Who Uses This Feature
Before You Start
Before creating a Work Order, ensure:- The item to be manufactured has an active, approved BOM
- Raw materials are available (or will be by the planned start date)
- Warehouses for raw materials, WIP, and finished goods are configured
Creating a Work Order
1
Open Work Orders
Go to the Manufacturing workspace and click Work Order from the Production card, or use the Work Order shortcut.
2
Create a new Work Order
Click New. Work Orders can also be created automatically from a Production Plan — in that case, skip to step 4 to review the auto-populated details.
3
Select the item to manufacture
In Item To Manufacture, select the finished product. The BOM No field automatically fills with the item’s default BOM.
4
Select or confirm the BOM
Confirm the BOM No is correct. If the item has multiple BOMs, select the appropriate one. The required materials table populates from the BOM.
5
Enter the quantity
In Qty To Manufacture, enter how many units to produce in this run.
6
Set the planned dates
Enter the Planned Start Date (mandatory) and the Planned End Date. These drive scheduling and the Production Planning Report.
7
Configure warehouses
- Source Warehouse: Where raw materials will be drawn from (optional — defaults to the warehouse set in BOM)
- Work-in-Progress Warehouse: Where materials are held during production
- Target Warehouse: Where finished goods will be stored after production (mandatory)
- Scrap Warehouse: Where scrap materials go (if applicable)
8
Review required items
The Required Items table shows all raw materials from the BOM scaled to your planned quantity. Check the quantities and source warehouses for each item.
9
Link to a Sales Order or Production Plan (optional)
If this Work Order is for a specific customer order, link it to the Sales Order. If it was created from a Production Plan, the Production Plan field is already populated.
10
Save and Submit
Click Save to review, then Submit to activate the Work Order. Status changes to Not Started.
After Submission: The Production Workflow
Once a Work Order is submitted, the production flow involves three main steps using Stock Entries.Step 1: Transfer Materials to WIP Warehouse
Before production begins, transfer raw materials from the store to the WIP warehouse:- Open the Work Order
- Click Transfer Raw Materials
- A Stock Entry of type “Material Transfer for Manufacture” is created
- The Store Keeper reviews and submits it
Step 2: Record Production (Job Cards)
If the BOM has operations, the system creates Job Cards for each operation. Operators work through the Job Cards on the floor, recording time and completed quantities. See Job Card for the full guide.Step 3: Record Finished Goods
When production is complete, record the manufactured goods:- Open the Work Order
- Click Finish (or create a Stock Entry from the Work Order)
- A Stock Entry of type “Manufacture” is created
- This entry:
- Deducts raw materials consumed from the WIP warehouse
- Adds finished goods to the target warehouse
- Records any scrap
Field Guide
Work Order Status
Reports and Monitoring
Number Cards (Manufacturing Dashboard)
Dashboard Charts
Reports
Notifications and Alerts
There are no standard automated notifications on Work Orders by default. However, supervisors can monitor the status of all active Work Orders from the Work Orders in Progress report and the Work Order Analysis dashboard chart.Best Practices
Always create Work Orders from a Production Plan. Creating Work Orders directly is possible, but the Production Plan ensures raw material requirements are verified first and coordinated purchasing happens before production starts. Use the correct planned dates. Accurate planned dates drive the Production Planning Report and help supervisors prioritise which Work Orders to start first when capacity is limited. Don’t submit a Work Order until materials are confirmed. A Work Order in Not Started status with no materials available will stall on the floor. Confirm material availability before submission. Record process loss accurately. If scrap or loss occurs, record it honestly in the manufacture Stock Entry. This is the only way to understand true material consumption and improve BOM accuracy over time. Use multi-level BOM for complex assemblies. If your product has sub-assemblies, always tick Use Multi-Level BOM to see the complete raw material requirement at the top level. Link Work Orders to Sales Orders. This creates traceability from a customer order to the production run that fulfilled it, which is critical for delivery tracking and customer communication.Troubleshooting
“BOM not found” when creating a Work Order: The item does not have an active, submitted BOM. Create and submit a BOM first. Required Items table is empty: The linked BOM has no items in its materials table. Open the BOM and add raw materials. Can’t submit the Work Order: Check that all mandatory fields are filled: Item To Manufacture, BOM No, Qty To Manufacture, Planned Start Date, Company, and Target Warehouse. Manufactured Qty is not updating: Confirm that the manufacture Stock Entry (type: Manufacture) linked to this Work Order is in Submitted status. Work Order is stuck in Not Started: No Stock Entry of type “Material Transfer for Manufacture” has been submitted against it. Transfer the raw materials to start the Work Order.Related Features
- Bill of Materials — defines the recipe used in this Work Order
- Production Plan — generates Work Orders automatically
- Job Card — tracks each production operation within this Work Order
- Plant Floor — visual monitoring of active Work Orders
- Stock Entry — records material transfers and finished goods receipt
- Quality Inspection — final check before accepting finished goods