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What this page is for

A Work Order (WO) is an order to manufacture a finished good — usually at a co-manufacturer (a “co-man,” a factory that builds product for you) — by consuming the components listed in its recipe. When the build finishes, the finished good lands in a destination warehouse ready to ship or sell. This page explains the two numbers planners ask about most: how much you asked to be built versus how much has actually been made, and, for each component, how much is reserved to the order versus how much the order still needs. Get those straight and a work order reads at a glance.

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The header fields

FieldWhat it means
NumberThe work order’s identifier.
Produced productThe finished good this order builds.
Bill of materialsThe recipe (BOM) used for the build — the components and how many of each go into one finished good.
QuantityThe planned quantity to build — the target output you ordered.
BuiltHow much has actually been produced so far. Starts empty and grows as the co-man reports output.
SupplierThe co-manufacturer doing the build.
DestinationThe warehouse where the finished good is stored when it is done.
Start dateWhen production begins. Must be before the end date.
End dateWhen production is due.
NotesFree-text notes for your team.
Assignee / CreatorWho owns the order and who created it.
A BOM (Bill of Materials) is the recipe: the components consumed and the count of each per one finished good.

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Quantities explained: built vs. planned

This is the distinction to lock in:
  • Quantity is what you asked to be built. It is the target — the order you placed with the co-man.
  • Built is what has actually been made. It starts at zero and climbs as production reports output.
Built is what moves the order through its production statuses. As soon as any units are reported, the order becomes Partially Built; once Built reaches Quantity, it is Built. You watch Built to know whether the run is on track, behind, or complete — Quantity never changes on its own, but Built tells you the real story on the floor.

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The components table

Beneath the header, each component in the BOM gets a row. The columns tell you whether the build can actually be supplied:
ColumnWhat it means
CommittedThe amount of that component already reserved/allocated to this work order, so it can’t be used elsewhere.
NeededHow much this order requires = the BOM’s units-per-finished-good × the build quantity.
AvailableHow much of the component is on hand at this order’s manufacturer.
OthersStock of the component at other manufacturer locations.
SupplierThe source that provides the component.
Two more numbers help you spot a gap:
  • On order — component stock already inbound to this manufacturer (a purchase or transfer on its way).
  • Back order — the shortfall the order still can’t cover: back order = max(0, Needed − Committed − Available). If that comes out to zero, the component is covered; if it is positive, you are short by that amount.
A per-order availability indicator summarizes all of this at a glance: all components covered, at least one component short, or not computable (n.a.) when the numbers can’t be worked out yet. To close a shortfall, a work order can be mapped (linked) to the Purchase Orders and Transfer Orders that replenish its components, and to predecessor / successor work orders when one build feeds another.

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Statuses

Before a work order is written to your ERP it carries a Spherecast-only status; after it is written it takes on a real status from your ERP. (An ERP is your company’s system of record. The status names below are NetSuite-style examples — the exact wording varies by company.)
StatusWhat it means
RecommendedA system proposal. Not a real order yet.
DraftYou started an order but haven’t submitted it. Still Spherecast-only.
Pending ApprovalWaiting for a supervisor’s sign-off.
ReleasedApproved and on the shop floor at the co-man.
Partially BuiltSome units have been produced (Built is above zero, below Quantity).
BuiltBuilt has reached Quantity — the run is complete.
ClosedFinished and settled; no further activity expected.
CancelledThe order was called off.
Every work order also belongs to a scenario — the live plan or a what-if copy — and shows a warning if its last write to the ERP failed.

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Step by step: create and track a work order

  1. From the supply grid or the work-orders list, create a work order for the finished good you need to build.
  2. Set the Quantity (target output), the Supplier (co-man), the Destination warehouse, and the Start and End dates.
  3. Check the components table: confirm Needed looks right and read the availability indicator. If a component shows a back order, map the order to a Purchase or Transfer Order that replenishes it.
  4. Route the order for approval (Pending Approval), then approve it and write it to your ERP so it becomes real. See Writing to your ERP.
  5. As the co-man reports output, watch Built climb — the order moves to Partially Built, then Built when Built equals Quantity.

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Example

You create a work order to build 1,000 units of a finished good. The BOM uses 2 units of Component A per finished good, so:
  • Needed = 2 × 1,000 = 2,000.
  • Say 1,500 are already Committed to this order and 300 are Available at the co-man.
  • Back order = max(0, 2,000 − 1,500 − 300) = 200. You are 200 short, so the availability indicator flags the order as short until you cover it — for example by mapping in a purchase order for Component A.
Once production starts, Built climbs from 0 to 600 (the order shows Partially Built) and later to 1,000 (the order shows Built). Quantity stayed at 1,000 the whole time — Built is what told you where the run actually stood.
Tip: When a work order shows “at least one component short,” don’t wait — map it to the Purchase Order or Transfer Order that brings that component in. See Raw-material planning, Products, SKUs & BOMs, and Purchase orders.