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Copy this production schedule template into Excel and replace A and B with your jobs. Each row is one operation. The invented example shows two jobs sharing machine M1 and operator O1: B starts when A finishes.
| Order / operation | Machine / operator | Setup min | Run min | Start | End | Due | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A / A-10 | M1 / O1 | 30 | 120 | 08:00 | 10:30 | 12:00 | Planned |
| B / B-10 | M1 / O1 | 15 | 180 | 10:30 | 13:45 | 16:00 | Planned |
A occupies M1 for 150 minutes; B needs 195 minutes. They fit in an uninterrupted 08:00 to 16:00 shift, with both materials ready and O1 available throughout. Neither job overlaps the other or misses its due time.
Make the sheet your own
Select the table, copy it and paste into cell A1 in a blank Excel sheet. If it lands in one column, use Data > Text to Columns and choose the separator visible in the pasted text. Confirm that each heading has its own column before continuing.
Keep the headings and replace A and B. Use an order ID and a unique operation ID so you can add another row for that order’s next step. Run min is the total processing time for the batch, not the time per piece. Setup min is additional time on the machine.
For your real jobs, enter Start and Due as full dates and times, not text. Format Start, End and Due as date and time so work tomorrow cannot look like work today. With the columns above, enter the following formula in F2 and copy it down.
=E2+(C2+D2)/1440
Excel stores time as fractions of a day; this formula adds setup and run minutes to the start.
The formula calculates an end time for work that runs without interruption. It does not find a free machine or skip a break. Choose the start only after checking the machine, operator, materials and preceding operation.
Keep working periods on a second sheet. For the example, the availability table is:
| Resource | Available from | Available until |
|---|---|---|
| M1 | 08:00 | 16:00 |
| O1 | 08:00 | 16:00 |
Replace these with your actual dated working periods. If there is a break, use separate available periods before and after it. An operation that cannot pause needs a continuous slot long enough for both setup and run time.
For multi-step jobs, add a Predecessor column containing the previous operation ID. Add a Material ready column when material arrivals affect the start. Keep Machine and Operator in separate columns if you need to sort or filter assignments independently. A free machine is not enough if its operator is busy elsewhere.
What changes when M1 stops?
Suppose A is complete at 10:30, but M1 then stops until 13:00. B has not started. Keep A’s actual finish, update M1’s availability and test B from 13:00.
B still needs 195 minutes, so its continuous finish would be 16:15. That is after both the 16:00 due time and the shift end. Mark B as needing a planning decision; do not issue 16:15 as an approved finish.
Check for another eligible machine with an available operator, or an approved later working period. Split the operation only if the process can safely pause and resume. If no feasible slot meets the due time, agree a revised delivery commitment. Changing B’s status colour does not create the missing machine time.
Check before sending the schedule to the floor
- Sort by machine and start. Each operation must start at or after the previous operation ends on that machine.
- Check operators separately, including work on other machines.
- Start after materials are ready and the preceding operation is complete.
- Fit setup and processing inside the available working periods.
- Compare the calculated end with the due time. Keep completed work’s actual times when replanning unstarted work.
Put the revision date, time and your name above the table. Send one approved version, and tell the floor which earlier version it replaces.
When the spreadsheet becomes the work
Use the template to learn the scheduling inputs and check a small plan before releasing it. The wider guide to Excel production-planning challenges explains why those checks grow as the shop gets busier.
Use Excel for a first schedule, not as the engine for a changing shop-floor plan. The M1 stoppage shows why: the sheet calculates B’s finish, but you still have to find a feasible slot and check every affected operation yourself. SkyPlanner does the scheduling calculation automatically, using your workstations, shifts, operators, materials and preset priorities, then recalculates the plan when it changes and shows the result in the Gantt. You set the priorities and decide which plan goes to the floor; you do not have to trace every knock-on conflict through the spreadsheet yourself. SkyPlanner integrates with any ERP or MES system through its open REST API. Start a SkyPlanner trial with demo data and inspect how competing jobs use the available capacity.
For today’s schedule, replace A and B with your next jobs, calculate their end times and resolve any overlap or missed due time before sending the sheet to the floor.
Jussi Mäntylä
Production Planning Specialist, SkyPlanner
