Operations and Steps

The Operations section on a Production Batch is the list of steps the cut bundles will go through before they become finished goods. Cutting → Stitching → Wash → Pressing → Folding → Packing — whatever sequence the style needs.

Each row is a Batch Operation Step, and a single step carries a lot more than just "this operation happened." It carries who's doing it (internal unit or supplier), where (which warehouse), when (expected and actual dates), and how the cost lands.

What's on a Step

The fields on each step worth understanding:

• Operation — the operation this step represents, drawn from the Assembly Operation master.
• Production Unit — which Production Unit is running this step. Internal Unit means in-house; External Unit means a supplier.
• Warehouse — where the WIP for this step sits while it's open.
• Status — Pending, In Progress, Done. Driven by Operation Ledger Entries posted against the step.
• Expected Start / End — the planned dates, usually populated by the simulator.
• Actual Start / End — populated as the Operation Ledger records Start and End entries.
• Dispatch / Recovery Dates — when stock physically left for an external operation and when it came back.
• Cost Source — Internal, Blanket Order, PO, or PI. How the cost of this step is being recognized.
• Supplier / Service Item / Estimated Cost / Actual Cost — for outsourced steps, these are what the cost rolls up from.

Internal vs External steps

The cost-source choice is what separates the two:

Internal steps charge cost from the labor your factory employs. Cost per minute comes from Garment Manufacturing Settings; the minutes come from the Operation Ledger entries posted against the step.

External steps charge cost from the outsourced service. The Step links to a Supplier and a Service Item, and the cost lands through one of:

• a Blanket Order — pre-negotiated rate; usage gets pulled from there.
• a Purchase Order — order-specific rate; usage gets pulled from the matching PO.
• a Purchase Invoice — the rate is realized when the invoice is booked.

You don't choose the cost source step-by-step from scratch — you set defaults on the Production Unit, and Steps inherit them when added to a Batch.

How Steps move from Pending to Done

The flow:

1. Step is added to the Batch in Pending.
2. A supervisor posts a Start entry in the Operation Ledger → Step becomes In Progress, Actual Start populated.
3. As work moves between units or operations, Transfer and Handoff entries are posted.
4. A final End entry on the step → Step becomes Done, Actual End populated, costs sealed.

Most supervisors never edit Steps directly. They post Ledger entries from the Production PWA or from the Operation Ledger form, and the Steps update themselves.

Image: The Operations section of a Production Batch with multiple Steps showing mixed Internal and External sources, and one Step highlighted with its Supplier and Service Item visible.

What to do next

Steps don't run in isolation — they run on cut bundles. Move to Sizes and cutting to see how cut quantities feed batch quantities.