Production planning and scheduling

Production planning decides what to make, in what order, and when — so you finish on time without running short on components.

Plan from demand

1. Review open sales orders and forecasts to see what finished goods are needed.
2. Check available stock for each product (on hand minus reserved).
3. Create work orders for the shortfall.
4. Let Fiddle expand each BOM so you can confirm component availability before committing.

A scheduled work order reserves its components, so planning several builds at once shows you true remaining availability and flags conflicts early.

Schedule the work

Give each work order a start date and due date, then sequence them. Use the work order board to drag jobs between status columns and see the whole shop floor at a glance.

Field	Use it for
Start date	When production should begin
Due date	When the finished goods are needed
Workstation	Which area or machine runs the job

Route jobs to workstations so capacity is balanced across areas rather than piling onto one station.

Keep the plan current

As priorities shift, re-sequence open work orders and re-check component availability. Issuing components and completing jobs updates stock immediately, so the next plan reflects reality.

Plan purchasing alongside production — short components should trigger a purchase order so materials land before the scheduled start date.