Processes

You can use the Processes module to create and maintain a process and an operation. A process is a logical representation of the performance of one or more operations utilizing one or more physical entities for the purpose of producing an item. You can create a process to define the production method to produce an item, and instantiate the work orders.

A process describes operations and steps required to manufacture an item. Processes are not used directly to manufacture an item. Processes are used to create work orders that are instances of a process. Work orders are used to manufacture an item. The use of processes in MES is optional as you can create a work order directly using the Work Orders and Jobs module. Processes are required in the MES Client application to assign certifications as you cannot assign a certification to a work order.

By default, the Processes module is in the Operations Management group in the Navigation Bar. For more information on groups and modules, see Groups and modules.

A process is a method of producing an item. A process links an item that needs to be produced with operations, steps, specifications, entities, and routings. A process determines the flow of material between entities and operations.

When you open the Processes workspace tab, the Current View tab appears on the ribbon.

The Current View tab includes the View group and the Diagrams group.

In the View group, the following commands are available:

• Standard View

  Shows the standard view. When you click Standard View, a list of all the available processes is shown.

• Group By Item

  Shows a list of all the processes by item. When you click Group By Item, a list of item IDs of all the available items is shown. Click the plus (+) symbol to expand an item and view the list of processes assigned to that item.

• Group By Process Class

  Shows a list of all the processes by class. When you click Group By Process Class, a list of the process class IDs of all the available process classes is shown. Click the plus (+) symbol to expand a process class and view the list of processes assigned to that class.

• Group By Level

  Shows a list of all the processes grouped by their level. Three levels are available for a process, General, Site, or Master. You can assign group level to a process while creating a process. For more information on creating a process, see Create a process.

• Group By Status

  Shows a list of all the processes grouped by their status. Four statuses are available for a process: Disabled, Experimental, Approved, or Certified. You can assign status to a process while creating a process. For more information on creating a process, see Create a process.

In the Diagrams group, the following commands are available:

• View Relationships

  Shows a graphical representation of the relationship between a process, an operation, a standard operation, an item, and a process class.

• View Route Map

  Shows a graphical representation of the process with boxes for Operations, entities within the Operations, and the associated entities. For more information on viewing job route diagram, see View a job route diagram.