# Bakery step 4: plan and complete daily production

> Create production orders for each day's bake at the bakehouse, start them, enter what was really used and made, and let stock and costs update.

Source: https://docs.smartposhub.com/business-types/bakery/step-4-production-orders/  
Last updated: 2026-10-30  
Product: SmartPOS Hub (https://smartposhub.com)

Every bake is a **production order**: which recipe, how many, at which location, by when and by whom. A bakery usually creates the next day's orders in the afternoon and completes them early in the morning before the transfers go out.

## Before you start

- Recipes exist ([step 3](https://docs.smartposhub.com/business-types/bakery/step-3-recipes/)).
- Raw materials are in stock at the bakehouse.
- Your role has **Add production orders** and **Complete production (posts stock)**.

## 1. Plan a batch

1. Open **Manufacturing › Production orders** and click **New production** (or **Plan production** on a recipe).
2. Pick the **Finished product** and the **Business Location**. Choose the bakehouse, because that is where the ingredients are.
3. Enter the **Quantity to produce**, the **Planned date**, the **Due date**, the **Priority** and who it is **Assigned to**.
4. Look at the **Material check** on the right. Red numbers are shortages at this location.
5. Click **Save as planned**, or **Save and start** if baking begins now.

![New production form with finished product Brown Bread, location, quantity 76, planned and due dates, assigned to, and a material check showing shortages at a shop location](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/bakery-new-production-order.B_8HKxxP.png) (web app page: `/manufacturing/production/create`)
*The material check warns you when the chosen location doesn't have the ingredients. Here a shop was picked instead of the bakehouse.*

## 2. Follow the day's orders

**Manufacturing › Production orders** shows counters for **Planned**, **In progress**, **Completed** and **Cancelled**, with filters for status, location, product, staff and dates. Tick **Only overdue** to see late batches. The **Actions** menu on each row opens, prints the production sheet, starts or completes the order.

![Production orders list with status counters, filters and orders in progress and completed at the central bakehouse with lot numbers and costs](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/bakery-production-orders.eu0_QTLL.png) (web app page: `/manufacturing/production`)

## 3. Complete the batch

1. Click **Complete** on the order.
2. Under **Output**, enter the **Good output** and any **Rejected output** with its **Reject reason**.
3. Check the **Lot number** (filled automatically), **Manufacturing date** and **Expiry date**.
4. Under **Materials used**, correct the **Actually used** quantities if the batch differed. Add ingredient waste with **Add wastage line**.
5. Adjust extra costs if needed and check the **Cost preview**.
6. Click **Complete and update stock**.

![Complete production form with good output, rejected output and reject reason, lot number, manufacturing and expiry dates, materials used and a cost preview](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/bakery-complete-production.CS2bElv-.png) (web app page: `/manufacturing/production/{id}/complete`)
*Enter what really happened. The final cost uses the stock lots actually consumed.*

**What happens next:** the ingredients leave the bakehouse stock as "Used in production", the finished goods arrive as "Manufactured" with their batch cost and lot, and the order shows **Completed**.

## On a phone in the bakehouse

The **Production** screen in the SmartPOS Business app lists orders with counters for in progress, planned, overdue and yield. Bakers open an order, see the materials and tap **Start** or **Complete**.

![Production screen in the SmartPOS Business app with in progress, planned, overdue and yield counters and a list of orders](https://docs.smartposhub.com/_astro/manufacturing-app-orders.dGZn8dSA.png)
*Production orders in the SmartPOS Business app.*

## Tips and mistakes to avoid

- Always produce at the location that holds the ingredients, then transfer the goods ([step 5](https://docs.smartposhub.com/business-types/bakery/step-5-send-stock-to-shops/)).
- Complete orders the same morning; stock you haven't completed can't be transferred or sold.
- One order makes one product. Create one order per product per day.

## Next step

  - [Step 5: Send fresh stock to the shops](https://docs.smartposhub.com/business-types/bakery/step-5-send-stock-to-shops/)
  - [Manufacturing module](https://docs.smartposhub.com/modules/manufacturing/)

## Frequently asked questions

### When do ingredients leave stock?

Only when you click Complete and update stock. Planned and in-progress orders only reserve materials in the material check.

### What if I am short of flour?

The material check on the order shows the shortage per ingredient, and the dashboard lists Material shortages. Buy or transfer the material first, or switch on Allow production with insufficient stock in Manufacturing settings.

### What if a few loaves were burnt?

When completing, enter the good output and the Rejected output with a Reject reason such as Burnt. Ingredient waste goes under Record wastage. Both show in the Wastage report.

### Can I undo a completed batch?

Yes, it can be reopened as long as none of the produced stock has been sold, used, adjusted, returned or transferred yet.

### Do bakers need to see costs?

No. Without the See production costs and margins permission they see quantities only.

### Can I print a sheet for the bakers?

Yes. Print production sheet on an order prints the ingredients and quantities for that batch.