The quick answer
In the Advanced Manufacturing SuiteApp, go to Advanced Manufacturing > Finite Scheduling > Release Work Orders. Choose the Location and horizon, click List Work Orders, then Mark All to number the orders in the Sequence column. Click Preview Schedule and then Display to see where each operation would be placed. Nothing is released yet. Click Go Back, mark the orders you want, and click Release Work Orders. A scheduled script then releases them.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and company names are fictional. Use your own location, dates and work orders when following the steps.
Before you start
In this example, three FM-500 Flow Meter Assembly work orders at Lakeshore Plant are planned but not released: WO4411 for 8 units, WO4412 for 4 and WO4415 for 12. They share one routing with four operations: 10 Cut, 20 Machine, 30 Assemble and 40 Test. The goal is to see how finite scheduling places them and release the first one.
Release Work Orders is part of the Advanced Manufacturing SuiteApp, so it is there only when an administrator has installed it and your role can use it. Menu labels can differ by release and role. Two other release options exist besides the ones used here. Schedule Method chooses forward or backward scheduling, and Child Work Orders chooses whether child work orders are released with their parent. This example keeps Forward Schedule and Do Not Release Child Work Orders.
01. Open Release Orders To Shop Floor
Go to Advanced Manufacturing > Finite Scheduling > Release Work Orders. The page has a Display Filters section, a Work Order Release Options section and an empty Select Work Orders To Release list. The three buttons, List Work Orders, Preview Schedule and Release Work Orders, are at the top.
02. Set the filters and release options
- Set Location to Lakeshore Plant.
- Enter Horizon Start 10/12/2026 and Horizon End 10/30/2026.
- Set Planned Orders to Use Date Filter and Released Orders to Do Not Display.
- Set Sort By to Delivery Date. Then By stays Schedule Code.
- Under Work Order Release Options, enter Schedule Date 10/13/2026. Leave Schedule Method as Forward Schedule and Child Work Orders as Do Not Release Child Work Orders.
03. List the planned work orders
Click List Work Orders. Three rows appear, each with a red indicator and the status Planned, sorted by delivery date: WO4411 for 8 units, WO4412 for 4 and WO4415 for 12. The red indicator marks a work order that has not been released. Released orders get a blue one, and they are hidden here because Released Orders is Do Not Display.
04. Sequence the work orders
Click Mark All. Every row is checked and numbered in the Sequence column, 1 for WO4411, 2 for WO4412 and 3 for WO4415. NetSuite schedules the orders in that order. To use a different order, type the numbers you want. Every order you want scheduled needs a sequence number.
05. Preview the schedule
Click Preview Schedule. NetSuite calculates the schedule, which can take a minute or two, and opens Advanced Manufacturing - Preview Production Plan. Keep Select Format as Group By Work Order, Select View as Selected Work Orders Only and Horizon Scale as Day and Week, then click Display.
The Planned Production panel shows one group for each work order, its four operations underneath, and a bar for each operation on the timeline. Previewing doesn't change the work orders.
06. Read the schedule
Hover over a bar to read its Name, Start Date, End Date, Quantity, Setup Time (min), Run Time (min) and Duration (h). WO4411 Cut runs from 7:00 AM to 7:39 AM on 10/13/2026, a 15-minute setup and 24 minutes of run time. WO4411 Machine follows, ending at 8:47 AM.
Now look at WO4412. Its Cut ends at 8:06 AM, but its Machine operation starts at 8:47 AM, when WO4411 Machine finishes with the CNC Lathe. Operations on one work center run one after another, so the timeline shows a wait there. WO4415 Test is the last operation and ends at 1:59 PM.
To see every work order in the horizon or a week-and-month view, change Select View or Horizon Scale and click Display again.
07. Go back and choose what to release
The sequence works, so release the first order on its own. Click Go Back, click Unmark All, then check WO4411. Its Sequence shows 1.
08. Release the work order
Click Release Work Orders. The Release Work Orders To Shop Floor page confirms that a scheduled script will release the selected work orders and that travelers can be generated once it completes. The script changes WO4411 from Planned to Released and recalculates its operation start and end dates. The list does not refresh by itself. To check the result, set Released Orders to Use Date Filter (the order's start date must fall inside the horizon) or Display All, click List Work Orders again, or open the Work Orders list. Releasing doesn't build or complete anything. Travelers and other shop-floor documents are a separate step.
Common questions
Does Preview Schedule release my work orders?
No. It calculates a proposed schedule for the marked orders and opens Preview Production Plan. Go Back returns you to the list with nothing changed. Orders are released only when you click Release Work Orders.
What is the Sequence column for?
NetSuite schedules the marked work orders in the order of the Sequence numbers. Mark All numbers them from the top of the list. Type different numbers to change the order. An order without a sequence number isn't scheduled.
Why does an operation start later than the one before it finished?
Operations on the same work center run one after another. If the work center is busy with an earlier order, the next operation waits until it is free.
What do the red and blue indicators mean?
Red marks a work order that has not been released. Blue marks one that has. Use Released Orders to show or hide released orders.
Does releasing a work order build it?
No. Release changes the status to Released, recalculates operation dates and makes shop-floor documents such as travelers available. Production is recorded separately.