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What it does

  • Creates and maintains a structured timeline of upcoming production activities
  • Links Work Orders to specific dates, workstations, and operators
  • Provides a consolidated view of load across all work centers
  • Automatically adjusts schedules when work orders are created, modified, or cancelled

Why it matters

  • Ensures that production runs start and finish on time
  • Balances workload across machines and shifts to avoid bottlenecks
  • Integrates material availability checks so you don’t schedule jobs you can’t fulfill
  • Helps managers make data-driven decisions about capacity, overtime, and priorities
Prerequisites
  • Workstations are configured under Manufacturing > Workstation > Workstation List.
  • Work Orders exist or can be created under Manufacturing > Work Order > Work Order List.
  • Material availability is verified (Material Requests created or stock levels updated).

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1.0 Access the Production Scheduler

  1. Navigate to Manufacturing > Production Schedule > Production Schedule List.
  2. Click New to open a blank Production Schedule form.
If you prefer a Gantt or calendar view, use Manufacturing > Planning > Production Gantt (if enabled).
  1. In the Production Schedule form, click Get Work Orders.
  2. In the pop-up, filter by:
    • Status = “Submitted” (so only open work orders appear)
    • Workstation (select specific work center if you’re scheduling by machine)
    • Delivery Date (e.g., next 30 days)
  3. Select one or more Work Orders you want to schedule.
  4. Click Add—the chosen Work Orders populate the Scheduled Items table.

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3.0 Assign Dates and Workstations

  1. In the Scheduled Items table, each row lists a Work Order. Fields include:
    • Work Order No.
    • Production Item
    • Qty to Produce
    • BOM
    • Planned Start Date and Planned End Date (blank initially)
    • Workstation (pre-filled from the Work Order but editable)
  2. Click the Planned Start Date cell for a row and select the date the job should begin.
  3. Click the Planned End Date cell and pick the expected completion date—CGIC can auto-calculate duration if operation times are defined.
  4. If needed, change the Workstation to balance load (e.g., switch from “Filling Machine #1” to “Filling Machine #2”).
  5. Repeat for each Work Order until every row has dates and workstations assigned.
If your work orders have multiple operations across different workstations, schedule each operation in sequence by creating separate schedule entries per operation.

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4.0 Save and Submit the Schedule

  1. After assigning dates and workstations to all rows, click Save. CGIC validates for conflicts (e.g., two jobs on the same machine at the same time).
  2. If there are conflicts, CGIC highlights them—adjust dates or change workstations as needed.
  3. Once validation passes, click Submit.
    • The schedule status changes to Scheduled.
    • Work Orders reflect their planned dates and workstations in their own forms.
    • The scheduler can now generate load reports and capacity charts.
Only submitted schedules can drive resource capacity reporting. Draft schedules remain editable until submitted.

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5.0 Adjust or Reschedule Work Orders

  1. Open the Production Schedule from Production Schedule List.
  2. Click Actions > Edit to enter edit mode.
  3. In the Scheduled Items table, modify:
    • Planned Start/End Dates to shift timeline forward or backward
    • Workstation if you reallocate a job to a different machine
    • Qty to Produce if the Work Order quantity changes
  4. Click Save. CGIC re-validates for conflicts—resolve any date or machine overlaps.
  5. Click Submit to apply the updated schedule.
    • Downstream documents (e.g., Work Orders, Material Requests) automatically update to reflect new dates.
Use Actions > Cancel Schedule if you need to remove all scheduled dates and start over.

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6.0 View Capacity and Load Reports

  1. Navigate to Manufacturing > Reports > Capacity Utilization.
  2. Filter by Workstation, Date Range, or Production Item.
  3. Click Refresh.
  4. Review the load chart showing:
    • Scheduled Hours vs. Available Hours per workstation
    • Overloaded workstations (highlighted in red)
    • Under-utilized machines (highlighted in green)
  5. Use these insights to shift jobs between machines or adjust hire/shift plans.