What Is Plan-to-Produce?
Plan-to-produce covers the manufacturing cycle from demand identification through production completion. In Odoo, this workflow spans the Manufacturing, Inventory, Purchase, and Quality modules. The goal is to produce the right quantity at the right time, using available resources efficiently while maintaining quality standards.
Demand Identification
Production planning starts with demand. In Odoo, demand comes from three sources. Sales orders trigger make-to-order production for custom or configured products. Reordering rules trigger production when stock falls below minimum levels. Manual manufacturing orders handle special production runs like samples or prototypes. The Master Production Schedule (MPS) module provides a planning board where production planners forecast demand by period and plan production accordingly.
Bill of Materials
The bill of materials (BOM) defines what goes into a finished product. Each BOM lists components with quantities, operations (work steps), and routing (which work centers perform each operation). Odoo supports multi-level BOMs — a finished product can have sub-assemblies, each with their own BOM. When a manufacturing order is created, Odoo explodes the BOM to calculate total component requirements across all levels.
BOM Types
- Manufacture — Standard production BOM with components and operations.
- Kit — No manufacturing order created; components are picked and shipped individually.
- Subcontracting — Components sent to a subcontractor who performs the manufacturing.
Material Requirements Planning
Before production starts, Odoo checks component availability. If components are in stock, they are reserved for the manufacturing order. If components are missing, the system responds based on the product's replenishment rules: purchase from vendor, manufacture internally (triggering a sub-assembly MO), or transfer from another warehouse. This cascading logic ensures all materials are available when production begins.
Work Order Scheduling
Work orders represent individual production steps. Odoo schedules work orders based on work center capacity, operation duration, and dependencies between steps. The planning Gantt chart shows when each work center is occupied and identifies bottlenecks. Capacity alerts warn when demand exceeds available capacity for a given period.
Shop Floor Execution
Workers on the shop floor use the work order tablet view to execute production. Each work order displays step-by-step instructions, reference documents, and quality check points. Workers record time spent on each operation, report material consumption, and flag any issues. Barcode scanning tracks component consumption and finished product output.
Quality Control
Quality checks can be configured at multiple points in production: incoming material inspection, in-process checks during operations, and final inspection before the finished product enters stock. Check types include pass/fail, measurement (with tolerances), and picture capture. Failed quality checks can block the work order until resolved, ensuring defective products do not reach customers.
Finished Goods Receipt
When the final work order is completed and quality checks pass, the manufacturing order is marked as done. Finished products move into stock, component quantities are consumed, and production costs are calculated. The cost includes raw materials, labor (based on work center hourly rates and recorded time), and overhead allocations.
Planning Board Overview
| Tool | Purpose | Users |
|---|---|---|
| MPS | Long-term demand forecasting | Production planners |
| MRP | Material requirements calculation | Purchasing, planning |
| Gantt chart | Work center scheduling | Shop floor managers |
| Shop floor | Operator execution | Production workers |
| Quality dashboard | Inspection results | Quality team |
Optimization Tips
- Accurate BOMs — Incorrect BOMs cause material shortages and cost variances. Validate BOMs with actual production runs.
- Realistic work center capacity — Overestimating capacity leads to impossible schedules and missed deadlines.
- Safety stock for critical components — Reordering rules with safety stock prevent production stoppages from supplier delays.
- Scrap rate tracking — Monitor and account for expected scrap in BOM quantities to avoid component shortfalls.
DeployMonkey + Manufacturing
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