Drag, Drop, Done: How to Simplify Production Scheduling in Business Central

Let’s be real—scheduling in manufacturing doesn’t need to be a spreadsheet nightmare or a click-heavy chore buried in submenus. For Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central users, the free Graphical Scheduler app from Insight Works brings clarity to chaos with a drag-and-drop interface that makes rescheduling production as simple as dragging and dropping. Visualize each workstation, enabling managers and staff to manage production scheduling more effectively.

Whether you’re a production planner, shop floor lead, or an operations manager trying to untangle bottlenecks, Graphical Scheduler gives you a visual, hands-on way to manage your schedules.

No Complex Setup. Just Start Scheduling.

Once installed, Graphical Scheduler is ready to roll with a default view that automatically shows released production orders across your work and machine centers. This app plugs directly into Business Central—no middleware, external databases, or syncing. Just launch the app and start working in real-time.

Visual Scheduling with a Real-Time View of Your Shop

Graphical Scheduler lays out your shop in a familiar calendar or Gantt-style format. On the left, you’ve got your work center hierarchy. Across the top: the timeline. You can move each scheduled operation—displayed as a colored block—with a simple click and drag.

Want to shift an operation from one work center to another? Drag it across. Need to bump the start time forward by an hour? Drag it right. The scheduler updates Business Central behind the scenes.

One Click to Drill into Details

There is no need to jump tabs or memorize document numbers. Hover over any operation to get a quick preview. Click it, and you’re into the entire production order—routing lines, status, quantities, everything.

It’s perfect for shop floor coordinators who must act quickly or analysts who need more than just a visual cue.

Custom Views = Customized Control

Not every department needs the same view. Graphical Scheduler lets you create and save custom views by:

• Work center group or department
• Time scale (hour/day, day/week, week/month, etc.)
• Filters (e.g., only show Operation No. 10 or late orders)
• Read-only or editable modes

For example, you might create a “Morning Shift” view showing just that day’s operations on key machines. Or a “Late Orders” view using the built-in Is Late field and color rules to flag at-risk jobs.

Stop Guessing: See Load in Real Time

The Graphical Scheduler app also supports work center loading charts—you instantly see how busy a machine or department is and adjust accordingly. It’s an easy way to avoid overloading one machine while another sits idle.

Don't Let the Interface Fool You—It's Powerful

Graphical Scheduler doesn’t try to be an advanced finite capacity planner (and it’s not pretending to be). The app’s design is for quick, effective scheduling inside Business Central. And while it’s simple on the surface, you can configure:

• Multiple data sources (production, assembly, jobs, even warehouse picks)
• Custom styles based on any field value
• Filters on the fly or pre-set in views
• Drag-and-drop restrictions based on user roles

A Smarter Way to Schedule Starts with a Simpler Interface

Graphical Scheduler is a breath of fresh air if you’ve been juggling Excel sheets or buried in Business Central‘s default planning pages. This free app puts control back in the hands of the people managing the shop floor without the need for deep training or third-party tools.

Visual scheduling. No fluff. No steep learning curve. Just drag, drop, done.

LEARN ABOUT GRAPHICAL SCHEDULER