Optimizing Order Fulfillment in Dynamics 365 Business Central: A Deep Dive into the Order Fulfillment Worksheet

Many businesses using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central struggle with efficient order fulfillment due to limited real-time visibility, manual stock allocation, and a lack of automated prioritization. In this podcast, Ryan and Emma explore common fulfillment bottlenecks, from inefficient inventory tracking to manual order processing, and discuss how the Order Fulfillment Worksheet helps overcome these challenges. By automating stock allocation, optimizing pick lists, and proactively managing backorders, businesses can significantly reduce errors, speed up fulfillment, and improve customer satisfaction. Tune in to learn how smarter tools can streamline your order fulfillment process and enhance operational efficiency.

Website: https://FulfillmentForDynamics.com

Episode Transcript

(05:20):
Welcome to Inside Insight, your quick hit of

(01:01:57):
tips, tools and trends for manufacturing, distribution

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and Dynamics 365 Business Central. Brought

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to you by Insight Works.

Emma (03:04:08):
Okay, let's cut to the chase. You're probably

(03:58:37):
listening because, well, dealing with really

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complicated business software, especially for

(05:13:33):
visual scheduling and Business Central, it's

(05:54:26):
become a huge task in itself, hasn't it?

Ryan (06:50:08):
That's absolutely the core problem we hear

(07:27:11):
about. You need clarity, you need control over

(08:09:32):
your manufacturing schedule. But instead you

(08:41:18):
find these systems that are just packed with

(09:23:39):
features you might never touch.

Emma (09:51:44):
Right?

Ryan (09:59:52):
And they often demand weeks, maybe months of

(10:50:02):
setup, specialized knowledge just to see a

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basic schedule. You know, like getting this

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super complex toolkit when really you just

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need a screwdriver.

Emma (13:21:36):
Exactly. All you want is to see your production

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flow, make a few quick adjustments and not

(14:53:31):
need like a degree in advanced planning algorithms.

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So for this deep dive, our mission is pretty

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straightforward. We want to explore a simpler,

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more direct way to visualize and manage that

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production schedule right inside Business Central,

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but without all the unnecessary baggage.

Ryan (18:53:04):
And that really brings us to this tool, the

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graphical scheduler. Think of it as being really

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focused. It's actually a free app built for

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Business Central and it gives you that visual

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drag and drop interface for scheduling.

Emma (21:46:56):
Okay.

Ryan (21:56:00):
The key word here is probably lightweight.

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It's designed to give you what you actually

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need day to day without getting you stuck in

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features that, you know, sound great on paper

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but don't solve the immediate issues.

Emma (25:11:58):
Okay, so let's dig into that pain point first.

(26:01:21):
Why are some of these, let's call them heavyweight

(26:50:44):
visual scheduling tools? Such a headache. What

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are the main problems people run into?

Ryan (28:10:22):
Well, first off, just the time investment to

(28:58:36):
get them running. It can be significant. We're

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not talking days, we're talking weeks, sometimes

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months of configuration implementation. Wow.

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Then you got all these advanced features, things

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like AI generating simulations, deep optimization

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algorithms. Now these can be powerful, sure,

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but often they're just overkill for what many

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manufacturers, especially maybe smaller mid

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sized ones, actually need on a Tuesday morning.

Emma (35:14:30):
So you end up paying for and trying to learn

(36:03:50):
things that just aren't used. It's that classic

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feature bloat situation, isn't it?

Ryan (37:08:54):
Precisely. And then there's the whole issue

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of disconnected systems. A lot of these tools,

(38:36:36):
they operate outside Business Central.

Emma (39:07:50):
Ah, okay.

Ryan (39:22:22):
Which leads to that constant, you know, dance

(40:03:17):
of data synchronization. Is the data current.

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Are there errors creeping in? It becomes a

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real struggle to make sure everyone's looking

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at the same up to date picture.

Emma (42:33:14):
I can see how that would be.

Ryan (42:55:30):
Frustrating and add to that, the training.

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Mastering a completely new, often complex platform

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adds another layer of cost, another layer of

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time commitment.

Emma (45:49:14):
So really, what you're saying is for a lot

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of businesses, the fundamental need is just

(47:19:50):
clarity. See the schedule, make quick, agile

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changes, not necessarily predict every possible

(48:33:27):
outcome five months from now.

Ryan (49:02:58):
Absolutely. That's it. Many users just need

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to understand what's happening now, spot potential

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problems coming up, and crucially, reschedule

(50:51:29):
tasks quickly when needed. They want clarity

(51:29:28):
and the ability to react fast. They don't need

(52:18:18):
a system that needs its own dedicated analyst

(53:01:43):
to interpret. And this is really where the

(53:45:07):
graphical scheduler aims to be different. Much

(54:23:06):
more practical.

Emma (54:35:34):
Okay, so how does this graphical scheduler

(55:13:45):
achieve that? How does it strip away the complexity

(56:02:51):
and keep things functional for the actual user?

Ryan (56:49:10):
Well, the biggest thing is probably its integration.

(57:33:00):
It lives directly inside Business Central.

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It's not some external program you have to

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connect.

Emma (58:56:16):
Just no separate login, no integration hassles.

Ryan (59:51:12):
Exactly. That eliminates a whole category of

(60:30:54):
problems right there. And the core function,

(61:10:37):
it's really designed to be simple. You drag

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and drop your production tasks on the schedule

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to move them.

Emma (62:59:52):
Drag and drop, that sounds refreshingly straightforward.

Ryan (63:46:40):
It is. And you get immediate visual feedback.

(64:24:19):
So let's say you're moving a task. Maybe it's

(65:06:41):
called nesting or something. As soon as you

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drag it to a new time slot, a little tooltip

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appears instantly, showing the new start and

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end times.

Emma (67:14:44):
Ah, okay. Right there on the screen.

Ryan (68:04:28):
Right there. It's instant clarity built into

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the Business Central interface people already

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use. And think about the impact that you're

(70:20:41):
still inhaling, that you're not just shuffling

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boxes around. You're empowering the people

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closest to the work, maybe the supervisor,

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to react immediately to changes that can cut

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down on delays, miscommunications.

Emma (73:50:08):
That immediate feedback loop. Yeah, that must

(74:20:50):
be a huge help for making quick decisions right

(75:00:19):
on the shop floor.

Ryan (75:18:56):
It really is. And another key thing is customizable

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views. You can set it up so too, different

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people see the schedule in a way that makes

(77:20:08):
sense for them.

Emma (77:34:48):
How so?

Ryan (77:49:12):
Well, maybe the production manager needs that

(78:31:02):
high level overview, perhaps by department,

(79:06:53):
but a machine operator, they just need to see

(80:00:40):
the queue for their specific machine.

Emma (80:37:36):
Right, tailored to the role.

Ryan (81:04:02):
Exactly. It ensures everyone's focused on what's

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relevant to their job, not wading through information

(82:14:48):
they don't need.

Emma (82:29:54):
That makes a lot of sense. A warehouse supervisor

(83:14:18):
definitely needs a different view than, say,

(83:48:50):
someone in finance.

Ryan (84:05:14):
Precisely. And to help spot trouble quickly,

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it uses color coding for alerts, so late tasks

(85:40:36):
might show up in red. For example, overloaded

(86:28:17):
work centers could be another color, maybe

(87:10:01):
priority conflicts. Another.

Emma (87:29:22):
Like a visual warning system.

Ryan (87:50:58):
Yeah, exactly. It's a quick visual way to.

(88:35:58):
To flag things that need attention. And this

(89:20:59):
isn't just about seeing red. It's about potentially

(90:06:00):
seeing future overtime costs or risks of missing

(90:51:00):
deadlines. It lets you see where you might

(91:36:01):
need to redistribute work.

Emma (92:00:16):
So at a glance, you can kind of pinpoint where

(92:53:50):
potential bottlenecks or issues might be forming.

Ryan (93:32:40):
That's the idea. And you also get flexibility

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in how you view the timeline. You can zoom

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way in to see the details of one specific operation

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or zoom out for that bigger picture, the whole

(96:29:58):
production timeline.

Emma (96:41:10):
Nice.

Ryan (96:48:06):
That adaptability is pretty important for managing

(97:25:30):
both the plan and the, you know, the nitty

(98:13:35):
gritty execution. Plus there's a really practical

(98:50:59):
feature, optional read only views. 157 99:18:46,000 --> 100:02:39,142 Emma