Why Business Central Schedules Production Orders into Previous Year

Understanding Why Business Central Schedules Production Orders into Previous Years

When working with production orders in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, you may sometimes notice that the system schedules a production order to start in a previous year. This behavior can be confusing, but it often results from specific settings related to capacity and scheduling parameters. This blog will help you understand why this happens and what you can do to prevent it.

Why Does Business Central Schedule a Production Order into Previous Years?

The scheduling of a production order into a past year typically occurs when there is a mismatch between the work center’s capacity setup and the parameters of the production order itself. Let's explore the two primary factors that contribute to this issue:

1. Ensure the Capacity of Each Work Center is Correctly Set Up

To ensure accurate scheduling, the capacity settings for each work center in Business Central must be properly configured. Here’s what you need to check:

• Work Center Calendar and Work Shifts: Each work center in Business Central has its own calendar and work shift setup, defining when the center is available to perform tasks. If this calendar is incorrect or incomplete (e.g., missing working days, holidays not defined, or incorrect shift hours), the system may struggle to find available time slots to schedule the production order.

• Capacity and Efficiency Settings: Ensure that the capacity and efficiency of the work centers are set correctly. If the capacity is too low or the efficiency percentage is inaccurate, Business Central will need more time than expected to complete the production order, potentially causing it to schedule the start date back into a previous year.

2. Ensure the Due Date and Quantity of the Production Order are Correct

In addition to setting up the work center correctly, you also need to ensure the following:

• Due Date of the Production Order: The due date should be realistic, based on the production schedule and the capacity of the work centers. If the due date is set too soon and the capacity is limited, the system might use backward scheduling to calculate a start date that could fall into a previous year.

• Quantity of the Produced Item: If the production order involves a large quantity of items, and the available capacity of the work centers is limited, Business Central may extend the start date backward into previous years to ensure that the order can be completed by the due date. This is especially common when backward planning is used.

How Does Backward Planning Contribute to the Issue?

Backward planning is a scheduling method where Business Central starts from the due date of the production order and calculates backward to determine the start date. If the work center’s capacity is not sufficient for the required quantity and due date, the system may calculate a start date that extends far into the past, even into previous years.

Example Scenario:

Imagine you have a large production order that requires 10,000 units to be produced by the end of January 2024. However, your work center is set up with a capacity that can only handle 100 units per day, and it operates only five days a week.

If you are using backward planning, Business Central will start from the end of January 2024 and calculate the number of days required to produce the 10,000 units. Given the work center's limited capacity, this calculation could result in a start date that falls well into the previous year, such as November or December 2023, or even earlier.

How to Prevent Business Central from Scheduling Production Orders in Previous Years?

To avoid this situation, consider the following steps:

1. Verify Work Center Setup:

   • Review and adjust the work center calendar, shifts, and capacity settings to accurately reflect real-world working conditions.
   • Ensure that all non-working days (such as holidays) are properly defined, and that shift hours align with actual work hours.

2. Check Production Order Parameters:

   • Ensure that the due date is realistic based on the work center's capacity and production requirements.
   • Adjust the quantity of items to be produced if necessary, or break larger production orders into smaller, more manageable batches.

3. Optimize Planning Strategies:

   • Consider using forward planning instead of backward planning if you often encounter scheduling issues into past years. Forward planning starts from the current date and schedules production forward, which may help avoid past start dates.

Conclusion:

Business Central may schedule production orders into previous years when there is a mismatch between the work center's capacity and the production order's parameters. By ensuring that work centers are set up correctly with accurate calendars, work shifts, and capacity, and by verifying that production order due dates and quantities are realistic, you can avoid this issue and keep your production schedules accurate and up to date. Proper planning strategies are essential to maintaining a streamlined and efficient production process in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.