Pre-Launch Checklist

Before you turn workers loose on FabWise, walk through this checklist. Catches the common missing pieces that cause day-one confusion.

Why it matters

A "soft" launch where one or two workers test the kiosk is easy. A "hard" launch where the whole shop is expected to use FabWise on Monday morning needs more preparation. This list catches the things that look obvious but get missed because there's no single screen that warns you.

Plan on 30 minutes to walk through this.

Company essentials

[ ] Shop name set (Admin → Settings → Company → Name)
[ ] Address and contact info complete (Admin → Settings → Company)
[ ] Timezone set to your shop's actual location (Admin → Settings → Company → Timezone) — this drives every time display
[ ] Logo uploaded (at least one customer-facing surface needs it)
[ ] Brand color picked (or kept as default if you don't have one)

For the full reference, see Company Settings.

Departments and schedules

[ ] All departments created (Admin → Settings → Scheduling → Departments)
[ ] At least one schedule template exists (Admin → Settings → Scheduling → Manage Schedules)
[ ] Every department has a schedule assigned — without a schedule, every shift in that department is unscheduled and gets flagged for review
[ ] Schedule entries cover the days you actually work (Mon–Fri set, Sat/Sun inactive — or whatever matches your shop)
[ ] Meal break duration set per schedule entry if your workers take meal breaks (30 min is standard for shifts over 6 hours)

For the full setup, see Schedules and Setting Up Departments and Workers.

Workers

[ ] Every shop floor worker added as a user (Admin → Users)
[ ] Each worker has Tracks Time = Yes
[ ] Each worker has a department assigned
[ ] Each worker has a unique 4-digit PIN (no shared PINs, no "1234" for everyone)
[ ] Each worker has an hourly rate set (if you'll use job costing — the rate drives labor cost on jobs)
[ ] Office team added (admins, managers, supervisors) with appropriate roles
[ ] Supervisor assignments set for every worker (so flagged shifts route to the right person)

For the full flow, see Setting Up Departments and Workers.

Pay period

[ ] Payroll start date set (Admin → Settings → Scheduling → Payroll section) — required for payroll export
[ ] Pay period frequency matches your real payroll (weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly)
[ ] One full pay period has elapsed in your test environment so you know what the export looks like (optional but useful)

Kiosk

[ ] At least one kiosk device paired (Admin → Settings → Devices → Add Kiosk Device)
[ ] Tablet physically mounted in an accessible location at eye level
[ ] Tablet plugged into power and "Stay awake while charging" enabled (the screen needs to stay on all shift)
[ ] Kiosk PWA installed on the tablet's home screen (so it launches full-screen, not in Chrome with the address bar)
[ ] Test PIN entry works — walk up, find a worker, enter their PIN, see the shift options screen

For the full tablet setup, see Set Up an Android Tablet for the Kiosk or Set Up an iPad for the Kiosk.

Workstation (optional)

If you're rolling out Workstation to workers' personal devices:

[ ] You've decided whether to enroll all workers, just supervisors, or skip it for launch
[ ] Enrollment QR codes generated for the first cohort
[ ] You've personally enrolled at least once so you've seen the worker experience
[ ] Setup instructions sent to workers (the platform-specific Workstation setup guides)

You can launch FabWise without Workstation. The kiosk does everything required for time tracking. Workstation is for the things between shifts.

Job costing (optional, if you're using it)

[ ] Labor codes set up (Admin → Settings → Labor Codes) — 8–15 categories matching how you want to report on labor
[ ] Internal codes set up if workers will track non-customer time (shop maintenance, training, meetings)
[ ] At least one job created end-to-end to see the flow
[ ] Quote terms set in Company Settings if you'll use FabWise for quoting

For the full picture, see Managing Jobs and Tasks and Time Tracking.

Customer portal (optional)

If you're publishing a public portal:

[ ] Portal slug picked and saved (Admin → Customer Portal)
[ ] Tagline and description written
[ ] At least 4 photos uploaded
[ ] Capabilities, materials, industries, certifications checked accurately
[ ] Business hours set
[ ] Enable portal + Public listing turned on (or whichever combination you want)
[ ] Viewed the public portal page at fabwise.app/shop/your-slug to confirm it looks right

For the full reference, see Set Up Your Customer Portal.

Day-one workflows you should walk through

Before you tell workers it's go time, walk through these end-to-end yourself:

[ ] Clock in at the kiosk as a test worker, start a shift, end a shift. Confirm it appears in admin under Shifts.
[ ] Take a meal break and end it. Confirm the duration shows in the shift detail.
[ ] Open the shift in admin as a supervisor. Confirm you can see capture times and approve.
[ ] Run the payroll export for the test period. Confirm the CSV opens cleanly and the columns match what your payroll provider expects.
[ ] If using job costing: start a task in Workstation against a real job. End it. Confirm the time shows in the job's cost rollup.

Things to tell your team before day one

Where the kiosk is (point at it during morning huddle)
Their PIN (give it to each person privately, not in front of others)
Don't share PINs or use someone else's
Tap Start Shift when you arrive, End Shift when you leave
Take your meal break through the kiosk (Start Meal Break / End Meal Break)
If something looks wrong, tell your supervisor — corrections are easy in shift review
Workstation is optional (if you're rolling it out, point them to the platform-specific setup guide)

A 5-minute group walkthrough at the kiosk on day one beats any written instruction. Show one start-shift, one meal break, one end-shift in front of everyone.

On day one

[ ] First worker successfully clocks in — verify their shift appears in admin
[ ] You're watching the kiosk live for the first hour in case anyone gets stuck
[ ] Phones available for questions — every worker should know who to ask
[ ] The previous time-clock system is still available as a backup for the first week (don't burn the boats on day one)

Common day-one issues and pre-emptive fixes

Problem	Pre-emptive fix
Worker not in kiosk list	Confirm Tracks Time = Yes and they're in an active department
PIN doesn't work	Test every PIN yourself before launch; reset if any are wrong
Multiple workers with same PIN	PINs must be unique across the account; FabWise prevents the save but make sure none slipped through
Worker forgets to clock in	Train on the "Forgot to clock in" option day one
Kiosk screen turning off	Confirm "Stay awake while charging" is enabled on the tablet
Wrong timezone on shifts	Set timezone in Company Settings before going live
Supervisors can't review shifts	Confirm supervisor assignments are set on every worker

Where to find it

All paths above are under: Admin → Settings, Admin → Users, Admin → Customer Portal
Who runs this checklist: account owner or admin doing the rollout
When to run it: the week before launch, then again the day before

[Your First Day With FabWise](your-first-day.md)
[Setting Up Your Shop](setting-up-your-shop.md)
[Setting Up Departments and Workers](../admin/setting-up-departments-and-workers.md)
[Schedules](../admin/scheduling.md)
[Company Settings](../admin/company-settings.md)
[Set Up an Android Tablet for the Kiosk](../kiosk/tablet-setup-android.md)
[Set Up an iPad for the Kiosk](../kiosk/tablet-setup-ipad.md)