Summary: Use this guide to understand how scheduling is structured in Factbird, including the difference between Production Shift Scheduling and Andon Scheduling, and why they are separate systems.
What This Is
Factbird uses two separate scheduling systems:
- Production Shift Scheduling → defines when production happens (Part of Production Insights Product)
- Andon Scheduling → defines who responds to issues (Part of Connected Operations Product)
Both use time-based patterns, but they are built for different purposes and do not control each other.
Why It Matters
If you think about these as one system, things won’t behave as expected.
Understanding the separation helps you:
- Set up alerts correctly
- Structure shifts properly
- Avoid duplicating or misconfiguring schedules
When You Would Use This
Use this when:
- You are setting up shifts or alerts
- You are unsure which scheduling feature to use
How It Works
Production Shift Scheduling
- Built per line
- Each line has one schedule
- Used for production tracking
- Shifts cannot overlap
- Typically follows a consistent weekly structure
Andon Scheduling
- Built at the factory level
- Can be:
- One schedule for all lines, or
- One schedule per line(s)
- Used for alert routing
- Based on roles, not just people
The systems are split because they solve different problems:
- Production scheduling = when work happens (when the line is expected to run) and optionally who is working that shift on the line
- Andon scheduling = who gets notified when something goes wrong or is needed
Even if the same people are involved, these systems serve different purposes:
- Production focuses on operations and tracking
- Andon focuses on responsibility and response
Andon is also role-based, not just person-based.
This means:
- One person can have multiple roles
- The same person can appear multiple times
- Responsibilities can rotate independently of production shifts
Key Terms / Components
-
Schedule
- A repeating time pattern used to define when something happens
- A repeating time pattern used to define when something happens
-
Production Shift Schedule
- A line-specific schedule used for tracking production data
- A line-specific schedule used for tracking production data
-
Andon Schedule
- A factory-level schedule used to assign responsibility for alerts
- A factory-level schedule used to assign responsibility for alerts
-
Worker
- A role-based version of a person in Andon scheduling
- A role-based version of a person in Andon scheduling
-
Role
- A responsibility (e.g., Quality, Maintenance) used to route alerts
Common Misunderstandings
-
“Production shifts control alerts”
They do not. Andon schedules control alert routing. -
“Workers are duplicate users”
Workers represent roles, not unique people (although they can represent people as well). -
“Scheduling works the same everywhere in Factbird”
Production and Andon scheduling follow different logic.