Guidelines for Using Alternate Resources and Substitute Components for Planned Orders

Use alternate resources and substitute components to plan your orders to meet high-priority demands. You can plan your orders effectively if you can firm a resource or component to a particular plan.

You can select alternate resources and substitute components for a planned order from the Supplies and Demands page in the Supply Planning work area.

To select and firm alternate resources, select a planned order on the Supplies and Demands page and click the Edit icon from the Firm Resources column. You can also firm alternate resources by selecting the Firm Resources option in the Actions menu.
To select and firm substitute components, select a planned order on the Supplies and Demands page and click the Edit icon from the Firm Components column. You can also firm components by selecting the Firm Components option in the Actions menu.

On the Supplies and Demands page, if Firm Resources and Firm Components columns are not visible, enable the columns by clicking View > Columns > Firm Resources and Firm Components.

Points to Consider for Firm Resources

Consider the following points before you firm resources:

The order type must be a planned order and the item must have a work definition.
The planned order is firmed when you select a resource from the Firm Resource dialog box.
The start date of the planned order needs to be within the effective date range of the operation for which the firm resource is selected.
To save the changes that you make in the Firm Resources dialog box, close the Firm Resources dialog box and save the Supplies and Demands page. You must rerun the plan so that the planning process can select the firmed resources.

Points to Consider for Firm Components

Consider the following points before you firm components:

The order type must be a planned order and the item must have an item structure defined.
For items or organizations that have work definitions: You can either change the work definition and item structure name, or select a work definition and item structure name from the Work Definition drop-down list. When you change the work definition and item structure, the planning process firms the underlying planned orders.

You can also select an item structure and work definition name from the Item Structure drop-down list. If you select an item structure and work definition, the planning process firms the underlying planned orders. Selecting a firm component in the Firm Component dialog box firms the planned order.
The Operation Sequence Number column in the Firm Components dialog box includes the list of values (operation sequence number, effective start date) contained within the work definition.
You must select an operation in the Firm Components dialog box to firm a component. The start date of the planned order must be within the effective date range of the operation for which the firm component is selected.

Using the Actions Menu to Firm Resources and Components

Consider the following points before you firm resources and components using the Actions menu:

When you select multiple orders, you can select Firm Resources and Firm Components from the Actions menu.
To firm resources, all selected rows must have the same item, organization, and the order type must be a planned order. The item and organization must have at least one work definition defined.
To firm components, all selected rows must have the same item, organization, and the order type must be a planned order. The item and organization must have at least one work definition or one item structure defined.