In this guide 6 sections
Start with the chain from order to dispatch. That means order entry, a routing for each part, a job card per batch, a stage scan at each work centre and a dispatch note. Cover it for one product line first, and add costing, purchasing and maintenance only after the shop trusts the numbers.
Begin with orders and routings
Everything in a plan hangs from two records. The sales order says what is owed and by when. The routing says how the part is made. Neither is optional.
A routing lists each operation in sequence, the work centre, the setup and run time per piece, and any outside process such as anodising or case hardening. Many small shops keep routings only in the foreman’s head, so writing them down is the first real gain, before software is switched on.
Start with your ten most repeated parts. Rough times are fine. Stage data will sharpen them later.
- Part number, drawing revision and material
- Operation sequence with work centre
- Setup time and run time per piece
- Outside processes and the vendor used
- Inspection points and gauge needed
Turn each batch into a job card
A job card carries one batch through the shop. It shows the order, the quantity, the routing, the bar stock or casting issued and the due date. It is the one sheet the operator holds, on paper or on a tablet.
Make it the only way to book time and quantity. If a batch can finish without a card, planning data drifts within a week.
Split large orders into lots when the buyer takes deliveries in stages, so each lot gets its own card, its own scrap count and its own dispatch.
Track stages, not just the finish
A batch is rarely late at the end. It is late at the third operation, three days earlier, and nobody saw it. Stage tracking shows where each batch sits now: waiting for material, queued at milling, out for plating or in final inspection.
The operator records a start and a finish at each work centre, with good and rejected counts. One tap is enough. Long forms get skipped.
From those taps the planner sees the queue in front of every machine and can reshuffle before a delivery slips past the date promised to the buyer.
- Queue length at each work centre
- Rejected quantity and a reason code
- Batches waiting on outside processing
- Batches blocked on material or tooling
Close the loop with dispatch
Dispatch is where the plan meets the customer. The packing list, the delivery note and the invoice should all come from one batch record, so the quantity shipped matches the quantity that passed inspection.
Record partial shipments. A buyer who orders five hundred and takes three hundred now should see both on the paperwork, and your open order should show the balance.
Attach the material test certificate or inspection report to the dispatch record when the customer asks for it. Hunting through a drawer later costs far more time.
What a first rollout should leave out
Resist the long wish list. Keep it short. Finite capacity scheduling, full costing, vendor ratings and preventive maintenance all matter, but each leans on clean order, routing and stage data that you do not have yet.
Pick one product line. Pick one shift. Pick one supervisor who wants it to work. Let it run six weeks, then set promised dates beside actual dates.
Write down the three questions you could not answer last month, such as which job is stuck or why a delivery went out late. Make the first rollout answer exactly those.
First rollout scope sheet
A worksheet split into quadrants. The top left names your ten most repeated parts with routing, work centres and rough cycle times. Top right maps job card fields to operator entries. Bottom left lists the stages to scan. Bottom right sets three questions the rollout must answer, with a weekly checker.
Open a blank worksheet to printQuestions owners ask
Do we need barcode scanners from day one?
No. A tablet at the work centre, or even a supervisor entering stage changes twice a shift, is enough to start. Add scanners when entry volume makes manual keying slow.
Can a spreadsheet do the same job?
For a handful of jobs, yes. It breaks down once several people edit it, batches split into lots, or you need live stage status. That is the point to move to a proper system.
How long should a first rollout run before we expand?
Long enough to complete several full batches from order to dispatch, and to compare planned dates against actual dates. Expand when supervisors stop keeping a parallel notebook.