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Plan to Produce | Dynamics 365
Plan, control, and execute production reliably
The Plan to Produce business process covers the planning, control, and execution of production, from demand planning and manufacturing through packaging, put-away, and production reporting.
The goal is production that runs on schedule, cost-efficiently, and with stable capacity utilization, ensuring customer demand can be fulfilled reliably. At the same time, Plan to Produce is closely interconnected with the Order to Cash process: what is sold in a customer order must be realistically plannable in production and accurately reportable on the shop floor.
Plan to Produce as a single process
MODUS Consult implements Plan to Produce as a clearly structured process that connects planning, material supply, production execution, and reporting so that decisions are based on reliable data. In many projects, this is enhanced by Industry 4.0-oriented integration, such as incorporating real-time production data into production planning or integrating CAD data wherever it is relevant for product variants, work preparation, or documentation.
The result is greater transparency and efficiency in planning and control, less loss of time and resources through automation, and more flexibility when production plans need to be adjusted.
Greater utilization, better planning reliability
A well-implemented Plan to Produce process enables efficient planning and control, reduces costs and errors, and creates greater transparency into progress, materials, and capacities.
At the same time, collaboration between departments improves: planning, production, logistics, and quality work within the same process, supported by clear feedback rather than constant follow-up questions.
This not only increases internal stability, but also has a direct impact on on-time delivery performance and customer communication.
From interaction to AI-driven value
From a solid starting point to greater interaction, such as mobile devices, interactive terminals, and digitally available production documents - all the way to improved control and measurability, we develop the process further together with you.
Workflows support collaboration with indirectly affected areas, BI analytics enable performance measurement, and AI-driven approaches can be added wherever they deliver real value, for example in maintenance or analytics.
Plan, produce, store, improve
Create a production plan
Every process starts with planning. This includes a simple net requirements planning run, basic setup sequence optimization, and planning against finite resources. At more advanced stages, simulations with different production alternatives can be added to identify bottlenecks early and evaluate options in a structured way. The result is a production plan that is realistic and achievable.
Material supply
A good plan is only as strong as the material supply behind it. Material provisioning may begin with classic logistics documents and journals and, when needed, be enhanced with mobile devices and clearly defined replenishment processes. The goal is to ensure that material is in the right place at the right time without production and logistics having to constantly react and adjust.
Production execution
Production execution focuses on operational implementation on the shop floor. Depending on the level of maturity, options range from production based on traditional shop papers to production supported by interactive terminals. For greater transparency, progress monitoring can also be enhanced with a graphical production scheduling board. Scenarios such as subcontracting with or without provided components can also be mapped accurately - an important capability for hybrid manufacturing models and outsourced operations.
Packaging and finished goods put-away
Packaging is often underestimated as a “small step,” but it frequently has a major impact on throughput time, error rates, and delivery quality. Within the process, packaging can be represented as a defined operation and supported by packaging instructions.
The subsequent put-away of finished goods may initially be handled through simple logistics documents and journals, and can be made more efficient with mobile devices when required.
Production reporting
Reporting is the key to transparency: only when time, quantities, and statuses are reported back accurately does planning become reliable. Depending on the level of process maturity, reporting may be manual, semi-automated, or carried out directly via interactive terminals. This improves data quality and enables production control to respond more quickly.
Maintenance and asset upkeep
Plan to Produce does not end with the finished product. Equipment availability is a critical factor for on-time delivery. That is why the process can be extended to include basic maintenance planning and execution. This can go as far as predictive maintenance, where the data foundation and business objectives support it.
FAQ
Plan to Produce can be adapted to a wide range of manufacturing models depending on requirements, such as Engineer-to-Order, custom manufacturing, configurable manufacturing, process manufacturing, repetitive manufacturing, or batch production.
The key is that planning, material supply, production execution, and reporting work together smoothly - and that the level of process maturity matches the complexity of your production environment.
Yes. Many companies start with a stable foundation — net requirements planning, basic material supply, production using shop papers, and manual reporting — and then expand in targeted stages: mobile devices, interactive terminals, digitally provided production documents, scheduling board/transparency capabilities, and BI reporting.
This creates a clear development path with quick wins, without having to change everything at once.
