Which Production Order Statuses Should I Include in an MxAPS Schedule?

Include the production order statuses that MxAPS must consider together for capacity and material availability.

MxAPS only schedules the production order routing lines included in the schedule run.

Recommended Approach

In most cases, schedule all relevant open production order statuses together:

1. Firm Planned
2. Released

Include Planned production orders when they represent real demand that should consume future capacity or material.

Why Status Selection Matters

MxAPS evaluates the orders included in the schedule run.

If related orders are excluded, MxAPS cannot fully consider:

1. Shared machine capacity.
2. Shared material availability.
3. Parent and subassembly dependencies.
4. Competing due dates.
5. Scheduling rules and priorities.

For example, if a released parent order depends on a firm planned subassembly order, schedule both together so MxAPS can account for the dependency.

When to Include Planned Orders

Include Planned production orders when:

1. They are expected to become real production work.
2. They consume important material or capacity.
3. They produce components needed by other included orders.
4. They are part of the planning horizon being reviewed.

Do not include planned orders that are only rough suggestions or are not ready to affect the production schedule.

When to Include Firm Planned Orders

Include Firm Planned production orders when:

1. They are expected to be produced.
2. They should reserve capacity in the schedule.
3. They supply components for other orders.
4. They represent near-term or committed planning.

Firm planned orders are commonly included with released orders.

When to Include Released Orders

Include Released production orders when:

1. They are active production work.
2. They need machine assignments.
3. They need start and end times.
4. They affect available capacity or material.

Released orders should normally be included in the schedule.

Avoid Scheduling in Isolation

Avoid scheduling only one status if other statuses share the same capacity or material.

For example, scheduling only released orders may make the schedule look available, even though firm planned work is expected to consume the same machines or components.

Using Filters

Use the Filter or Scheduling Filter Set on the MxAPS Generate a Schedule page to control which production order routing lines are included.

Common filters include:

1. Production order status.
2. Due date range.
3. Production cell.
4. Item number.
5. Routing status.
6. Production order number.

Best Practices

1. Schedule related parent and subassembly orders together.
2. Include statuses that represent real demand.
3. Exclude tentative planned orders if they should not consume capacity yet.
4. Use a practical due date or planning horizon filter.
5. Use saved filter sets for repeatable scheduling runs.
6. Review unscheduled and late orders after generating the schedule.

Summary

Use Released and Firm Planned orders for most production scheduling scenarios.

Add Planned orders when they represent real upcoming demand that should affect capacity, material, or dependent production orders