In manufacturing processes, it is common for one operation to depend on the completion of a previous one. To ensure smooth workflow, it’s crucial to make sure that dependent operations are only started after their prerequisites are completed.
In Odoo, this setup can be configured in a few steps using Work Order Dependencies feature:
- Go to the configuration page in Manufacturing:
Manufacturing > Configuration > Settings > Operations, and enable the optionWork Order Dependencies. - Navigate to the specific Bill of Materials (BoM) where you want to apply this setup. In the Miscellaneous tab, enable the
Operation Dependenciessetting. - Open the Operations tab of the BoM. Click on the operation that depends on another operation and use the
Blocked By field to specify the required prerequisite operation(s). An operation can depend on multiple operations, if necessary. - For better visibility, make the
Blocked By field available in the Operations tab. This helps to provide a clear overview of the dependencies.
Once these changes are saved, any new manufacturing order created for the configured BoM will enforce the operation dependencies. Operations will remain in the state “Waiting for another WO” until all specified prerequisite operations are completed.
It is important to note that on the Shop Floor Control Panel, these dependencies are strictly enforced, ensuring smooth operation flow. In other views, however, operations are in a different state upon order confirmation but can still be started and completed even if their prerequisites are not finished.