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Setting the Production Cut-Off Times to Stop Forecasting Auto-Calculation

Kevin U
  • Updated

About this Article

A production cut-off time for a meal period (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and snack time (snack am, snack pm, snack hs) is a means to automatically lock a forecasting worksheet, which means the worksheet no longer is automatically updated due to diet order census changes or menu changes in your Core account. The production staff can then use locked forecasting worksheet to begin preparing the meals. 

For example, assume the production cut-off time for breakfast is 7:00 AM. Once 7:00 AM arrives, changes to the diet order census (i.e., addition or removal of residents/patient) or changes to the menu no longer automatically adjust the forecasting numbers. When you print your production reports, you print them with the information as it stands at 7:00 AM. 

Note 1: Orders placed from the front-end ordering apps (IO in the Touch app, AO in the Touch app, Portal app, POS) do not affect/change/adjust the forecasting numbers in the Core account. If looking to set up cut-off times for advanced orders (AO) to prevent an order from being placed for a meal service (breakfast, lunch, dinner) past a certain time, see the following article: Setting Up Cutoff Times for AO Orders.  

Setting the Production Cut-Off Times to Stop Forecasting Auto-Calculation

To set production cut-off times to stop forecasting auto-calculation, complete the following steps:

  1. From the left navigation sidebar, select Production > Forecasting Settings. The Production & Forecasting Settings screen appears, with the General Settings tab automatically selected. 

    production_forecasting_settings.png
     
  2. Click the Production Cut-Off Time button. The Production Cut-Off Time section appears with default cut-off times already entered.

    production_cutoff_time.png
     
  3. For each meal period and snack time, enter the desired production cut-off times.
     
  4. Click the Save All Settings button to apply your changes.

Adding Exception for a Production Cut-Off Time

You can enter exceptions for a production cut-off time. For example on Sunday at breakfast, your cut-off time is 9:00 AM instead of 7:00 AM. To enter an exception, complete the following steps:

  1. Select the Add exceptions check box and then click the Add Exception link. The screen refreshes with the exception grid.

    production_cutoff_exception.png
     
  2. From the Day field, select the day in which the exception applies.
     
  3. Enter the cut-off time for the desired meal period or snack time.
     
  4. To add another exception, click the Add Exception link and repeat steps 2 and 3 above.
     
  5. Click the Save All Settings button to apply your changes.

Note: At this time, there is no method to delete an exception. This issue will be addressed in a future release. 

What Happens on the Forecasting Calendar and Forecasting Worksheet?

When a production cut-off time is reached for a meal period or snack time, then on the forecasting calendar, the meal period/day combination for the respective forecasting worksheet is locked from any manual modifications, as indicated by the lock symbol.

locked.png

 

When you open a forecasting worksheet that is locked, the Lock/Unlock button displays as Unlock.

forecasting_worksheet_locked.png

For more information on working with locked forecasting worksheets, see Locked Forecasting Worksheets.