Move from order-driven BOMs to work orders

Order-driven BOMBill of MaterialsA bill of materials tells Assemblified how to build one unit of a finished good. When a customer orders the finished-good variant, Assemblified deducts the right component quantities from inventory automatically. Read more → execution is great for stocked finished goods you build on demand: an order arrives, components are consumed, done. Once volume grows or you start building ahead of demand, work ordersWork OrderA planned production run: pick materials, build the items, do QC, and complete — all tracked together. Use work orders when you're building stock ahead of demand or running a multi-day project. Read more → give you planning, batching, and shop-floor coordination that per-order execution can’t. This guide explains when to make the switch and how to do it without losing inventory accuracy.

Signals you’re outgrowing order-driven execution

• You build in batches (20 units on Tuesday), but execution consumes components one order at a time.
• You want to build before the orders exist — for a launch, a season, a wholesale commitment.
• More than one person builds, and “what should I build today?” needs to be a list, not tribal knowledge.
• You need QC or a picking step between “components consumed” and “unit sellable”.
• Material shortages surprise you mid-build instead of showing up in planning.

The mental-model shift

The two modes are not rivals — they meet at the pre-assembled shelfPre-Assembled InventoryStock of finished sub-assemblies and BOM items that have already been built and are sitting on the shelf. When a work order needs a sub-assembly, it draws from pre-assembled inventory first and only builds fresh ones if the shelf comes up short. Read more → :

• Order-driven: the order triggers execution; components are consumed per order. When the BOM has pre-assembled stock, execution draws down the shelf first and only consumes raws for the remainder.
• Work orders: you trigger production. A completed work order consumes the components in one planned batch and puts finished units onto the pre-assembled shelf.

So “switching to work orders” really means: work orders fill the shelf, and incoming orders drain the shelf instead of triggering raw-material builds. Both modes run in parallel the entire time — that’s the intended steady state, not a transition hack.

1. Pick one product line.

   Choose a BOM family you build in batches anyway. Leave the rest of the catalog order-driven.

2. Create a work order from the BOM.

   Use the From a BOM creation path (Creating a work order) with your batch quantity. The material planning view shows whether components cover the batch — shortages surface here, before anyone touches the shop floor.

3. Build and complete it.

   Run the build (Build Runs, optionally with Quality Control). On completion the components are consumed and the finished units land on the BOM’s pre-assembled shelf (Shopify sync covers how that reflects in your store).

4. Let orders drain the shelf.

   Nothing to configure: order-driven execution automatically consumes pre-assembled stock before raw materials. Watch a few execution logs to see the drawdown happening (BOM execution end-to-end traces one in detail).

5. Optionally: sell only what’s built.

   By default, if the shelf runs empty an order still executes against raw materials. If the storefront should only ever sell finished units, enable Only sell pre-assembled quantities on the BOM (Settings reference) — sellable quantity then tracks the shelf, and running out means “sold out” instead of an unplanned build.

6. Repeat per product line.

   Once the rhythm works — plan, build, complete, shelf, sell — move the next family over. Product lines that stay order-driven keep working untouched.

Returns interact with the shelf

With work orders in the mix, decide per BOM whether a cancelled or refunded unit goes back on the shelf or is broken back into raws — that’s the Keep Assembled on Return setting (Refunds & cancellations).

Operational checklist for the bench

• A daily look at work-order flows — quick, pick-first, and Build & QC — to pick the flow that matches how your bench actually works.
• Shelf levels per location if you’re multi-location (Pre-assembled inventory).
• Cost tracking per batch, if you cost your builds (Track building cost).

Where to next

• Work orders overview — the full lifecycle and key concepts.
• Reconcile pre-assembled stock — when the physical shelf and the recorded shelf disagree.