The Console is built around the processes your company uses to make and inspect its work. You define those processes, plan when and where work should happen, and send the resulting tasks to the people responsible for carrying them out.

A production plan is useful only if it reflects what happens on the floor. The Console brings together operations, materials, capacity, instructions and inspection requirements so teams can plan work and manage it as conditions change.

Define the flow of work

A workflow is a reusable framework for the operations involved in a type of work. It describes the order of those operations and the time, materials, capabilities and locations they require.

You can refine a workflow as your team learns more about the work. If an operation regularly takes longer than planned or needs a different resource, you can update the framework for future jobs. The production and inspection requirements for a particular job can still be adjusted to suit that job.

This makes the Console process-driven without requiring every order to be identical.

Prepare the job for production

Work may begin as an internal production run, a customer project, a subcontract job or a batch. When you prepare it for production, set the requirements that apply to that work. These may include how the finished items will be dispatched, what inspections are needed and which documents should accompany the job.

The production information is also used to create the job’s bill of materials (BOM). The BOM brings together the materials required for the defined work, giving your team a record to review as it plans and carries out production.

Once the details are ready, the job can be sent to the Scheduler with its accompanying documents. Review the materials, instructions and inspection requirements before scheduling so the people who receive the work have what they need.

Place operations in the Scheduler

The Scheduler shows the individual operations in a drag-and-drop view. You can place work against the available time and view the schedule across different timelines to examine the immediate shift or a longer period.

Scheduling considers both when an operation will happen and where it can happen. Lanes represent the relevant areas or workstations in your company setup. An operation can be placed where the recorded capabilities support that kind of work.

For example, an inspection operation cannot be placed in a CNC milling bay that has no inspection capability assigned to it. You would need to choose a suitable location or, if the workstation genuinely performs inspections, have an authorised person update its recorded capabilities. This keeps the plan consistent with how your business operates.

Operations can be assigned to a department, team or specific person. The schedule then helps direct the right work to the right people and places in the right order.

Plan larger chains of work

For larger connected bodies of production, select Chain mode in the Scheduler. This lets you plan the work as larger blocks while keeping sight of the operations and workflows that make up the chain.

Use it when several stages need to be considered together, particularly when the timing of one stage affects the next. Review the full sequence before release so the plan reflects the people, locations and capacity available to carry it out.

Review order and capacity

The Scheduler helps you identify issues before work is released. It can warn you when an operation is placed out of its intended order or when a location is planned beyond its recorded capacity.

Capacity is more useful than a simple occupied or empty view. Two jobs may share a workstation when that workstation has the capacity to support both. Where a plan needs an exception, an authorised user can override a warning, review the effect and take responsibility for the decision.

These checks help you create a workable plan while leaving room for the judgement needed in real production.

Export and release the schedule

When the schedule has been reviewed, export the plan and choose whether to send it to production. This turns the planned operations into work for the people assigned to them.

The released plan records expected start and end times, the capacity being used and who is responsible for each operation. As work progresses, managers can compare the current position with the plan and see what is ahead, what is behind and what needs attention.

The schedule also provides the timing and assignments used to present tasks to the relevant staff. Check it before release, especially if deadlines, locations or responsibilities have changed.

Give teams the information they need

Assigned work can reach staff on their supported devices. A technician using a phone can move through tasks and review the instructions for the next operation. Tablet users can work in a similar way, while a supervisor can review and record activity on behalf of a team where that suits the workplace.

The task view can bring together instructions, timing, material requirements and the checks needed before or during work. Staff can confirm required health and safety steps, review inventory, record progress and mark an operation complete.

People can also raise delays, lateness or new material needs as they arise. The relevant managers receive updates so they can respond while the work is still in progress. Inventory activity and stock checks can be reflected in the Console, with staff confirming what has happened on the floor.

Manage inspection and quality checks

You decide which production and inspection requirements apply to each job. You can specify the type of check needed and how often it should happen, rather than applying the same inspection pattern to all work.

When an inspection is due, the requirement appears in the responsible user’s work view. They can enter the inspection information needed for the job. Where your company has a suitable QA system, inspection activity can be connected to it as part of your setup. Teams can also record findings manually, including information needed for non-conformance reporting and quality assurance records.

This keeps inspections alongside the work they relate to and helps the next person see whether a required check has been completed.

Respond to production as it happens

A schedule is the starting point for production, not a prediction that nothing will change. A machine may become unavailable, material may be needed sooner than expected or an operation may take longer than planned.

The Console helps the people doing the work report what is happening and helps managers see its effect on the wider plan. Tasks, timings, inventory needs, inspection results and completion updates provide a current picture of production.

That is the purpose of connecting workflows, scheduling and execution: your team can plan work carefully, send clear instructions to the people carrying it out, and respond when the reality of production differs from the plan.