Advanced APS — Overview & How to Use

Module: Advanced APS v1.0.0

What is Advanced APS?

Advanced Planning & Scheduling for Perfex CRM — work centers, MRP, Gantt, capacity planning & analytics

This module installs into modules/advanced_aps/ and adds its own admin menus, permissions, and database tables — without editing Perfex CRM core files.

Who should use this module?

  • Admins — activate the module, configure Settings, assign roles, and manage integrations.
  • Operators / day-to-day staff — create and update records (orders, attendance, shipments, messages, etc.).
  • Managers / approvers — review queues, approve workflows, and monitor dashboards/KPIs.
  • Finance / compliance / ops leads — run reports, exports, and audit trails when the module supports them.

What you can achieve

  • Keep all related work in one place inside Perfex CRM instead of spreadsheets.
  • Control who can view, create, edit, approve, or export with role permissions.
  • Use dashboards and reports to see status, bottlenecks, and history.
  • Connect to other CRM data (customers, invoices, items, staff) where the module integrates.

Recommended learning path

  1. Read How to Install and activate the module.
  2. Skim Features so you know what screens exist.
  3. Complete the Quick Start checklist on this page (Settings → masters → first sample record).
  4. Open each screen guide under Screen-by-screen guides when you need step-by-step help.
  5. Check Version & Changelog after upgrades for new options.

Tip: Train one admin first, then create a limited role for operators so they only see the screens they need.

5-minute Quick Start

Follow this short path the first time you use Advanced APS:

  1. Activate — Setup → Modules → activate Advanced APS (run Upgrade if prompted).
  2. Permissions — Setup → Staff → Roles → enable view/create/edit (and approve/settings if needed) for this module.
  3. Settings — Open Advanced APS → Settings and save company defaults, prefixes, and integrations.
  4. Master data — Create the first required masters (products, warehouses, templates, channels, accounts, routes, etc.).
  5. First transaction — Create one sample record end-to-end (save → submit/approve → complete) and confirm it appears in lists/reports.
  6. Cron — If the module uses alerts, sync, queues, or AI, confirm Perfex CRM cron is scheduled on the server.

Module documentation index

Start here — full guides for Advanced APS:

Screen-by-screen guides (each tab explained)

Click a menu item below for step-by-step instructions on that Advanced APS screen:

How to use in Perfex CRM (daily operations)

  1. Sign in to the admin area with a role that includes Advanced APS permissions.
  2. Open Advanced Aps (sidebar) or search for Advanced APS in the admin menu.
  3. Start on the Dashboard (if available) to see open tasks, pending approvals, and KPIs.
  4. Review Settings after upgrades — new options may need defaults for your company.
  5. Create or import master data first; most modules block transactions until masters exist.
  6. Run the main business flow (create → submit → approve → post/complete) using the screens listed in Admin menu below.
  7. Use Reports / Analytics screens to reconcile stock, finance, compliance, or SLA metrics.
  8. For integrations (API, EDI, gateways, tax), confirm credentials in Settings and monitor logs or webhook delivery screens.
  9. Train staff with role-based access — give approvers approve permissions only, operators create/edit on their area.
  10. If something fails overnight, check Perfex CRM cron ran and open the module log / failed queue screen if present.

Admin menu — where to work

Open the Advanced APS section in the admin sidebar. Screens your staff may use (depending on role):

  • Analytics & KPIs
  • API Keys
  • APS
  • APS Dashboard
  • APS Settings
  • Auto-Schedule
  • Bottleneck Analysis
  • Capacity Load
  • Demand Forecasts
  • Gantt Schedule
  • Integration
  • Master Production Schedule
  • MRP Runs
  • Planned Orders
  • Production Calendars
  • Reports
  • REST API
  • Scheduling Rules
  • Shifts
  • What-If Scenarios
  • Work Centers

Screens map — what each menu is for

These are the admin screens registered by Advanced APS. Click a name in the Knowledge Base for a full how-to, or open the path in admin.

#ScreenAdmin pathGuide
1APS Dashboardadmin/advanced_apsHow to use
2Work Centersadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_work_centersHow to use
3Shiftsadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_shiftsHow to use
4Production Calendarsadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_calendarsHow to use
5Scheduling Rulesadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_scheduling_rulesHow to use
6Demand Forecastsadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_forecastsHow to use
7Master Production Scheduleadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_mpsHow to use
8MRP Runsadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_mrpHow to use
9Planned Ordersadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_planned_ordersHow to use
10Gantt Scheduleadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_ganttHow to use
11Auto-Scheduleadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_schedulingHow to use
12Capacity Loadadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_capacityHow to use
13What-If Scenariosadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_scenariosHow to use
14Bottleneck Analysisadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_bottleneckHow to use
15Integrationadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_integrationHow to use
16API Keysadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_api_keysHow to use
17Analytics & KPIsadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_analyticsHow to use
18APS Settingsadmin/advanced_aps/advanced_aps_settingsHow to use

Detailed guide — features, workflows, API & FAQ

Phase 6 features (current)

  • KPI Dashboard — schedule adherence, utilization, OTD rate, avg lead time
  • On-Time Delivery — planned vs actual WO completion with variance days
  • Resource Utilization — daily trend charts and work center breakdown
  • Schedule Adherence — scheduled vs actual operation completion detail
  • Report Exports — CSV and PDF for KPI, OTD, utilization reports
  • KPI Snapshots — save daily KPI aggregates for historical tracking
  • Permissions: aps_analytics, aps_reports

Phase 5 features

  • Integration Hub — module connectivity status, reservation stats, event logs
  • Manufacturing WO Sync — auto-schedule on WO approval; manual sync by WO ID
  • Material Reservations — BOM-based availability check and inventory reserve/release
  • Multi-Plant Load Balancing — cross-plant capacity summary and rebalancing suggestions
  • REST API — schedule, capacity, reservations endpoints for MES/ERP
  • API Keys — scoped authentication with rate limiting
  • Hooks: aps_work_order_synced, aps_material_reserved, manufacturing_work_order_cancelled

Phase 4 features

  • What-If Scenarios — compare baseline, alternative, setup-optimized, and OEE-adjusted schedules
  • Bottleneck Analysis — identify constraint work centers from capacity load
  • Setup Optimization — group jobs by item to reduce changeover time
  • OEE Integration — realistic capacity using Asset Performance Management data
  • Simulation runs isolated from production (SIM-* run numbers)
  • Hooks: aps_after_scenario_run, aps_after_bottleneck_analysis

Phase 3 features

  • Gantt Schedule — work center timeline with conflict highlighting
  • Auto-Schedule — forward/backward finite-capacity engine
  • Capacity Load — daily utilization & overload report
  • Manual Reschedule — adjust operation times with conflict detection
  • Manufacturing Sync — push dates to WO operations
  • Hooks: aps_after_schedule_run, optional WO-approved auto-schedule

Phase 2 features

  • Demand Forecasts — item/period demand lines
  • Master Production Schedule (MPS) — planned & firm quantities, forecast import
  • MRP Run — BOM explosion, inventory netting, planned order generation
  • Planned Orders — release production orders to Manufacturing work orders
  • Hooks: aps_after_mrp_run, aps_planned_order_released

Phase 1 features

  • APS Dashboard — work center counts, type/plant charts, roadmap view
  • Work Centers — capacity, efficiency, setup time, manufacturing workstation link
  • Shifts — working hours, breaks, days of week (Morning/Evening/Night defaults)
  • Production Calendars — plant/work center/shift with holiday & maintenance exceptions
  • Scheduling Rules — priority-based engine (priority, sequencing, capacity, material, setup)
  • Settings — scheduling mode, planning horizon, priority method
  • Dashboard widget on main Perfex CRM admin dashboard
  • Audit logging for all master data changes

---

Requirements

RequirementNotes
--------------------
Perfex CRM2.3.x or later
PHP7.4+ (8.x supported)
MySQL / MariaDBInnoDB
ManufacturingRecommended — provides work orders & workstations
Multi-Plant ManagementOptional — plant-scoped scheduling

---

Quick start (Phase 6)

  1. Pehle Auto-Schedule run karein taake capacity load data available ho
  2. Analytics & KPIs dashboard se schedule adherence aur utilization dekhein
  3. On-Time Delivery tab se completed WO ka planned vs actual compare karein
  4. Resource Utilization se work center load trends analyze karein
  5. Export CSV/PDF se reports download karein; Save Snapshot se KPI history store karein

Quick start (Phase 5)

  1. Settings → Integration section mein REST API aur material reservations enable karein
  2. Integration hub se connected modules verify karein
  3. Manufacturing WO approve par auto-schedule enable karein (aps_schedule_on_wo_approved)
  4. API Keys create karein aur external system se schedule read/write karein
  5. Multi-Plant active ho to Cross-Plant Load aur rebalancing suggestions dekhein

Quick start (Phase 4)

  1. Auto-Schedule run karein taake baseline schedule data available ho
  2. What-If Scenarios → Run What-If se variants compare karein
  3. Recommended variant dekhein (conflicts, load, setup time ke basis par)
  4. Bottleneck Analysis se constraint work centers identify karein
  5. Settings mein OEE capacity aur bottleneck threshold configure karein

Quick start (Phase 3)

  1. Work Centers configure karein aur Calendars/Shifts assign karein
  2. Planned Orders firm karein ya Manufacturing Work Orders approve karein
  3. Auto-Schedule → Run Auto-Schedule execute karein
  4. Gantt Schedule se timeline dekhein
  5. Capacity Load se overload check karein
  6. Conflicts ko Reschedule form se adjust karein

Quick start (Phase 2)

  1. Demand Forecasts — item demand by period define karein
  2. MPS create karein — forecast import ya manual lines add karein, status Firm karein
  3. MRP Runs → Run MRP — MPS select karke MRP execute karein
  4. Planned Orders review karein — production orders ko Release to Work Order karein
  5. Manufacturing module mein work order automatically create hoga

Quick start (Phase 1)

  1. Manufacturing mein workstations configure karein (optional link)
  2. Advanced APS → Work Centers se production resources define karein
  3. Shifts review karein (3 defaults pre-seeded: Morning, Evening, Night)
  4. Production Calendars set karein — plant/work center ke liye working time + exceptions
  5. Scheduling Rules configure karein — priority, sequencing, capacity rules
  6. Dashboard se overview dekhein

---

Permissions

Feature keyCapabilitiesMenu
---------------------------------
aps_dashboardviewDashboard
aps_work_centersview, create, edit, deleteWork Centers
aps_shiftsview, create, edit, deleteShifts
aps_calendarsview, create, edit, deleteProduction Calendars
aps_scheduling_rulesview, create, edit, deleteScheduling Rules
aps_forecastview, create, edit, deleteDemand Forecasts
aps_mpsview, create, edit, deleteMaster Production Schedule
aps_mrpview, create, runMRP Runs & Planned Orders
aps_settingsview, editSettings

---

Settings

OptionDefaultDescription
------------------------------
aps_require_manufacturing_module1Show warning if Manufacturing inactive
aps_default_scheduling_modefinitefinite or infinite capacity
aps_default_horizon_days30Planning horizon in days
aps_default_priority_methoddue_datedue_date, fifo, priority, shortest
aps_enable_auto_reschedule0Auto-reschedule on data changes (Phase 3)
aps_show_gantt_on_dashboard1Gantt preview (Phase 3)

---

Integration

ModuleAPS usage
-------------------
ManufacturingWorkstation link, WO scheduling (Phase 3+)
Multi-Plant ManagementPlant-scoped work centers & calendars
Inventory ManagementMaterial availability (Phase 2+)

No core file changes — integration is via shared tables, hooks, and helper functions.

---

Roadmap

See [docs/ROADMAP.md](docs/ROADMAP.md) for the full 6-phase plan:

---

Initial CodeCanyon release v1.0.0 includes the full feature set (work centers through analytics). Future updates will use migrations 101+.

---

2. How to Use (Quick Start)

Recommended first-run order for a clean production schedule.

Step A — Master data

  1. Work Centers — create machines/lines with capacity, efficiency, setup time.
  2. Shifts — define working hours (Morning/Evening/Night defaults are seeded).
  3. Calendars — attach holidays / maintenance exceptions to plants or work centers.
  4. Scheduling Rules — set priority, sequencing, capacity, material, and setup rules.

Step B — Demand & MRP

  1. Create a Forecast with item/period demand lines.
  2. Build an MPS (Master Production Schedule) from forecast or manual firm quantities.
  3. Run MRP to explode BOMs, net inventory, and generate planned orders.
  4. Review Planned Orders and release to Manufacturing work orders when ready.

Step C — Scheduling

  1. Open Auto-Schedule and run a finite-capacity schedule (forward/backward).
  2. Review the Gantt timeline; resolve conflicts with manual reschedule if needed.
  3. Check Capacity Load for overload days and under-utilized centers.

Step D — What-if & analytics

  1. Create What-If Scenarios (baseline vs alternative / setup-optimized).
  2. Run Bottleneck Analysis to find constraint work centers.
  3. Use Analytics for OTD, utilization, schedule adherence; export CSV/PDF; save KPI snapshots.

Step E — Integration (optional)

  1. Enable Manufacturing sync in Integration / Settings (auto-schedule on WO approval).
  2. Create API Keys if MES/ERP needs REST access to schedule/capacity/reservations.

3. Features

Planning master data

  • APS Dashboard + admin dashboard widget
  • Work Centers, Shifts, Production Calendars, Scheduling Rules
  • Audit log for master-data changes

Demand & MRP

  • Demand Forecasts, MPS, MRP runs, Planned Orders
  • BOM explosion, inventory netting, release to Manufacturing

Scheduling & capacity

  • Gantt schedule with conflict highlighting
  • Auto-schedule (finite capacity), capacity load reports
  • What-if scenarios, bottleneck analysis, setup optimization

Integration & analytics

  • Manufacturing WO sync, material reservations, multi-plant balancing
  • REST API with scoped API keys & rate limiting
  • KPI dashboard, OTD, utilization, adherence, CSV/PDF export, KPI snapshots

4. Permissions

Assign under Setup → Staff → Roles. Main capability groups:

FeatureTypical actions
Dashboardview
Work Centers / Shifts / Calendars / Rulesview, create, edit, delete
Forecasts / MPS / MRP / Planned Ordersview, create, edit, delete, run
Gantt / Auto-Schedule / Capacityview, edit, run
Scenarios / Bottleneckview, create, run, delete
Integration / API Keysview, create, edit, delete
Analytics / Reports / Settingsview, edit

5. Important Settings

  • Default scheduling mode (finite / infinite)
  • Planning horizon (days)
  • Default priority method (due date, priority, FIFO, etc.)
  • Require Manufacturing module
  • Auto-reschedule / sync schedule to Manufacturing
  • Material reservation & shortage blocking
  • REST API enable + rate limit
  • KPI targets (OTD, utilization, adherence)

Cron

Use Perfex CRM’s main cron if you enable scheduled sync/jobs:

* * * * * php /path/to/perfex/index.php cron/index > /dev/null 2>&1

6. Uninstall

  • Deactivate — hides the module; keeps all data.
  • Uninstall — drops all {prefix}aps_* tables, removes advanced_aps_* / aps_* options, and deletes uploads/advanced_aps/ if present.

Back up the database before uninstalling. Uninstall is destructive and cannot be undone.

After activation — configuration checklist

  1. Go to Setup → Modules and activate Advanced APS.
  2. Tables and default options are created automatically on activation.
  3. Assign staff permissions under Setup → Staff → Roles.
  4. Open Advanced APS → Settings and configure planning defaults.
  5. Perfex CRM 2.3.x or later (3.x supported)
  6. PHP 7.4+ (8.1+ recommended)
  7. MySQL 5.7+ / MariaDB 10.3+ (InnoDB)
  8. PHP extensions: mysqli, json, mbstring, curl, fileinfo
  9. Manufacturing module recommended (work orders / workstations)
  10. Multi-Plant Management optional (plant-scoped planning)

Staff permissions (from module)

Assign under Setup → Staff → Roles. Each feature can expose different actions:

FeatureActions
APS Dashboard
aps_dashboard
view
Work Centers
aps_work_centers
view, create, edit, delete
Shifts
aps_shifts
view, create, edit, delete
Production Calendars
aps_calendars
view, create, edit, delete
Scheduling Rules
aps_scheduling_rules
view, create, edit, delete
APS Settings
aps_settings
view, edit
Demand Forecasts
aps_forecast
view, create, edit, delete
Master Production Schedule
aps_mps
view, create, edit, delete
MRP Runs
aps_mrp
view, create, run
Gantt Schedule
aps_gantt
view, edit
Auto-Schedule
aps_auto_schedule
view, run
Capacity Load
aps_capacity
view
What-If Scenarios
aps_scenarios
view, create, delete
Bottleneck Analysis
aps_bottleneck
view, run, delete
Integration
aps_integration
view, edit
REST API
aps_api
view, create, delete
Analytics & KPIs
aps_analytics
view
Reports
aps_reports
view

One-time setup (first time only)

  1. Setup → Modules → activate Advanced APS.
  2. Setup → Staff → Roles → assign Advanced APS permissions (view, create, edit, delete, approve, export, settings as needed).
  3. Open Advanced APS → Settings and complete company defaults, prefixes, integrations, and notification options.
  4. Create master data (warehouses, products, templates, accounts, routes, etc.) before processing live transactions.
  5. Enable Perfex CRM cron (php /path/to/perfex/index.php cron/index) for sync, retries, alerts, and scheduled jobs.
  6. Optionally enable REST API / webhooks in module settings if you integrate external systems.

Tips for success

  • Always configure Settings before creating live transactions.
  • Create master data (items, warehouses, templates, channels, accounts) first — most modules block incomplete records.
  • Use a test/sample record before going live with real customers or production stock.
  • Separate roles: operators create/edit; managers approve; finance/reporting get view/export only.
  • After any module upgrade, reopen Settings and confirm new options have sensible defaults.
  • If overnight jobs fail, verify Perfex CRM cron and check the module log / failed queue screen.

Common questions (FAQ)

Where do I find the module after activation?

In the admin sidebar look for Advanced APS. If missing, your role may lack view permission — fix under Setup → Staff → Roles.

Do I need to edit core Perfex CRM files?

No. Keep all custom code under modules/advanced_aps/. Activate/deactivate from Setup → Modules.

What happens if I uninstall?

Deactivate keeps data. Uninstall usually removes module tables/options (see the Install article). Core customers, invoices, and items are not deleted by well-built modules.

Why can't my staff see a screen?

Almost always a permissions issue. Give the role at least view on that feature, then ask the user to log out and back in.

Reports/export buttons do nothing

Confirm the role has export (or view reports) permission, and that filters return at least one row. Try PDF/CSV from a wider date range.

FAQ from module documentation

Support

For issues or Phase 2+ requests, contact Nasbix Technologies.


Perfex CRM Knowledge Base — detailed usage guide generated from module README, HOW_TO_USE, and documentation.

Did you find this article useful?