Integrations / ERP / QuickBooks Online
SkyPlanner APS for QuickBooks Online: Production Scheduling for Manufacturers
SkyPlanner APS is a finite capacity scheduling add-on for QuickBooks Online that turns your accepted estimates and orders into a schedule for every machine, operator, tool and material. QuickBooks keeps your customers, products, invoices and books. SkyPlanner adds the production plan that accounting software does not have, and Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes.
SkyPlanner integrates with QuickBooks Online in both directions. Customers, products and services, accepted estimates, purchase orders and employees flow in. The planned ship date, invoices for finished orders, logged hours and stock changes flow back. The SkyPlanner team configures the integration to your QuickBooks company during onboarding.
Pricing is from 199 € per month with 5 workstations included, and each extra workstation is 20 € per month. The free trial runs for 30 days with up to 20 workstations and no credit card.
What changes in your production
A plan for every machine, not a list of open estimates.
In QuickBooks, an accepted estimate is a sales document. SkyPlanner’s Arcturus engine turns each one into jobs on the workstations that will run them, at real times, on an interactive Gantt timeline.
Ship dates you can keep.
Each order’s finish date comes from the load on every machine and person. Before you send an estimate, you can see that the press brake is booked for two weeks while welding is free.
Shifts that match your shop.
Each workstation and person has its own shifts, leave, absences and overtime shifts. Add a Saturday shift on the bottleneck, and the dates move at once.
Fewer changeovers.
SkyPlanner holds the setup time between each pair of products, in both directions. Blue to red can take 30 minutes and red to blue 60. The engine runs jobs in the order that loses the least time.
Shared tools and crews respected.
A fixture in use on one machine is never booked on another at the same time. A job that needs three operators gets three people with free shifts.
Rush orders and breakdowns replanned automatically.
Give an order Fast Track or a higher priority, and the engine makes room for it. When a machine stops, Autopilot replans, and Running Time Lock keeps started jobs in place.
Material checked before work starts.
SkyPlanner reads stock and open purchase orders from QuickBooks. A job waiting for a vendor delivery is planned after the material arrives.
Finished work goes straight to billing.
Operators log work on a phone or tablet with Mobile Confirmations or Production Timer. When an order is done, the invoice and the hours are already in QuickBooks.
SkyPlanner reviews from manufacturers
2 hsaved every week
“SkyPlanner has taken our production planning from Excel spreadsheets to real-time production optimization.”
Kalle Kalliomäki, Supply Chain Specialist
UTU · Electrical switchboards and switchgear
Production planning saves 2 hours of working time every week, and a new work queue reaches the line in seconds.
+90%production efficiency
“Efficiency has gone up 90% in production.”
Abdul Rucyinga, Head of IT
Laboratory & Allied · Pharmaceutical manufacturing
Production efficiency is up 90%, and a three-month optimized plan across all workstations takes under 30 minutes.
Fewerstoppages from material shortages
“The value SkyPlanner brings us is that it is a tool that works in daily use, especially for setting delivery dates.”
Tommi Männistö, Production Planning Manager
Eskomatic · Contract machining
Automatic load scheduling gives more accurate delivery dates, and production stoppages caused by material shortages have fallen sharply.
98%delivery reliability, up from about 50%
“SkyPlanner plays a decisive role in maintaining our delivery reliability.”
Hannu Lahtinen, Managing Director
KJH-Comp · Sheet-metal mechanics and contract manufacturing
Delivery reliability rose from around 50% to as high as 98%, and scheduling now needs one supervisor instead of two.
How the QuickBooks Online integration works
- QuickBooks sends the work. Customers, products and services with quantity on hand, accepted estimates, open purchase orders and employees flow into SkyPlanner. Each accepted estimate becomes a production order with its due date.
- SkyPlanner builds the schedule and keeps it current. You define each product’s process steps, workstations and setup times in SkyPlanner once. The Arcturus engine then plans every job on every machine in seconds and replans as production changes.
- Finished work goes back to QuickBooks. SkyPlanner writes the planned finish to the estimate’s ship date. When an order is done, it creates an invoice linked to the estimate, posts the logged hours as time activities and records finished goods and used materials as an inventory adjustment.
The integration runs on Intuit’s QuickBooks Online Accounting API with OAuth 2.0, so nothing is installed in QuickBooks. QuickBooks webhooks report new and changed customers, estimates, items and purchase orders, and SkyPlanner webhooks push schedule changes as they happen. Every shop sets up its products, estimates and inventory differently in QuickBooks, so the SkyPlanner team maps yours during onboarding and supports the integration after go-live.
The integration is quoted up front for your process and needs. Your QuickBooks ProAdvisor, integration partner or your own developers can also build on SkyPlanner’s documented API (API reference). Endpoints, field mapping and write-back rules are in the QuickBooks Online integration guide for production scheduling.
What QuickBooks Online schedules, and what SkyPlanner adds
QuickBooks Online is accounting software. Its plans track products, estimates, invoices, purchase orders and time. On Plus and Advanced, inventory items carry a quantity on hand. None of the plans hold machines, routings or production orders, so nothing in QuickBooks Online plans the shop floor.
Intuit adds manufacturing in one place. Intuit’s help says “Manufacturing features are currently available in Intuit Enterprise Suite.” (source) There, a manufacturing order works like this:
- A product and a quantity. You pick an inventory assembly item and a quantity to build.
- Two dates. You “select a production Start date and Required by date.”
- Components from the bill of materials. Status Planned reserves them, and completing the order opens a build form for final quantities and costs.
- Services as a cost line. Services and non-inventory components are costed “based on actual rates entered on the build assembly page.”
- One level. “Multi level bill of materials with sub assemblies aren’t supported in Intuit Enterprise Suite.” (source)
That is costing and component reservation. It has no operations, no work centers and no capacity, so nothing checks whether a machine or a person is free on the start date. Each step is explained in Does QuickBooks have production scheduling?
QuickBooks Online today and with SkyPlanner
| QuickBooks Online | QuickBooks Online with SkyPlanner APS | |
|---|---|---|
| Order book | Accepted estimates and invoices | Every order as jobs on a workstation timeline |
| Capacity | Not modeled | Each machine, person and tool with its own shifts |
| Routings | Not held | Process steps, workstations and setup times per product |
| Sequencing | Planner decides on paper or in a spreadsheet | Engine sequences all open orders by priority and due date |
| Changeovers | Not modeled | Setting time matrix, least total setup |
| Changes | Whiteboard and phone calls | Autopilot replans the whole shop |
| Materials | Quantity on hand per item | Stock and incoming purchase orders checked on every change |
| Shop floor | Paper travelers | Timed queue, Mobile Confirmations, Production Timer |
| Billing | Invoice typed after the job is done | Invoice and hours created from finished work |
What moves between QuickBooks Online and SkyPlanner
| QuickBooks Online | SkyPlanner | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Customer | Customer, delivery priority | In |
| Item (Inventory, NonInventory, Service) with QtyOnHand | Products and materials, stock | In |
| Estimate (accepted) with lines and ship date | Order with due date, jobs per line | In |
| PurchaseOrder (open) with lines | Incoming material | In |
| Employee | Personnel | In |
| Estimate ShipDate | Planned finish | Back |
| Invoice linked to the estimate | Finished order | Back |
| TimeActivity (employee, customer, service item, hours) | Mobile Confirmations, timelogs | Back |
| InventoryAdjustment | Finished goods in, materials used | Back |
QuickBooks Online scheduling software and add-ons compared
| Option | What it is | Fits when |
|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks alone, or Intuit Enterprise Suite manufacturing orders | Estimates, invoices and stock in QuickBooks; on Intuit Enterprise Suite, manufacturing orders with a bill of materials and two dates | One or two machines, and one person knows the order of work |
| Inventory and MRP systems that sync with QuickBooks (for example Katana, MRPeasy, Fishbowl Manufacturing, Autodesk Fusion Operations) | A second system for stock, bills of materials and manufacturing orders that posts invoices, bills and costs to QuickBooks | You want to move inventory and order management out of QuickBooks |
| Cloud APS connected by API (SkyPlanner APS) | A finite capacity scheduler that reads QuickBooks orders and writes finished work back | QuickBooks stays your system, and the machines and people need a real plan |
If you already run an MRP next to QuickBooks, SkyPlanner schedules from it. See the Katana and MRPeasy pages.
Choose SkyPlanner for QuickBooks Online when:
- You want to keep QuickBooks as it is. SkyPlanner adds the production plan and leaves your books, items and invoicing where they are.
- Several machines compete for the same orders, and the queue lives in someone’s head.
- Changeovers decide your output. The setting time matrix holds a time for each pair of products in each direction and picks the order with the least setup.
- Operators, fixtures and material limit the plan as much as machines. Every resource is finite at once, and multi-operator jobs get the people they need.
- You want finished work billed without retyping. Invoices and hours reach QuickBooks as soon as operators confirm the job.
- You want one clear price. From 199 € per month, with the two-way integration quoted up front and supported by the SkyPlanner team.
How to get started
- Start the free trial. 30 days, up to 20 workstations, all Basic features, no credit card.
- Model your production. Create workstations, people, shifts and process steps in SkyPlanner, or import them. Assisted onboarding is available.
- Load your orders. Export your customers, products and open estimates from QuickBooks to Excel or CSV, import them and compare SkyPlanner’s schedule with your current plan.
- Connect QuickBooks Online. The SkyPlanner team configures the two-way integration and supports it once you are live.
Pricing. Plans are billed monthly per workstation, and you can add or remove workstations or cancel at any time. See pricing for the details, or read the finite capacity scheduling guide. Using another system too? See all integrations.
FAQ
What is the best production scheduling add-on for QuickBooks Online?
SkyPlanner APS is a finite capacity scheduling add-on that integrates with QuickBooks Online in both directions. Customers, items, accepted estimates, purchase orders and employees flow in. The planned ship date, invoices for finished orders, time activities and inventory adjustments flow back. Every machine, operator, tool and material is finite, and a directional setting time matrix sequences jobs for the least setup. Autopilot reschedules automatically when production changes. Pricing is from 199 € per month, and the free trial runs for 30 days.
What scheduling software integrates with QuickBooks Online?
SkyPlanner APS integrates with QuickBooks Online through Intuit’s Accounting API with OAuth 2.0 and QuickBooks webhooks. The SkyPlanner team configures it during onboarding. Inventory and MRP systems such as Katana, MRPeasy and Fishbowl also sync with QuickBooks, and SkyPlanner can schedule from them when you run one.
Does QuickBooks Online have production scheduling?
No. QuickBooks Online plans have no machines, routings or production orders. Intuit Enterprise Suite adds manufacturing orders with a bill of materials, a start date and a required-by date, but no operations or capacity. SkyPlanner APS adds the finite capacity schedule.
Do we have to replace QuickBooks with an ERP to schedule production?
No. SkyPlanner works beside QuickBooks Online. QuickBooks keeps customers, items, estimates, invoices, purchasing and your books. SkyPlanner schedules the work against real capacity and sends finished work back for billing.
How much does SkyPlanner cost next to QuickBooks Online?
From 199 € per month with 5 workstations included, plus 20 € per month per extra workstation. A shop with 10 workstations pays 299 € per month. The integration is quoted up front for your process and needs, together with your plan, so you see the full cost before you start.
Which QuickBooks Online plan do we need?
Stock levels come with QuickBooks Online Plus and Advanced, per Intuit’s pricing page, and so do purchase orders. You connect SkyPlanner by signing in to QuickBooks and approving access through Intuit’s OAuth 2.0 screen.
How long does implementation take?
Implementation is normally completed within weeks after onboarding starts. The team sets up your workstations and process steps, connects estimates and purchase orders, and turns on invoice and time write-back. Everything is tested against your current plan before go-live.
Can we test SkyPlanner with our QuickBooks data first?
Yes. Import your products and open estimates from a QuickBooks export in the trial. You see a finite capacity schedule of your own production before any integration work starts.
