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Manufacturing postings : Timesheets and progressing through Routing operations

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The company processes timesheets once a week which means that many operation steps can be updated in Production orders at once. This is ok and can be fulfilled via a normal output journal. But on a daily basis, consumption of inventory occurs on the individual routings but no operation is completed. As a result, it looks like several operations are in progress at any one time. Ideally, we would like to show some way to be able to move from one operation to the next after consumption or when the work is done but can't seem to do so on BC as the output is outstanding. Any suggestions, ideas to show a more optimal way?

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Dynamics 365 Business Central migration

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Ramesh Kumar 7,511 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Manufacturing postings : Timesheets and progressing through Routing operations

Hi,

I suggest exploring ISV solutions or checking AppSource to help optimize this operation.

Thanks, Ramesh

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Mansi Soni 8,852 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Manufacturing postings : Timesheets and progressing through Routing operations

Hello,

In Business Central, the scenario where inventory is consumed daily but operations are only completed weekly can create challenges in tracking operation progress accurately. Since BC requires output to be posted to mark an operation as completed, it may appear that multiple operations are in progress simultaneously, leading to a lack of clarity in production status.

To address this, one approach is to use partial output posting - recording minimal or zero output just to indicate that work has started or progressed on a specific operation. This allows you to advance the routing status without completing the full output.

Additionally, using production journal entries to post daily consumption separately while keeping output journal entries for weekly timesheet processing can help maintain accurate consumption records without prematurely completing operations. Another method is to use routing status fields (e.g., “Started” or custom status tracking via extensions or Power Automate) to provide better visibility of operations in progress.

Ultimately, a combination of daily consumption posting and minimal output entries, along with custom dashboards or reports, can help provide a more accurate and optimized view of production flow.

Hope this answer will help you!

Regards,

Mansi Soni

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Montassar Krichi 231 on at

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Manufacturing postings : Timesheets and progressing through Routing operations

In many manufacturing environments, it's common to consume materials daily as operations progress, while final output and time entries (e.g., from timesheets) are only posted weekly. This can lead to confusion inside Business Central, where several operations appear "in progress" simultaneously and routing flow is unclear.
After testing different options, we implemented the following practical and scalable approach that respects both production reality and BC logic.
Configuration Summary
1. Bill of Materials (BOM) and Routings
We defined standard BOMs and Routings for each item, ensuring:

Logical operation sequences

Accurate cost roll-ups

Routing Link Codes if needed (to tie specific components to specific operations)

2. Production Order Lifecycle
When a Production Order is released:

JobCard (we developped our model of jobcard ) printed and shared daily with the shop floor

when an operation is ended or shift ends, operators fill the progress with hours spend, quantity produced, scrap, shifts, resources etc...

Components are set to Backward Consumption, so items are consumed automatically as outputs posted

3. Daily Partial Output Posting
The key to solving visibility and routing progression issues is to:

Post partial outputs daily based on actual quantities produced

Use the Output Journal or Production Journal

This updates:

Inventory (if desired)

WIP account balances

Routing status, so BC automatically advances to the next operation

This eliminates the common issue where multiple operations appear "stuck in progress" even though the work is advancing in real life.
4. Work/Machine Centers and Costing
We’ve configured Work Centers and Machine Centers with:

Standard cycle/setup times

Unit costs for labor and machine time

As a result:

When posting daily output via Production or Output Journal, labor and machine costs are posted automatically

There’s no need to wait for weekly timesheets to finalize costing

However, actual time entries can still be posted later if needed (for variance analysis or reporting)

This ensures costing accuracy and consistency, even with partial output entries.

Benefits of This Setup

✅ Clear operation progression (only current step shows as active)

✅ Accurate inventory consumption and WIP updates

✅ Real-time labor and machine costing via standard rates

✅ Smooth daily operations with minimal manual entry

✅ Optional actual time input later without disrupting flow

This method aligns BC’s behavior with real-world shop floor dynamics — providing visibility, accuracy, and control over both material consumption and routing progress, without being blocked by timesheet delays or missing outputs.
It’s a lean and scalable solution that works well in both high-volume and job-shop manufacturing environments.

If you need more detail I can guide you.
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Sohail Ahmed 11,084 Super User 2025 Season 2 on at

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Manufacturing postings : Timesheets and progressing through Routing operations

Great question! In Business Central, when you’re dealing with daily material consumption and weekly timesheet (output) postings, it can indeed appear that multiple operations are “in progress” simultaneously, which complicates visibility and tracking.

Here’s a more optimal approach:

You can post consumption separately from output — which you're already doing — but to show routing progress (i.e. movement from one operation to the next), output posting is required to complete the operation. Since you don’t want to post full output daily, consider using partial output (even with 0 quantity if needed) via the Output Journal. This helps Business Central mark the operation as started or progressed and allows the next one to open logically, while actual quantities and times can still be updated accurately during weekly processing.

Alternatively, some companies use Production Order Status updates and shop floor control extensions (like MES integrations) for better operation visibility without posting actual output every day.

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