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How to Raise a Work Order

Raising a work order tells your shop floor to make a specific quantity of a product in one batch. You choose what to make and how much, pick the route if the product can be built more than one way, set the schedule, and Bizconnekt lays out the materials the job needs and checks they're in stock before you commit.

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Availability depends on your plan and your role.

Before you start​

  • The product you want to make should already exist as an item, with a parts list (its bill of materials) and at least one route defined.
  • The materials that go into it should exist as items too, so the readiness check has something to count.
  • You'll want a rough idea of the quantity and the date you're working towards.

Step-by-step guide​

Step 1: Open the Work Orders screen​

From the left sidebar, open Production and choose Work Orders. You'll land on the list of existing work orders. Click + Add Work Order in the top corner to open a fresh, blank job card.

A new work order number is shown for you, and today's date is filled in.

Step 2: Choose the product to make​

Pick the product you want to manufacture from the product picker. Start typing its name to filter the list.

Once you choose it, Bizconnekt knows two things about that product: the parts list it consumes, and the route (or routes) it can be built by. Both come into play in the next steps.

Step 3: Enter the quantity​

Enter how many you want to make in this batch — for example, 50.

This number drives everything downstream: it decides how much of each material the job will consume, and it's the quantity that will land back in stock as finished goods when the batch is done.

Step 4: Pick the route (if the product has more than one)​

A route is the ordered list of steps that turn the parts into the finished product — cut, assemble, polish, inspect, pack, and so on.

  • If the product has only one route, it's chosen for you and you can move on.
  • If the product can be built more than one way (for example a fast line and a premium line), pick the route you want this batch to follow.

The route matters because it decides the stages the floor will work through and how long the job is estimated to take.

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A job created from Demand Planning may arrive without a route chosen — it sits as Pending until you pick one here. Choosing the route is what lets it start.

Step 5: Set the schedule and dates​

Now tell the work order when it should run. You can schedule it in one of two directions:

  • Forwards — set a start date ("begin now" or a date you choose), and Bizconnekt works out when the batch will finish.
  • Backwards — set a due date (the day it must be ready), and Bizconnekt works out the latest you must start to hit it.

Choose backwards when a customer is waiting on a delivery date; choose forwards when you simply want to begin as soon as you can and see the finish date. The estimate is based on the route's steps.

Step 6: Check input readiness (are the parts covered?)​

As soon as the product, quantity and route are set, Bizconnekt shows the materials the route needs for this batch and checks each one against your stock. This is the input-readiness, or coverage, check.

It reads like parcel tracking:

200 needed = 150 ready from stock + 50 buying (on a purchase order) → 0 short

Use it to decide whether the batch can go ahead:

  • 0 short — every part is covered; the job can run.
  • Short on any line — you're missing that material. Order it, transfer it from another site, or adjust the quantity before you commit, so the floor isn't left waiting.

You don't do any of this arithmetic yourself — you just read whether each part is green or short.

Step 7: Save​

When you're happy, save the work order.

  • Save as draft keeps it as a Draft — a plan you can still change or throw away. No materials are set aside yet.
  • Approve / start moves it towards In Progress. At this point its input materials are reserved — quietly set aside so no other order or job can take them — and the batch is ready to run on the floor.

What happens after you save​

  • The work order appears in the list with its status — Draft, Pending or In Progress.
  • Once started, its materials are reserved, so the parts you planned around are protected for this batch until the floor consumes them.
  • The floor team can now open the job and run it stage by stage. See Run a Work Order on the floor.

Common questions​

I picked the product but see no parts or route. The product needs a parts list (bill of materials) and at least one route before it can be made. Set those up on the item first.

A material shows as short — can I still start? You can save it as a draft, but starting a batch you can't fully supply risks stalling on the floor. Cover the short material first — buy it, transfer it, or trim the quantity.

Should I schedule forwards or backwards? If a customer's delivery date is the constraint, schedule backwards from that date so you know when to start. Otherwise schedule forwards and read off the finish date.

Need help? Contact support at support@bizconnekt.com