The quick answer
On the assembly's Manufacturing subtab, open Manufacturing Routings and click New Manufacturing Routing. Choose the location, name the routing, mark it Default, and add one Routing Steps line per operation with its work center, cost template, setup time, and run rate. On a new work order for that assembly and location, check WIP: Manufacturing Routing defaults to the default routing (you can still pick another), and the saved order copies its operations. On a routed WIP order, Issue Components and Enter Completion take a Starting Operation and Ending Operation, so you can record production one range of operations at a time.
This walkthrough gives the VH-410 Valve Housing assembly a three-step routing at Dayton Plant, creates work order WO-2318 for 24 units, issues the components for operations 10 through 20, and completes that same range. In this example the order ends In Process with Built 0, because the final operation, 30, hasn't been completed. The walkthrough doesn't open GL Impact, complete the final operation, close the work order, or look at per-operation status. All company, person, item, and transaction names and numbers are fictional example data; your record numbers will be generated by the account.
Before you start
The account needs Work Orders, Assembly Items, Manufacturing Work In Process, and Manufacturing Routing and Work Center enabled, and the assembly needs a costing method routing supports (standard or average). Manufacturing work centers, their machine and labor resources, and a work calendar must exist for the subsidiary and location. So must the manufacturing cost templates, their cost categories and charge items, and the WIP and assembly asset accounts that issues and completions post to. The assembly needs a bill of materials that's effective for the work order date, the posting period must be open, and the components have to be available at the location with any required bins, lots, serial numbers, or inventory status. If the assembly itself is lot- or serial-controlled, you'll need that detail when you complete the final operation.
The role needs permission to create manufacturing routings, work orders, Work Order Issues, and Work Order Completions, not just view them, and to view GL Impact if you want to check the postings. Forms vary, so check that your work order, issue, and completion forms show WIP, Manufacturing Routing, and the operation-range and time fields used below.
01 · Start from the assembly
Open the assembly and select Manufacturing. On Bills of Materials, confirm the assembly already has a BOM (here, VH-410 BOM with Revision 2). Then open Manufacturing Routings. In this example it says No records to show, so a work order for VH-410 has no operations to follow yet. Click New Manufacturing Routing.
02 · Define the routing steps
Subsidiary and Bill of Materials carry over from the assembly here; confirm both. With Advanced Bill of Materials on, the routing form asks for the bill of materials rather than the item, so check it points at the BOM you saw in step 01. Location is a list box, and a routing can cover more than one plant; select Dayton Plant. Enter Name VH-410 Machining Routing and leave Default checked so it becomes the default routing for this assembly and location.
On Routing Steps, add one line per operation. Enter the Operation Sequence and Operation Name, choose the Manufacturing Work Center and Manufacturing Cost Template, and enter Setup Time (Min) and Run Rate (Min/Unit). Machine Resources and Labor Resources default from the work center. Setup time is a fixed number of minutes per operation; run rate is minutes per base unit. Leave Lag Type, Lag Amount, and Lag Units blank unless an operation has to wait before the next one starts, or check Auto-Calculate Lag.
| Sequence | Operation | Work center | Cost template | Setup (min) | Run rate (min/unit) | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 10 | Rough Machining | CNC Mill Cell | CNC Machining | 25 | 4 | | 20 | Deburr | Finishing Bench | Bench Labor | 12 | 3 | | 30 | Pressure Test | Test Station | Leak Test | 18 | 6 |
Save, and confirm the saved routing lists all three steps.
Open Component Per Operation and check which operation each component line is issued to. Both components here sit on operation 10, with a BOM quantity of 1 each. That assignment decides which components an operation-range issue includes in step 04. Unassigned components are generally issued at the first operation. Changing assignments later affects new work orders, not ones already created.
03 · Create the WIP work order
Open a new work order from the Create New menu (Work Order) or from Transactions > Manufacturing > Enter Work Orders. Select Assembly VH-410 Valve Housing and Location Dayton Plant, then check WIP. A routing only applies to a WIP work order; without WIP, the order follows the assembly-build process instead. Some forms check WIP for you, so look before you click. With WIP checked, Manufacturing Routing defaults to VH-410 Machining Routing. If it stays blank, select the routing yourself and check that its item and location match the order. Enter Quantity 24, set Status Released (or whatever status your process uses), and save.
On the saved work order, open Operations. Operations 10, 20, and 30 carry the routing's work centers, setup times, and run rates, with an input quantity of 24. On Items, both components show operation 10, copied from the routing.
04 · Issue components for operations 10–20
Click Issue Components. Under Issue Operation Component, set Starting Operation 10 and Ending Operation 20. The Components list includes the components assigned to operations in that range, so both appear. Each issues 24 because the BOM quantity is 1 per unit with no yield loss. A component assigned to operation 30 would not be listed. Yield, units of measure, earlier issues, and inventory detail can change these quantities in your account.
Save. The confirmation shows WOI-2319, created from WO-2318, with the same operation range. The issue normally debits the configured WIP account and credits component inventory; check its GL Impact to see the actual lines.
05 · Complete operations 10–20
Go back to WO-2318 through Created From and check the status; here it now shows In Process. Click Enter Completion. The components were already issued, so clear Backflush if your form checks it, or you risk issuing them twice. Set Starting Operation 10, Ending Operation 20, and Completed Quantity 24.
On Operations, the machine and labor time for the operations in range default from the routing:
- Operation 10: 25 setup minutes and 96 run minutes (4 × 24).
- Operation 20: 12 setup minutes and 72 run minutes (3 × 24).
Setup time comes over once; it isn't multiplied by quantity. Run time assumes 24 base units. Operation 30 isn't part of this completion. If the actual time differed, change the minutes before you save.
Save and confirm WOC-2320.
06 · Confirm the order is in process
Open WO-2318 from the completion's Created From link. Status is In Process and Built is still 0, because the final operation, 30, has not been completed. On Related Records, WOI-2319 and WOC-2320 are both linked.
Check the result
- Routing: WO-2318 shows VH-410 Machining Routing and its three operations.
- Issue: WOI-2319 covers operations 10–20 and issued 24 of each component.
- Completion: WOC-2320 records 24 units for operations 10 and 20, with 96 and 72 run minutes.
- Order: In Process with Built 0 until operation 30 is completed.
The work order itself doesn't post. Check GL Impact on the issue and the completion when you need the WIP entries. When operation 30 is done, complete it (with any finished-item inventory detail) to record built units, then check whether your process closes the work order to clear the remaining WIP balance.
Common questions
Why didn't the routing appear on my work order?
Check WIP first. Manufacturing Routing only applies to a WIP work order. After that, the routing has to belong to the same assembly, cover the work order's location, and be active. If there's more than one routing and none is marked Default for that location, pick the one you want before you save.
What's the difference between setup time and run rate?
Setup time is a fixed number of minutes for the operation, whatever the quantity. Run rate is minutes per unit. On the 24-unit completion in this example, Rough Machining defaults to 25 setup minutes and 96 run minutes (4 × 24), and Deburr to 12 and 72 (3 × 24).
Why is a component missing from an operation-range issue?
The issue only lists components assigned to operations inside the Starting and Ending Operation range. Open the routing's Component Per Operation subtab and the work order's Items subtab and check the component's operation. A component on operation 30 won't show up on an issue for 10 through 20. Also check that the work order uses the BOM revision you expect.
Should I leave Backflush checked on Enter Completion?
Not if you've already issued the components, as this example did with WOI-2319. Backflush issues the eligible components as part of the completion, so leaving it checked after a separate issue can consume them twice. Use backflush instead of a separate issue when that's how your shop records material.
Why is the work order In Process with Built 0?
The completion covered operations 10 and 20, but operation 30 is still open. Completing intermediate operations records progress and time without putting finished assemblies into inventory, so Built stays at 0 until units are completed through the final operation.
Does changing the routing update work orders I already created?
Generally, no. The work order copies the routing's operations when it's created. Changes to the routing apply to new work orders, so review an existing order's Operations subtab and edit it separately if the plan changed.