The previous routing order status and quantity finished on previous operation fields in Business Central show production line workers how much of the previous operation is complete before they start their own. You see these fields on the operation line on the right hand side of the production order.
These fields only work if you track routing status and quantity output at the operation level. Business Central does not require this, but if you set it up, you give operators a clearer picture of where each order stands.
You can filter operations by your own work center to see only the work relevant to you. Remove the work center filter to see the complete order across all operations. This helps you decide whether to start a job now or wait until more is finished on the previous step.
How the previous routing order status and quantity fields work in Business Central
On the operation line, on the right hand side, you find two fields: previous routing order status and quantity finished on previous operation. They give the user a clearer overview of the production flow.
These fields only make sense if you actually use the routing status and the quantity output at the operation level. Business Central does not require you to track this, but if you do, the result is a nicer review for the person working the line.
Take an example. If you are the one working line number two, which is order number 146, you can see the quantity directly. The quantity you need to produce is 80. Scroll right, and you see that the previous routing status is “in progress” and that only 10 units have been made so far.
Filtering by work center to see what is ready for you
You can filter the view down to a single work center. In this example, that is work center number 100. With that filter applied, you see only the operations that belong to you.
When you filter on a single work center, you see the previous operation and how much was finished there. That tells you how much is ready for you. If only 10 units are finished on the previous operation, you can decide whether to start now or wait until more is available.
Seeing the complete production order across all operations
If you want an overview of an entire order rather than just your own work center, filter on the order and remove the work center filter. When you update your operation, you see the complete order.
That gives you one production order with all the operation numbers and their routing status. Scroll right, and you see how many units were finished at each step. This is the basis for the previous operation fields on the line.
Q&A
What do the previous routing order status and quantity finished fields show?
They show the status of the previous operation in a production order and how many units have been finished there. This lets the operator on the next operation see how much work is ready before starting.
Do you need to track routing status at the operation level for these fields to work?
Yes. The fields only make sense if you use the routing status and quantity output at the operation level. Business Central does not require this, but it gives a clearer overview if you set it up.
How do you see the complete production order instead of just your own work center?
Filter on the order and remove the work center filter, then update your operation. You then see the full order with all operation numbers, their routing status, and how many units were finished at each step.
How do these fields help you decide when to start an operation?
By filtering on your own work center, you can see how many units were finished on the previous operation. If only a few are ready, you can decide whether to start now or wait until more are available.