Create New Work Order
To create a new Work Order, first go to the Work Order menu and click on the New Work Order link.
Fill in the Fields
The Lot Number is automatically assigned. It is a unique number about what the entity is. Select the InternalPartNum which is a Product or Finished Good that has BOM and/or a Stockbill. Enter the quantity you want to build in the Qty field. Enter the Due Date, which is the date the Work Order is supposed to be completed on in the DueDate field. Enter the Release Date, which is the date the Work Order is supposed to be released to the floor in the ReleaseDate field. If you are building the Work Order specifically for a job, or Sales Order, then select the Sales Order Number from the SalesOrderNum drop down menu. You can typ in the number to do this, or select if from the drop down menu, or use a combination of both methods. (This is not a required step.) Enter in any applicable notes you want in the WONotes field. (This is not a required step.)
Process through the Production Statuses
This Work Order is now ready to go through the process of Planning, Firming, Materials Checking, Releasing to the Floor, and Finishing. You may have closed out of the Work Order form since first creating the Work Order, so now when you open the Work Order form, open it by clicking the Edit Work Order link from the Work Order menu, then pull up the appropriate Work Order based on it's Lot Number, or associated Sales Order Number.
The steps in fulfilling a Work Order are tied into the following indicator statuses that are to be checked off from the Work Order Manager. Press these buttons along the bottom of the screen in order to check these statuses off.
Planning:
This status means you have written the Work Order up and things look like you need it, although you may not be sure about the quantity and dates because of demands you are getting in, or other inventory issues. Work Orders with this status are Included in MRP reports. Until they are at least Planned, they do not show up in MRP reports. Check the Planned status off when you have written the Work Order up and are ready for it to be included in MRP.
Firming:
This status is to indicate the Work Order has been written up, and that quantities and dates have been firmed up and verified by the planner. Check the Firmed status off when you have firm quantities and dates for the Work Order.
Materials Check:
This status is to indicate that the WorkOrder has been checked for Materials availability. Check this status off when you have checked that Materials are available, shortly before you are ready to release it to the floor.
Releasing to Floor:
This status means the Work Order has been released to the floor, and that the BOM materials times the quantity has been allocated into a status called Work In Progress (WIP). This means the Product is not Finished Goods yet, but it is taken out of inventory. Check the Released status off when you release the Work Order to the floor to start production on it.
Finishing:
This status is to indicate that the Work Order has been finished, and the pieces are no longer in WIP and inventory has be increased for the Part or Finished Good. When finishing the Work Order, enter the quantity that was finished in the QtyFinished field. Enter the date in the Finishdate field, and enter your name or intials as the person finishing the Work Order. Then clcik the Finished button to check the status off to indicate that the Work Order has been fulfilled. Clicking the Finished button brings up the Work Order WIP Debit Manager. It displays the quantity that was put into WIP in the WIPQty field. Based off the Pull Sheet, enter the actual DebitQty for the Work Order. This is how much you actually used. Use the record selector to go through each component and enter the DebitQty. When you are finished entering in the actual quantities, and click the Finished button, a box pops up asking if you wish to debit the inventory. Click "Yes" unless there has been some kind of mistake. Then it asks you if you want to add or subtract any remaining WIP Inventory back to current Inventory. This would be if you used less or more than you initially indicated on the Work Order. You will almost always say "Yes" to this. When you get back to the Work Order Manager, you will see the transaction in the Notes field. If when you go to Finish a Work Order, and you Finished less than the Work Order initially called for, you will get a popup box that will ask you if you want to close the Order out completely, or leave a certain amount on Back Order. This is just like receiving a partial from a Purchase Order.
Closing:
This status is to indicate that the WorkOrder is closed, and will not be included in any MRP Reports. Check the Closed status off when there is nothing left to do or track on this Work Order.
Here is a screenshot of the Work Order Manager:
Plan Work Orders <top>
MRP Check
Work Orders can be planned through MRP planning. First open the MRP Manager from the Inventory menu. Click the Typical Production button to set the program for a Typical production scenario. This will show you the current demands in the system, based on Sales Orders and Inventory. This step is to get a basic idea of the production status. Click the Run MRP Report button. From the Report Selection Screen, click the TotalMRP report link, then click the Preview button. It will then show you what you have in stock for Finished Goods, and what your Projected Inventory is based on Sales Order demand. Work Orders that are Finished but Not Closed will show up in MRP as zero demand entries. If you see these items listed in your MRP reports then it shows you someone isnt doing the job right and Closing the already Finished Work Orders.
Plan Work Orders
From the MRP Manager, with the typical production settings still checked, click the "Plan WO" button. This will then go through the MRP report and suggests Work Orders in the Work Order Planning Manager that you need to fulfill your obligations. It suggests them based on Release dates, Due Dates, and Order Quantities. If there is more than one Work Orders suggested, then the first line suggests a quantity, and if you don't plan that first Work Order, then the quantity in the second suggested Work Order indicates the Order quantity with the first quantity included. If you are planning the Work Orders, and decided to Firm the first suggested Work Order, then you would adjust the second Work Order manually to reflect the quantity minus the first lines quantity. If you do not check off the suggested Work Orders as Firmed, then they will be deleted when you close the Planning Manager. If you did choose to Firm them, they will now be viewable from the Work Order Manager flagged as Planned and Firmed, with Dates and Quantities suggested from the MRP report. You can now go back and run the same production MRP report and view your updated Projections. This report will now include component demands based on the Work Orders you planned. Based on what this report tells you, you will know whether you can begin production, or whether you need to go through another layer of planning. This next layer, if you don't have the components you need to build your Finished Goods, would be to plan your Purchasing.
