Draft, Planned, and In Progress mean different things — here's when to use each status in your production workflow.
Collection: Work Orders: FAQ & Troubleshooting
Priority: P0
Short answer
| Transition | When | Signal to your team |
|---|---|---|
| Draft → Planned | Purchasing finalized; run approved for ops | "POs are placed — waiting on receipt" |
| Planned → In Progress | Raw materials received; ready to manufacture | "Materials are here — start production" |
Draft
- Work order is still being edited
- Review BOM, allocate incoming, generate POs
- No inventory commitment
Planned
Move to Planned when:
- Purchase orders are placed (or incoming fully allocated)
- Ops has reviewed and approved the run
- You do not expect further BOM edits
Plan triggers BOM explosion into production steps.
Typical timing: move to Planned when you submit POs, before materials physically arrive.
In Progress
Move to In Progress when:
- Raw materials have been received (Bulk Receive)
- No red shortage rows remain
- You are ready to commit inventory and begin production
Start commits component inventory to this work order.
Typical timing: move to In Progress after bulk receive, before Quick Complete.
Do not skip steps
Luminous will let you start (In Progress) while shortages still show red, but it commits stock you don't have yet — the component's Available quantity goes negative and other orders will see the deficit. Always receive materials first.
Production run level
You can update individual work order statuses or use the production run status dropdown + Sync Status to align the run with its work orders.
Related articles
- Work order statuses guide
- Receive raw materials (Bulk Receive)
- Why can't I start — shortages still showing?
Still stuck?
Contact support if Plan or Start returns an error — include work order number and current status.