Plan to produce
From a demand line to finished goods in stock: MRP, release, dispatch, execution and completion, with the gates where a person decides.
6 stages · 2 approvals
Roles and responsibilities
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Step 1Demand
Sales Order NumberCustomerOrder DateRequested Delivery Date
-
Step 3Release
Work OrderOperation NumberWork CenterOperator
Process steps
Follow the process from start to finish. Select a step to see who acts and what changes.
Demand
A sales order is approved, a forecast is loaded, or safety stock drops below target. The demand line carries the item, quantity and need date.
Plan
The MRP run explodes the bill, nets against stock and open supply, and proposes planned work orders and planned purchases with dates driven back from the need date. Exceptions list what cannot be met.
Approval required
Release
Production Planner reviews planned work orders, checks capacity, and releases them. Release freezes the bill revision and routing on the order and generates its components and operations.
Issue
Components are picked and issued, or backflushed at the operation, moving stock from raw into work in progress.
Execute
Operators report time and quantity per operation; the supervisor dispatches, splits and reprioritises; scrap and holds are recorded where they happen.
Approval required
Complete and close
Quality Inspector approves any required quality release before held output is received into available stock. Production Planner closes the order after Accountant reviews its costs; completion postings and close variances remain distinct.
Approvals and exception handling
2 approvals required in this process
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Release
Production Planner signs · issue waits
WorkOrders, WorkOrderComponents, WorkOrderOperations -
Complete and close
Quality Inspector signs · closes the process
StockMovements, Lots
When the process needs attention
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shortage
The shortage found too late
MRP exceptions surface a short component the day the plan is run, not the day the operator reaches for it. The exception names the planned purchase that covers it and its date.
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change
The engineering change that hit a running job
Orders carry the revision they were released on. A superseded revision flags the order; it does not change it.
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variance
Quantities that do not add up at close
Every issue and completion is a movement with a reference. The variance at close is explained by movement type, not guessed.
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capacity
Capacity nobody checked
Rough-cut capacity runs on the master schedule and full capacity planning runs on released orders. Both show the overloaded work centre and period.
Records and postings
| Stage | Records | Dr | Cr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Demand | SalesOrdersForecasts | none | none |
| 2 Plan | PlannedOrdersMRPExceptions | none | none |
| 3 Release | WorkOrdersWorkOrderComponentsWorkOrderOperations | No ledger entry; production records created |
|
| 4 Issue | StockMovements | WIP |
raw inventory |
| 5 Execute | ProductionLogStockMovements | WIP (labour) scrap expense |
|
| 6 Complete and close | StockMovementsLots | Finished inventory variances |
WIP |
Quality Inspector dispositions (Accept, Reject, Rework, ReturnToVendor). Accept → StockMovement posts a Receipt into the destination Warehouse and auto-posts a JE (Inventory Dr / GR-IR Cr). Reject moves to Quarantine warehouse.Receiving & Incoming QC
Process reports
All reportsMRP Exception Report
Components short to cover demand, grouped by lead-time bucket and buyer.
Work Order Variance
Planned vs. actual quantity, time, and cost per work order; highlights scrap rate and labor efficiency.
OEE by Work Center
Availability × Performance × Quality per work center, rolled up to department.
Production Schedule Attainment
Orders completed on-time-in-full vs. planned, by product family and week.
Run by an agent
Agent support
The configured workflows must prevent an agent from approving its own drafts, authorising payments or releasing a quality hold. Approver signs the purchase and payment decisions; Quality Inspector signs quality release. Rehearsal must verify the audit record and refusal of unauthorised actions before the agent is allowed to write.
# Example after configuration
$ curl -fsSL https://www.erp.ai/skill.md | paste into your agent
› plan to produce · demand on SalesOrders, Forecasts
✓ A sales order is approved, a forecast is loaded, or safety stock drops below target.
› plan to produce · plan on PlannedOrders, MRPExceptions
✓ The MRP run explodes the bill, nets against stock and open supply, and proposes planned work orders and planned purchases with dates driven back from the need date.
› plan to produce · release on WorkOrders, WorkOrderComponents, WorkOrderOperations
⏸ approval · waiting for the production planner
# 3 more stages after approval: issue, execute, complete and close
Other processes
5 moreProcure to pay
Requisition, approval, purchase order, receipt, inspection, three-way match and payment authorisation, with segregation of duties built in.
6 stages · 2 approvals
Order to cash
Quote, sales order, promise date, reservation, pick and ship, invoice and cash, connected to the plan so the date you promise is one the plant agreed to.
6 stages · 1 approval
Quality hold to release
How a failed inspection is contained, investigated and closed, and how a held lot gets back into use or out of the building.
6 stages · 3 approvals
Engineering change
Changing an item, a bill or a routing without breaking the jobs already on the floor or the stock already on the shelf.
6 stages · 1 approval
Period close
Closing a manufacturing period: open labour, work orders, inventory reconciliation, accruals, variances and the lock.
6 stages · 2 approvals