Weekly Planning Cycle¶

A Monday morning routine to keep your print farm running smoothly all week.

This workflow is a repeatable checklist you can follow at the start of each week to review demand, plan production, and order materials. Adjust the cadence to fit your business — high-volume farms may benefit from doing this daily.

The Flow¶

graph TD
    A[Review Dashboard] --> B[Check Open Orders]
    B --> C[Run MRP]
    C --> D[Review Low Stock]
    D --> E[Release Purchase Orders]
    E --> F[Schedule Production]
    F --> G[Review Printer Fleet]
    G --> H[Week Planned]

Step 1: Review the Dashboard¶

Start with a high-level view of where things stand.

Where: Dashboard

Look at:

• Open orders — How many orders are waiting to be fulfilled?
• Production status — Are there production orders stuck in progress?
• Low stock alerts — Are any materials critically low?
• Revenue trends — How is this week comparing to last?

Details: Understanding the Dashboard

Step 2: Check Open Orders¶

Review all orders that need attention this week.

Where: Sales > Orders

1. Filter by status to see Confirmed orders (ready to produce)
2. Sort by due date to prioritize what ships first
3. Note any orders that are blocked by missing materials or incomplete production

Details: Taking and Fulfilling Orders

Step 3: Run MRP¶

Let FilaOps calculate what materials you need for the week ahead.

Where: Manufacturing > MRP > Run MRP

1. Set the planning horizon to match your planning window (7–14 days for weekly planning)
2. Consider enabling Include Draft Orders if you have likely quotes
3. Click Run MRP
4. Review the material requirements table — focus on items with a positive Net Shortage

Details: Material Planning (MRP)

Step 4: Review Low Stock¶

Check what needs to be ordered, combining MRP results with reorder point alerts.

Where: Purchasing > Low Stock

1. Review items flagged by MRP, reorder points, or both
2. For each shortage, note the quantity needed and lead time
3. Prioritize orders for materials needed soonest

Details: Ordering Supplies

Step 5: Release Purchase Orders¶

Convert MRP suggestions and low-stock alerts into actual purchase orders.

Where: Manufacturing > MRP (for planned orders) or Purchasing > Purchase Orders

1. Firm any planned purchase orders you agree with
2. Release firmed orders — select the vendor and confirm
3. For items not covered by MRP, create purchase orders manually
4. Verify all POs have been sent to vendors

Details: Ordering Supplies and Material Planning (MRP)

Step 6: Schedule Production¶

Plan what to produce this week based on order priorities and material availability.

Where: Manufacturing > Production

1. Create production orders for confirmed sales orders
2. Prioritize by due date and material availability
3. Assign production orders to available work centers
4. Set production orders to In Progress when ready to start

Details: Running Production

Step 7: Review Printer Fleet¶

Make sure your equipment is ready for the week's production.

Where: Printers > Fleet Management

1. Check printer statuses — are all printers online and operational?
2. Review any printers flagged for maintenance
3. Note printers with upcoming maintenance schedules
4. Address any offline or error-state printers before production starts

Details: Monitoring Your Printers

Weekly Planning Checklist¶

• [ ] Dashboard reviewed for alerts and trends
• [ ] Open orders reviewed and prioritized by due date
• [ ] MRP run with appropriate planning horizon
• [ ] Low stock items identified
• [ ] Purchase orders created and sent to vendors
• [ ] Production orders created and scheduled
• [ ] Printer fleet checked and ready