What does process-level production tracking show?
It shows the operation where a work order currently sits, completed and remaining quantities, and records associated with that stage. Detail depends on the company’s recording process.
ERP Guides
Shop-floor tracking guide
How to Track Production by Process, Work Center and Route
Operation-level tracking shows more than whether an order is open or closed: it shows its current stage, resource and quantity progress. Linking route sequence, work center and actual operation records to the same order makes pending work and date deviations easier to spot.
Practical workflow
Make production status visible in six steps
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01
Identify the work order and planned quantity
Keep each tracking record linked to product, order, work order and planned quantity. Define the recording level in advance for partial production or lot tracking.
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02
Link the work order to route steps
Verify that the operation sequence is current and applicable to the work order. Define how skipped, subcontracted or reworked steps will be represented.
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03
Show resource assignment for each operation
Record the machine, work center or subcontracting resource performing the operation. When an alternative is used, distinguish the actual resource from the planned one.
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04
Record start, finish and quantity movements
Record operation start and completion times, completed quantity and remaining quantity. Associate scrap, downtime or quality holds with the relevant stage and reason.
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05
Track pending work and delay causes
View work due to start, in progress and complete by resource and route sequence. Compare planned and actual dates and assess deviations at the operation where they occur, not only as a total delay.
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06
Update overall work-order status
Use operation records to determine overall work-order progress and next step. When correction or rework is needed, preserve traceability of the new status and quantity movement rather than deleting prior records.
Example workflow
A work order moving through its route
Suppose a work order passes through cutting, processing, assembly and final inspection. When cutting is complete, completed and remaining quantities are recorded and the order appears as waiting at the next work center. If downtime occurs during processing, its reason and time are linked to that step. Teams can see both overall progress and where the wait occurred.
- 1Cutting · complete
- 2Processing · in progress
- 3Assembly · waiting
- 4Final inspection · not started
Checkpoints
Check tracking data consistency
- Is each record linked to the correct work order and operation?
- Are planned and actual work centers distinguished?
- Are start, finish and quantity records complete?
- Can remaining quantity and next operation be seen?
- Are scrap, downtime and quality-hold causes recorded?
- Are route changes and rework traceable?
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
What if a different machine is used than planned?
Update the actual machine/work center while retaining the planned resource for comparison. This links capacity and delay analysis to the correct resource.
How is partial production tracked?
Record completed, remaining and any scrap quantities at each operation handoff. Quantities should use consistent units and remain linked to the same work order or lot.
Can this tracking use barcodes?
Yes. Barcodes can help select a work order, product or operation quickly. Accurate records require clear identifiers for the scanned item, user, time, quantity and transaction type.