Field Operations Management Guide

Managing farm labor effectively requires more than just recording data—it’s about creating a continuous loop of planning, execution, and analysis. This guide shows you how to integrate all the tools in the Field Tasks module to maximize your farm’s efficiency.

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1. Designing Your Workflow

A professional labor management workflow follows these three stages:

Step 1: Standardization (Field Tasks)

Before you start, ensure your Field Tasks are properly segregated.

• Instead of: “General Maintenance.”
• Use: “Drainage Cleaning,” “Fence Repair,” and “Plateo.” Goal: Each task should have a clear unit price and unit of measurement to avoid payment disputes and enable accurate cost audits.

Step 2: Financial Planning (Field Cycles)

At the beginning of your pay period (e.g., the 1st of the month):

1. Create a new Field Cycle.
2. Add Line Items for all the work you intend to perform.
3. Assign Contractors and Lots. Goal: Look at the Total Budgeted Cost. Does this fit your monthly cash flow? If not, adjust the quantities or reschedule non-critical tasks to the next cycle.

Step 3: Operational Control (Execution)

As the weeks progress:

1. Monitor the Calendar: Identify Red Status (Delayed) items. If a contractor is constantly delayed, you may need to re-assign the work to ensure lot health doesn’t deteriorate.
2. Verify Progress: Use the Progress Percentage to see if work is moving as planned.
3. Approve Logs: Review the Logs before the cycle ends. Ensure notes are used to document any issues (e.g., “Heavy rain prevented completion”).

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2. Analyzing Performance with Supply Reports

The Field Tasks module is deeply integrated with your Supply Inventory. When a task consumes materials (like fertilizer or herbicide), the system tracks these as “Exits.”

Finding Insights in Reports

Navigate to Farm → Supply → Reports to see the impact of your field execution:

• Consumption by Field Task: Which jobs are draining your budget? If “Chemical Plateo” costs are spiking, the report will show you if it’s due to higher supply prices (WAVCO) or inefficient application in the field.
• Consumption by Contractor: Identify your most efficient team members. If two contractors are performing the same task but one uses 20% more supply for the same number of trees, you have an opportunity for training and cost saving.
• Consumption by Lot: High consumption in a specific lot over multiple cycles may indicate a persistent biological problem that requires a different strategic approach.

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3. Financial Closing & Payment

At the end of the cycle:

1. Review the Total Actual Cost: This is the precise amount you need to pay across all contractors.
2. Download the PDF ZIP: Each contractor gets a professional summary of their work.
3. Download the XLSX: Use the detailed data for your internal accounting software or to analyze year-over-year cost trends per hectare.

Expert Management

Keep your “Actual Cost” as close to your “Budgeted Cost” as possible. Large deviations indicate that either your planning needs improvement or your field execution is unpredictable.