The quick answer
Open the manufacturing routing, click Edit, and change the later step's Connection Type from Finish-To-Start (FS) to Start-To-Start (SS). Save, then enter a WIP work order that uses the routing and open its Operations subtab. The two steps now share a start time. Work orders you already saved keep the operations they were created with, so check a new order.
The screenshots show sample data. Person and operating-company names are fictional. Use your own records and values when following the steps.
Before you start
You need Manufacturing Routing and Work Center, Work Orders and Work In Process enabled, a routing for the assembly with at least two steps, and permission to edit routings and enter work orders. Scheduling follows the work center calendars, and the screenshots use a working day that opens at 8:00 am. In this example Example Supply Co. has work order WO4102 for 10 CP-210 Control Panels and a three-step routing: 10 Fabrication, 20 Assembly and 30 Finishing.
01. Read the starting schedule
Open work order WO4102 and select Operations. Fabrication runs 10/14/2026 8:00 am to 8:56 am. Assembly has Connection Type Finish-To-Start (FS), so it waits and starts at 8:56 am. Finishing is also Finish-To-Start with a 5 minute lag, so it starts at 9:58 am and ends at 10:53 am.
Each operation lasts its Setup Time plus its Run Rate times the order quantity. For 10 panels, Fabrication is 6 + 5 x 10 = 56 minutes and Assembly is 7 + 5 x 10 = 57 minutes.
02. Open the routing
Go to Lists > Supply Chain > Manufacturing Routing and open CP-210 Panel Routing. On Routing Steps, step 20 Assembly shows Finish-To-Start (FS). Click Edit.
03. Change the connection and save
Click step 20 Assembly. In its Connection Type list, choose Start-To-Start (SS). Click OK, then Save.
The saved routing shows Start-To-Start (SS) on step 20, and steps 10 and 30 are unchanged.
04. Enter a new work order
From the Transactions menu, point to Manufacturing and choose Enter Work Orders. Select the subsidiary, the assembly CP-210 Control Panel and the location, enter a Quantity of 10, and check WIP. Manufacturing Routing fills in as CP-210 Panel Routing.
Scheduling Method starts as Backward when WIP is checked. Choose Forward, so NetSuite schedules from the Production Start Date, 10/14/2026, then click Save.
05. Read the new schedule
On the saved work order, select Operations. Fabrication and Assembly both start 10/14/2026 8:00 am, and Assembly ends at 8:57 am. Finishing is still Finish-To-Start with a 5 minute lag, so it starts at 9:02 am, five minutes after Assembly ends, and ends at 9:57 am.
Check the result
- Fabrication and Assembly show the same Start Date/Time.
- Assembly's Connection Type reads Start-To-Start (SS).
- Finishing starts five minutes after Assembly ends, as its lag says.
Common questions
What is the difference between Finish-To-Start and Start-To-Start?
Finish-To-Start starts a step when the step before it ends, plus any lag. Start-To-Start starts it when the step before it starts, plus any lag, so the two overlap. Work calendars and scheduling rules then adjust the times.
How does NetSuite work out an operation's start and end time?
The duration is Setup Time plus Run Rate times the work order quantity, in minutes. The start comes from the connection to the previous step, and the end is the start plus the duration. The first operation starts when the working day opens on the Production Start Date.
What do Lag Type, Lag Amount and Lag Units do?
They move the next step's start. They do not lengthen either operation. Lag Type offers Time, Quantity, Time Percentage and Quantity Percentage, and the units follow the type, minutes for Time.
What does Auto-calculate Lag do?
When it is checked, NetSuite works out the lag itself and the manual lag columns are not available. Leave it cleared to set the lag yourself.
Does changing a routing update work orders I already saved?
Existing operation tasks generally keep the values they were created with. New work orders, or ones whose operations are refreshed, use the current routing. Check the Operations subtab after a change.
Did anything change for Start-To-Start in release 2026.1?
In release 2026.1 and later, a Start-To-Start connection with no lag and the same working hours starts both operations at the same moment. Earlier releases could add a small calculated lag between them.