Super Task List For Production Routing

Business context

In production planning, depending on the business complexity, the amount of master data can increase and be difficult to manage. Sometimes we face very similar products that double the quantity of master data due to one specific difference between them. In a scenario where the materials are classified using advanced variant configuration, the Super Task List functionality helps with this. When used together with Advanced Variant Configuration tools, it makes routing easier and allows one master data object to support different materials in a flexible way

The main idea of the Super Task List for the configurable material is to aggregate all possible production operations into a single task list master data and use material characteristics as the driver to filter which operation is applicable for each characteristic value

To make this functionality way of working easier to understand, let’s use the classic forklift example often shown in SAP demonstrations.
In our fictitious forklift process, we have a total of five work centers. The first one represents a general assembly that is always used, while the other four are called only for specific product characteristics.

Step 1 – Create the Super Task List

The first step is to create the Super Task List with all possible operations and assign the configurable material to it.

Step 2 – Define the characteristics

The next step is to prepare the characteristics that will drive the task list decisions. In this example, the following characteristics were created:

Characteristic name	Possible values
AVC_ENGINE_TYPE	Combustion or Electric
AVC_LOAD_CAPACITY	2 tons or 5 tons
AVC_MAST_HEIGHT	Standard or Extra-high

These characteristics were then assigned to a specific class for easier management:

Step 3 – Model the rules

The next step is to model the rules that will be applied in the Super Task List.
Using the Variant Configuration (VC) modeling environment, open the configurable material to check all assigned objects. In the routing details, object dependencies can be inserted for each operation.
In this example, the dependencies SELECT_WC_B, SELECT_WC_C, SELECT_WC_D, and SELECT_WC_E were created.

These dependencies are of the type ‘selection condition’. The syntax is simple:
Characteristic name=”specific value”
If the condition is true, the operation is selected. Otherwise, it is not.

The following selection conditions were created:

Electric Engine Station (WC_B): Selected only if AVC_ENGINE_TYPE = ‘Electric'
Combustion Engine Station (WC_C): Selected only if AVC_ENGINE_TYPE = ‘Combustion'
Structural reinforcement (WC_D): Selected only if AVC_LOAD_CAPACITY = 5 tons
Structural reinforcement (WC_E): Selected only if AVC_MAST_HEIGHT = ‘Extra-high'

Note: Structural assembly (WC_A) has no object dependency. It is a default operation, always selected

Step 4 – Test with simulator

Using the VC simulation tool, it is possible to test the results of the parameters created.

If no special values are entered, only the default operation is chosen.

If AVC_ENGINE_TYPE = ‘Combustion', the combustion engine station is added.

If AVC_ENGINE_TYPE = ‘Electric', the electric engine station is selected instead of Combustion engine station.

As more characteristics are populated, additional operations are included in the task list according to the selection conditions.

Conclusion

When the business process is well defined and the characteristic rules are properly modeled, the Super Task List becomes a powerful tool. It reduces the complexity of production master data, ensures flexibility in routing, and provides better control over manufacturing processes