# D365 Supply Chain Master Planning Setup Checklist > Source: https://netray.co/tools/d365-master-planning-setup-checklist > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Free Tools ## Short answer A step-by-step checklist for configuring and validating master planning in D365 Supply Chain Management, from parameters to a trustworthy planning run. ## Category microsoft-dynamics ## Erp Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain ## Industry Discrete Manufacturing ## Audience - D365 F&O consultant - Supply planner - Production planner ## Tool **Kind:** checklist **Groups:** #### Parameters and master plans **Items:** **Text:** Review Master planning parameters, including the default master plan and forecast plan **Critical:** true Create separate master plans where needed, such as static, dynamic and a what-if plan **Text:** Decide whether to use the built-in planning engine or the Planning Optimizer, and document why **Critical:** true If using Planning Optimizer, confirm the add-in is enabled for the environment and tested in a sandbox Define the planning horizon and the plan name used by planners Confirm which master plan holds the safety stock and forecast data you expect #### Coverage groups and item coverage **Items:** **Text:** Define coverage groups for each planning behavior, such as Requirement, Period or Min/Max **Critical:** true Set coverage time fence, lead time and negative days only where justified Assign coverage groups at item or at warehouse level consistently Review item coverage records for site and warehouse specific rules **Text:** Set the default order type, such as purchase, transfer or production, for each item **Critical:** true Check minimum, maximum and multiple order quantities against supplier and shop reality Confirm safety stock and min/max levels exist where the policy requires them #### Lead times, calendars and BOMs **Items:** **Text:** Validate purchase lead times on trade agreements or item master and keep them current **Critical:** true Validate production lead times or use route-based scheduling intentionally Confirm working time calendars exist for sites, warehouses and vendors **Text:** Check that BOM and route versions are approved and active for the planning date **Critical:** true Review phantom and co-product setups, and the item types that planning explodes Check unit conversions to avoid quantity errors between purchase and inventory units #### Messages, firming and time fences **Items:** Set the planned order firming time fence for items that need stability **Text:** Define action message settings (advance, postpone, increase, decrease) and their tolerance **Critical:** true Decide how planners process and approve planned orders, including mass firm Confirm future message behavior matches the sales and purchase lead times Establish who reviews exception messages daily #### Running and validating plans **Items:** **Text:** Run planning in a sandbox with a representative data copy and record the runtime **Critical:** true Schedule the master planning run as a batch job with a clear window and owner Verify planned orders for a sample of items by hand against demand and on-hand Check that demand from sales orders, forecast and min/max appears with correct dates Test a rerun after a change to prove only expected orders move Document the plan's cutoff of orders and the cleanup of obsolete planned orders #### Go-live and governance **Items:** **Text:** Train planners on the Planning workbench and the supply and demand view **Critical:** true Agree KPIs for plan quality, such as past-due planned orders and message backlog Plan periodic review of coverage settings as demand patterns change Keep a change log of coverage and parameter changes with approver **Scoring Note:** Planning rarely fails on one setting. Treat every unchecked critical item as a defect to resolve before the first production planning run. ## Content **Intro:** Master planning in Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management turns demand and supply into planned orders and exception messages. Poor setup produces plans planners ignore. This checklist covers the setup you should verify before trusting a plan. **Sections:** #### How to use the checklist **Body:** Walk through each group in a sandbox with real item data. Mark items as you verify them, not as you assume them. The critical flags show where bad settings cause the most visible damage, such as wrong order types or missing lead times. Export to PDF to attach to your design or go-live record. **Bullets:** - Check settings against a sample of A, B and C items - Test with real demand, not a handful of demo orders - Record the runtime of the planning job - Repeat after significant data or policy changes #### How planning works **Body:** Master planning reads demand such as sales orders, forecast and safety stock requirements, and supply such as on-hand, purchase orders and production orders. For each item, coverage settings decide when and how much to order, and lead times and calendars decide the dates. The result is planned orders and action messages. Coverage codes such as Requirement, Period and Min/Max change the logic, so the choice of code is a policy decision, not a technical default. #### Reading results **Body:** Start with the Planning workbench and the supply and demand view for an item to see why an order exists. Look for planned orders in the past, messages to postpone or cancel large quantities and items with demand but no supply. Each pattern usually points to a specific cause, such as a missing lead time, an unapproved BOM version or a coverage group applied to the wrong item. #### Common mistakes **Body:** Typical errors include leaving lead times at zero, using Requirement coverage for items that should be min/max, forgetting that BOMs must be approved and active, running the plan without scheduling it as a batch job, and tuning time fences to hide a data problem. Fix the data first, then the settings. **Cta:** If planners want to ask why an item was or was not planned and see the data behind the answer, we can scope an assistant on your D365 data. **Faq:** #### Why is master planning not generating planned orders? **Answer:** Common causes are no demand within the horizon, an unapproved or inactive BOM or route version, a coverage group that blocks the item, a master plan not selected for the run, or items not included in the plan. Check the item coverage and the plan used. #### What is the Planning Optimizer? **Answer:** It is a cloud-based planning engine for Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management that runs master planning as a separate service, aimed at faster planning on large datasets. It is enabled through an add-in and needs testing for your setup and customizations. #### What coverage codes are available? **Answer:** Typical codes are Requirement, Period, Min/Max and Manual. Requirement orders to meet each demand, Period groups demand into time buckets, Min/Max replenishes to a maximum when stock falls to the minimum, and Manual leaves planning to people. #### How often should I run master planning? **Answer:** It depends on how fast demand changes and how long the run takes. Many plants run nightly and some run several times per day. Measure the runtime in a sandbox first and avoid overlapping runs or collisions with heavy posting jobs. ## Search terms d365 master planning setup, d365 master planning checklist, dynamics 365 supply chain planning configuration, d365 coverage group setup, d365 planning optimizer setup, d365 master plan parameters, d365 planned orders not generating, d365 item coverage time fence --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json