Production scheduling moved from spreadsheets to a system workflow (improved delivery performance)
Client
Manufacturing businesses using Odoo, Zoho, and Pronto.
The challenge
Spreadsheet-based production scheduling often fails in the same ways:
• Information becomes outdated quickly
• Version control breaks down
• The schedule depends on a subject matter expert to keep it alive
• When that person is absent, the shopfloor loses direction In some cases, maintaining the spreadsheet required up to 6 hours per day of admin effort.
What we did
We replaced spreadsheet scheduling with system-based workflows that created live visibility and clear priorities.
Examples across systems:
• Odoo: Used standard manufacturing functionality and introduced priority rules for manufacturing orders based on whether they were required for delivery orders or stock orders. Stock orders were prioritised based on inventory levels.
• Zoho: Built a custom planning tool in Zoho Creator, including a planning algorithm to handle complex manufacturing flows and constraints such as tool and space limitations.
• Pronto: Implemented a custom prioritization algorithm for delivery orders based on destination state.
Results
• Shopfloor staff could work more autonomously because priorities were visible and current
• Live tracking of orders through manufacturing improved day-to-day coordination
• Admin time dropped significantly because planning focused on exceptions rather than manually maintaining every detail
Why it matters
The biggest gain from “moving off spreadsheets” is not technology. It is operational resilience. When priorities are visible and current, production can keep moving without bottlenecks around a single planner.
