One of the nice features of using a spreadsheet for scheduling is that font can be color coded to indicate the status of work orders at a glance. Allow me to propose the following color scheme:
Green = New order, status undetermined
Red = Don’t have plates, or plates not mounted yet
Pink = Job is Hot (Rush, late, whatever you prefer)
Blue = There is a comment associated with this job (“substrate due in the morning”, “remove registration marks before printing”, etc.)
Black = Everything is ready; nothing unusual about this job
Since we have not yet determined the “state of readiness” of our work orders and the resources that go into printing them, we’ll color all jobs green to start. Now begin to color the font to indicate the status of the orders and the various raw materials that go into printing them. If you are building your actual schedule color code your actual orders based on the current status, or randomly color fictitious orders if you’re building a practice schedule.
