, specifications, and sign-offs.
• We seek the common name used on the shop floor.

Concept / Approach:
A shop packet (also called a traveler or route sheet) accompanies materials to provide instructions, record actual start/finish times, and capture inspections or rework notes. It is distinct from documents used for logistics (for example, picking tickets in warehouses) or transport (weigh bills). A work order authorizes production but is not necessarily the packet itself, although its information is usually included in the packet.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Identify the function: documentation that literally “travels” with materials.Match to the term used on shop floors: shop packet/traveler.Differentiate from warehouse and transport documents.

Verification / Alternative check:
MES implementations often digitize the shop packet as electronic work instructions and data collection screens tied to the same routing.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Weigh bill: Freight/transport document, not intra-plant process guidance.
• Picking ticket: Warehouse order-picking document, not production traveler.
• Work order: Authorizes work but is not the full traveling packet of instructions and checklists.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing the authorizing document (work order) with the comprehensive traveler; the traveler bundles instructions, data capture, and quality checkpoints.

Final Answer:
shop packet