How do I schedule work orders in Production Scheduling?

Article code: PSHDD01
Tags: Scheduling Work Orders, Highlight, Drag and Drop, Shift Key

Answer

There are three different ways to schedule work orders in Production Scheduling:

1. Drag a work order card from the list of work orders
2. Hold down the Shift key and then drag a work order card over a work shift on the schedule
3. Highlight a section of time on the schedule

1. Drag a work order card from the list of work orders

This is the main method to schedule work orders in Production Scheduling, which will automatically calculate the duration of time needed to complete production on the work order.

For underscheduled work orders (i.e. work orders that have been partially scheduled), it is easier and faster to schedule the remaining production units by dragging the work order from the list of work orders. This scheduling method is faster because the time required for workers/machines to complete the remaining production will be calculated for you!

For example, you have accepted a work order request to produce 200 units. Due to a labor shortage, you can only schedule 150 units to be produced today, which leaves 50 units unscheduled. To schedule the remaining 50 units for tomorrow, you can drag the work order card from the list of work orders and place it on a line. Production Scheduling will automatically calculate the time it takes for workers/machines to finish producing the remaining 50 units. 

2. Hold down the Shift key and then drag a work order card over a work shift on the schedule

This scheduling method is best used when you want to schedule work orders to fill up an entire shift or time gaps in a shift. You can also perform the same action on an existing work block on the  schedule, by holding down the Shift key and dragging a work block across the entire shift. 

When you hold down the Shift key to schedule a work order, a green bar will display behind it to fill in available time on a shift on the schedule. See image below.

Fig. 1: Scheduling an existing work block to fill an entire shift by holding down the Shift key

For example, a customer cancels their work order request before production has started. This opens up 4 hours on the schedule where there is no production scheduled. You can use this method to automatically fill the entire 4 hours on the schedule with production for a different work order.

When you use this scheduling method, help-text will appear as a friendly reminder that you can hold down the Shift key when using the dragging method to fill in available time on a shift.

How to use the Shift key scheduling method

To schedule work orders to fill an entire shift:

1. Drag a work order card from the sidebar
   OR
   Drag a work block that has already been scheduled on a line
2. Hold down the Shift key
   Note: A green bar will display indicating that the remainder of the shift will be used to schedule production for the work order/work block you are clicking on.
3. Move the selected work order card or work block to a line
4. Release the Shift key

Result: You have scheduled a work order to fill an entire shift. Production Scheduling will also update the work order status based on the recently scheduled work block(s). 

3. Highlight a section of time on the schedule

This scheduling method is best used when you want to schedule production or downtime during a specific time. For example, you want to schedule 2 hours of machine repair at your facility from 8 AM to 10 AM. When you highlight a section of time on the schedule, a green bar will display. See image below.

Fig. 2: Highlighting 2 hours for machine repair time

To schedule downtime:

1. Determine how long downtime will last and for which line
2. Click and drag a section of time on the schedule 
   Note: A green bar will display indicating that you have selected a specific timeframe on the schedule
3. Select Downtime block in the Create block pop-up window
4. Enter information about the downtime
5. Click Save

Result: You have scheduled downtime, which will display as a light grey block.

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Related HelpDesk Articles:

• Which scheduling method should I use to schedule remaining units on a work order in Production Scheduling?
• Which scheduling method should I use if I want to schedule a work order to fill up an entire shift in Production Scheduling?
• What information will be updated when I schedule work order cards from the sidebar?
• How do I remove time gaps from the schedule in Production Scheduling?
• Can I overlap work blocks in Production Scheduling?