Manufacturing software glossary
Terms used across Redbrix Docs, each defined in one or two sentences.
A to D
Audit trail
A record of who created or changed data, when, and what the previous value was.
Backward trace
Tracing a finished unit back to the materials and suppliers that went into it.
Batch
A quantity of material produced in one run under the same conditions.
Bill of materials (BOM)
The list of components and quantities needed to make one unit of a product, often across several levels.
Blind count
A stock count in which the counter does not see the expected quantity.
By-product
A secondary output of a process, which may have commercial value; its treatment depends on the production and accounting model.
CAPA
Corrective and preventive action: processes addressing causes of identified problems and potential problems, with actions and effectiveness checks appropriate to the quality system.
Co-product
One of the intended products produced jointly by a process; costing and classification depend on the production model.
Cycle count
Counting selected items or locations on a recurring schedule to monitor and correct inventory accuracy; it may complement or, where appropriate, replace a full stocktake.
Design review
A review of design decisions or an implemented interface against agreed requirements. Implementation reviews compare the build with approved designs during delivery.
Design system
A shared set of components, tokens and usage rules for a product’s interface.
Design tokens
Named values for colour, typography, spacing and other properties, shared between design and code.
Discrete manufacturing
Production of countable units through a sequence of operations.
Double Diamond
A design process model with four phases: discover, define, develop and deliver.
E to L
ERP
Enterprise resource planning: software that manages a company’s core operations and finances in one system.
Excise
A tax on specific goods such as alcohol, reported from production and movement records.
FEFO
First expired, first out: picking the stock with the earliest expiry date first.
FIFO
First in, first out: using the oldest stock first.
Forward trace
Following an input lot to every product and shipment that used it.
Genealogy
The recorded parent-child relationships between lots across production steps.
Handoff
The transfer of designs, specifications and assets to the development team.
Job
A unit of production work within a work order, carried out at a specific place.
Kano model
A method for prioritising features by how they affect user satisfaction: basic needs, performance features and delighters.
Lead time
The time between ordering or starting something and its availability.
Lot
A quantity of material identified and tracked as one unit.
M to R
Master item
The record that defines an item: its identity, units of measure, variants and tracking rules.
MES
Manufacturing execution system: software that dispatches and records shop floor work.
MRP
Material requirements planning: calculation of what to buy or make and when.
NCR
Nonconformance report: a record of a product or process that did not meet requirements.
Nielsen’s heuristics
Ten general principles for interface usability, used to review a product in a heuristic evaluation.
Operation
One step in a routing, performed at a work centre.
Pegging
The link between a planned supply and the demand that caused it.
Process manufacturing
Production by recipe or formula in which materials are transformed and yield varies.
Putaway
Moving received stock to its storage location.
QMS
Quality management system: software that records inspections, nonconformances, corrective actions and controlled documents.
Quarantine
A stock status that blocks use until inspection or release.
Recipe
In process manufacturing, the list of materials, quantities and steps used to make a batch, scaled to batch size.
Routing
The ordered list of operations needed to make a product.
S to Z
Safety stock
Extra stock held to cover variation in demand or supply.
Serial number
A unique identifier for a single unit.
Shop floor
The area where production work is performed.
Standard cost
The expected cost of an item, set in advance.
Traceability
The ability to reconstruct where material came from and where it went, through every receipt, transformation and shipment.
Variance
The difference between standard and actual cost.
Vessel
A tank, barrel or other container where material is held, mixed or processed in batch production.
WMS
Warehouse management system: software that directs and records warehouse work.
Work in progress (WIP)
Material and products that have entered production and are not yet finished goods.
Work order
An instruction to produce a quantity of a product by a date.
Yield
The share of input that becomes usable output.