API access to operation start/end times shown in Gantt chart

[sh-nakai]

Description:
We would like to request API support for accessing and updating the start and end times of operations displayed in the Gantt chart.

Current limitation:
At the moment, it is unclear whether the scheduled start and end times of each operation in a Production Order can be retrieved or updated through the API.
This makes it difficult to integrate Fusion Operations with external scheduling or custom user interfaces.

Requested functionality:

1. Ability to retrieve the start and end time of each operation via API

2. Ability to update or set the start and end time of operations via API

Use case:
We are developing a custom scheduling interface for planners.
The intended workflow is:

• Retrieve operation schedules from Fusion Operations via API

• Allow planners to adjust start and end times in a custom UI

• Send the updated schedule back to Fusion Operations via API

• Reflect the changes in the Gantt chart

Expected benefits:

• Better integration with external planning or ERP systems

• Support for advanced or custom scheduling logic

• Improved usability for planners through tailored interfaces

This functionality would greatly improve the flexibility of Fusion Operations in integrated manufacturing environments.

[andrade_david]

Thank you for this idea, @sh-nakai ! I would say not only allowing to retrieve and update the start and end time for each operation, but also for assigning the workers and machines to each planned production

[sh-nakai]

Additional comment from our side.

Currently, we are developing integrations between Fusion Operations and external systems, including a custom UI and an external scheduling platform.

During actual API implementation and validation, we confirmed that:

• Production Order level information can be retrieved and updated

• Machine and operator assignments can be managed at the PO level

However, the inability to access:

• Operation-level start/end datetime

• Operation-level machine assignments

• Operation-level operator assignments

has become a major limitation for external integration.

In particular, since operation-level scheduling information cannot currently be retrieved or updated through the API, external systems must maintain separate databases and custom synchronization logic outside Fusion Operations.

This significantly increases:

• Implementation complexity

• Maintenance cost

• Synchronization risk

Access to operation-level scheduling APIs would greatly improve support for:

• External schedulers

• ERP/MES integrations

• Custom planning interfaces

• AI-based scheduling optimization

• Simulation and advanced planning systems

We believe that exposing these APIs would significantly improve the flexibility and extensibility of Fusion Operations in enterprise manufacturing environments.

We strongly support continued consideration of this feature request.

[andrade_david]

Hello @sh-nakai, thank you for all these details. We are considering working on this enhancement, so thank you for your inputs. A couple questions on my end:

1. What is the external scheduling tool you are planning to integrate with Fusion Operations?

2. Would you be looking to access the start/end time of each operation and assigned workers/machines to write or read the data on our side, or both? Often there is a source of truth for the data, which I believe it'd be the external system, and not Fusion Operations.

3. Are you planning to also communicate the production status to this external system?

Thank you

[sh-nakai]

Hello @andrade_david,

Thank you for your response and for considering this enhancement.

Please find our answers below.

1.

The external scheduling system is a custom-developed scheduling tool created by our team.

The tool provides a custom UI for scheduling and planning production order tasks using the Fusion Operations API.

2.

Ideally, we need both read and write access.

Our intended workflow is:

* Retrieve operation/task schedules, assigned machines, and assigned workers from Fusion Operations
* Edit schedules and assignments in the external scheduling tool
* Write updated scheduling information back to Fusion Operations

3.

Our intention is to continue using Fusion Operations as the MES and central manufacturing platform.

Scheduling operations may be performed not only inside Fusion Operations itself, but also through the external scheduling tool described above.

However, Fusion Operations should remain the single source of truth for all production and scheduling data.

For this reason, we would need APIs that allow us to:

* Create
* Read
* Update
* Delete

operation-level scheduling information directly in Fusion Operations.

Without operation-level APIs, it becomes very difficult to maintain synchronization while keeping Fusion Operations as the central data platform.

We believe these APIs would enable much stronger integration scenarios for advanced scheduling and manufacturing execution workflows.

Thank you again for considering this enhancement.

[andrade_david]

Thank you for your comments, @sh-nakai 

You can create or delete the scheduled productions today in an "indirect" way by creating/editing/deleting the Production Orders themselves, with their corresponding Products and Operations. In other words, if we implement this, we'll only provide the ability to read and update the data. Does this make sense?

If we have any further questions we'll let you know.

[sh-nakai]

Hello @andrade_david

Thank you for your response.

We would like to ask an additional clarification question.

Regarding the expression “update the data,”
could you please clarify what specific data you expect would be updatable?

From our perspective, an important point is whether we would be able to update operation-level information associated with a Production Order, such as:

• Assigned workers/operators

• Assigned machines/resources

• Operation start datetime

• Operation end datetime

via API.

At the moment, our understanding is that it is currently not possible to modify worker assignments or scheduling time information for Operations associated with a Production Order through the API.

Could you please confirm whether this understanding is correct?

Additionally, regarding the planned “Read / Update” capability,
would operation-level scheduling updates like the above be included in the scope?

Thank you for your support and clarification.

[andrade_david]

I believe we are in the same page. The goal is indeed to assign workers and machines, and change the operations start and end datetime.

My comment was pointed at highlighting that scheduled productions are created and deleted via the Production Orders endpoint, and we're not looking at adding them outside of this flow.

In other words, to assign for example a worker to an scheduled production, the workflow would be:

1. Create the Product (possible via API today)

2. Create the Operations (possible via API today)

3. Create the Production Order with the corresponding Products (possible via API today)

4. Update the Workers and Machines assigned to Operations, and change their cycle time (this idea's goal, along with the possibility to read these assignment afterwards)
5. If more (or less) Products or Operations are to be done on the Production Order, update the Production Order with the corresponding Products (possible today via API)