Stop work orders auto-starting the moment they're opened
Odoo's Shop Floor tablet starts the production timer the instant an operator opens a work order — even when they are just checking details. Get a real off switch, with layered defaults, batch control, and a full audit trail.
The problem
In Odoo's Shop Floor (tablet) app, opening a work order card immediately starts its production timer. Operators who open an order just to check the routing, confirm quantities, or look up a component get charged for time they never actually worked. The result: inflated labour durations, distorted work-center efficiency, and unreliable costing and payroll data — all from a look, not a start.
The solution
Turn auto-start off wherever it matters: globally, per work center, or per manufacturing order. When it is off, opening a card is just a look — production starts only when an operator presses Start. Every viewed, auto-started, and manually-started event is logged, so supervisors can prove the fix is working.
Everything you need to trust your labour time
Every capability below is implemented in the module.
Per-order auto-start override
Toggle "Auto-start Work Orders" directly on the Manufacturing Order form so a single order can override the general policy without touching global settings.
Per-work-center default
Set an auto-start default on each work center — use the company default, always auto-start, or never auto-start — so a whole cell behaves consistently.
Global default setting
One toggle in Manufacturing Settings sets the fallback behaviour for every work order that does not have its own override.
Clear precedence order
Order overrides work center, which overrides the global default, so admins set a sensible baseline once and adjust only the exceptions.
Explicit Start control
When auto-start is off, opening a Shop Floor card never starts the timer; operators press a dedicated Start button the moment they actually begin production.
Batch enable/disable
Select any number of manufacturing orders from the list view and set their auto-start mode in one action, instead of editing each order individually.
Full audit trail
Every viewed, auto-started, and manually-started event is recorded with the work order, work center, employee, and timestamp.
Audit log list & detail views
Browse a colour-coded audit log list or drill into a single record to see exactly how and when a work order's timer was triggered.
Native Shop Floor integration
Works inside Odoo's existing Shop Floor tablet app; pause and continue controls behave exactly as before, with no separate app to open.
How it works
Set your defaults
Turn off auto-start globally in Manufacturing Settings, or set a default per work center.
Override where needed
Adjust the auto-start mode on individual manufacturing orders, alone or in batch from the list view.
Operators work as normal
On the Shop Floor tablet, opening a disabled work order no longer starts the timer; a Start button begins production deliberately.
Review the audit trail
Check the audit log to confirm which orders were viewed, auto-started, or manually started, and trust your labour data again.
Frequently asked
No sales fog. If your question isn't here, email us and we'll answer it the same way.
No. It patches the existing Shop Floor (tablet) app in place — pause, continue, and every other control work exactly as before. The only change is that opening a work order no longer force-starts its timer when auto-start is disabled.
Buy it on the Odoo App Store
Purchase, download and install directly from the official Odoo Apps Store — you'll always get the latest supported build.
Disable Work Order Auto-start on Open
Per-order, per-work-center and global control over whether opening a Shop Floor work order starts its timer — with explicit Start, batch enable/disable and a full audit trail.
Buy on Odoo App Store