Does JobBOSS² Have Finite Capacity Scheduling? The Whiteboard Scheduler Explained

1. Shifts in Company Maintenance

ECI’s setup advice starts here: “The first step is to review the shifts set up in Company Maintenance.” The Company Calendar holds hours available per shift for up to three shifts, shift start and end times and a capacity factor. Individual work centers can override the company shifts. (ECI blog)

2. Work Centers

“Work Centers can be any number of things: machines, groups of machines, work cells, people, etc.” Each Work Center carries hours available on shifts 1 to 3, which shifts it runs, working days, a capacity factor, a utilization percent, queue time and a default setup time. It also has a loading method, which is where finite or infinite loading is set. (JobBOSS² API reference)

3. Routings and job steps

Time per step is entered “in the Estimating module or directly on a Job through Order Entry.” Each Routing step on an Estimate, and each Order Routing step on a job, holds:

• the work center or outside vendor
• setup time and cycle time
• team size and the number of machines for the job
• flags for unattended operation and overlap steps
• estimated start and end dates

4. Materials and outside services

Purchased material and outside services sit on the job as Job Requirements, with a lead time and the linked purchase order. ECI is direct about what the schedule needs: “all raw materials and outside services need realistic lead times.”

5. Building the schedule

“JobBOSS² builds the schedule by looking at how jobs interact with one another at each work center.” ECI describes it as a program that “uses math to look at hard data when determining how the shop should be loaded.” Jobs carry a priority and a due date, and a job can be locked in the schedule.

6. Whiteboard Scheduler, Planning Board and Scheduling Advisor

ECI calls JobBOSS² “the only ERP with two ways to schedule”:

• Whiteboard Scheduler. “The Whiteboard Scheduler lets you change customer due dates and job schedules on the fly.” ECI’s blog adds that the Whiteboard “shows you your capacity and gives you forecasting abilities.”
• Planning Board. “The Planning Board has drag and drop functionality,” so you can track jobs visually as they move through the shop.
• Scheduling Advisor shows which jobs are behind. You can flag hot jobs and create what-if scenarios to see lead times. (ECI)

7. Data collection

“The shop employees need to utilize data collection to report times and completed pieces.” ECI says “the schedule is updated in real-time as that information is entered.” Work arrives as Time Tickets per job step.

8. ECI APS, the add-on

In October 2024 ECI announced “two new add-on solutions for its Manufacturing ERP products,” ECI MES and ECI APS, both powered by LYNQ, to “soon be available for Deacom, M1, JobBOSS², and Macola.” ECI APS adds “multiple resource scheduling, live progress reporting from equipment, and custom constraints.” (announcement, ECI APS)

The native module does the job when:

• One experienced planner owns the Whiteboard and likes to sequence by hand.
• Work centers are single machines, or their machines are interchangeable.
• Setups are short or do not depend on the job before.
• Operators and fixtures rarely decide which job can run.
• Material lead times are reliable enough to plan by.

If that fits, keep shifts, work center hours and routing times accurate, use data collection on every step, and let Scheduling Advisor flag late jobs.

SkyPlanner APS takes over the work that stays with the planner. Every workstation, person, tool and material is finite, with real clock times. Arcturus optimizes the whole plan in seconds, sequenced by job priority, completion date, customer priority, Fast Track and Dynamic Priorities.

The setting time matrix holds the changeover time between each pair of parts in both directions, and the engine picks the order with the least setup. A job that needs three operators gets three people with free shifts. A fixture in use on one machine is never booked on another, and work moves to an alternative machine or person when the first choice is busy.

Material-driven scheduling simulates future inventory from stock and incoming purchase orders, so a job is planned when its material is there. Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes, and the Running Time Lock freezes the next hours of work so the floor is not disrupted. Operators log work on phone or tablet with Mobile Confirmations, Production Timer and Quick Log Mode.

Choose SkyPlanner over JobBOSS² scheduling when:

• You want the sequence optimized, not hand-built. ECI says its schedule “will not run it for you.” Arcturus sequences every work center at once, and Autopilot replans on each change.
• Setups depend on the job before. One setup time per routing step becomes a directional setting time matrix.
• People, fixtures and material are real constraints. They sit in one finite schedule with the machines.
• You want multi-resource scheduling without an add-on project. ECI sells that as ECI APS. SkyPlanner is live within weeks after onboarding starts, after you test it on your own jobs.

Start with an Excel export of open JobBOSS² jobs in the 30-day free trial (up to 20 workstations, no credit card). After that, pricing is from 199 € per month with 5 workstations included, billed monthly. The integration is quoted up front for your process and needs, together with your plan.

SkyPlanner integrates with JobBOSS² in both directions through ECI’s JobBOSS² API, or ECI’s ERP API for on-premise installs. The SkyPlanner team configures it during onboarding, and your partner or developers can work on the documented REST API. See the SkyPlanner for JobBOSS² page, the JobBOSS² integration guide, SkyPlanner features or all ERP integrations.