Process plan

A process plan is the specific, technical document or record describing which operations a part requires, in what order, on which machines, with what tooling and setups, produced by process planning. It is closely related to a routing, often used as a near-synonym, though 'process plan' can also refer to the broader reasoning behind those choices, not just the resulting list.

Why a process plan is more than just a list of operations

A process plan is only as good as the reasoning behind it; two process plans that list the same operations can differ in quality if one accounts for factory-specific machine capability and the other doesn't.

Where a process plan comes from

Not on the drawing; it's produced from the drawing, 3D model and part requirements during process planning, typically recorded in a factory's ERP or MES system.

Common mistakes

Treating a process plan as a fixed, one-size-fits-all document; the best process plan for a given part can differ between factories with different machine capability, even for an identical drawing.

Is a process plan the same as a routing?

Very closely related; a routing is typically the specific ordered-list output, while process plan can also refer to the broader reasoning process behind it.

Who creates a process plan?

A process planner, work preparer, or a CAPP system assisting one of those roles.

Can the same part have different process plans in different factories?

Yes, since available machines, tooling and factory capability differ between factories.