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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 pick the product, the Work Order Process (route) that makes it, the quantity and the planned start date. Bizconnekt then lays out the stages and the materials the route needs for that batch, so you can check they're covered before you release it.

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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.
  • The product needs at least one active Work Order Process made for it. The route is where the stages and the materials each stage uses are listed.
  • The materials the route uses should exist as items too, so the readiness check has something to count.
A work order doesn't need a Bill of Materials

The materials a work order uses come from its route, not from a BOM. You don't need a BOM to make something. BOMs are still used for Stock Conversion, for Job Order kits, and for adding a BOM's parts to a document.

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 PWO ID is shown for you, and the PWO Date is filled in with today's date.

Step 2: Choose the product​

Product (Required)

Pick the product you want to make. Start typing its name to filter the list. Choose the product first — the next field only lists routes for it.

Step 3: Choose the Work Order Process​

WO Process (Required)

Pick the route this batch will follow. Only work order processes for the product you chose are listed, so if the list is empty, the product doesn't have an active route yet — add one first.

The route decides three things: the stages the floor works through, the materials each stage uses, and how long the job is estimated to take. Once you choose it, the Stage Plan tab shows the stages and their materials.

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A work order keeps the product and route it was raised with. To make the product a different way, raise a new work order with the other route.

Step 4: Enter the quantity and location​

Work Order Qty (Required)

Enter how many you want to make in this batch — for example, 50. The Stage Plan scales every stage's materials to this quantity.

Inventory Location (Required)

Choose the location the batch draws its materials from and puts its output back into.

Step 5: Set the planned start​

Planned Start (Required)

Enter the day the batch starts. This is the date its materials are needed by, and a work order can't be released to the floor without it. It can't be later than the Expected Completion date, if you set one.

Expected Completion (Optional)

The day you expect the batch to finish.

You can also choose a Supervisor (it defaults to you) and add Notes.

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

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

  • 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 release, so the floor isn't left waiting.

Step 7: Create, then release​

Click Create Work Order. The work order is created as a Draft — a plan you can still change or throw away.

When you're ready for the floor to pick it up, find it in the Work Orders list and choose Release. It moves to Open, and from then on:

  • its input materials are reserved for this batch — whatever of them is free in stock is held so no other order or job can take it. Any shortfall isn't held; it still shows as a need in planning so you can buy or make it. Holds the batch hasn't used are released automatically after its expected completion date;
  • the materials it needs count as demand from its Planned Start date, so planning knows they'll be wanted by then;
  • the floor can start it.

If your business has set up approval for production, Release may send the work order to In Review instead — it depends on the work order's value and your approval rules; a work order whose value needs no approval goes straight to Open. One sent for review reaches Open — and its materials are reserved — once the last approver signs off. If an approver rejects it, it moves to Rejected.

To schedule the stages on your resources, use Schedule on the list: Forward from a start works out when the batch finishes; Back from the due date works out when it must start.

What happens after you save​

  • The work order appears in the list with its status and its Planned Start.
  • Once released to Open, 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 the WO Process list is empty. Only active work order processes made for this product are listed. Add a Work Order Process for the product (or activate a draft one), then come back.

It says "Planned start date is required". Every work order needs a planned start. Enter the day the batch begins. An older work order without one needs a start date before it can be saved or released — open it with Edit and fill in Planned Start.

The route I chose shows no materials. The route's stages don't list any input materials yet. Open the Work Order Process and add them to its stages.

A material shows as short — can I still release? 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.

Need help? Contact support at support@bizconnekt.com