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Routing Accuracy Audit Template

Routings drive capacity planning, scheduling, labor cost and promise dates. If setup and run times are wrong, every downstream number is wrong. This template gives industrial engineers and planners a repeatable way to audit a routing against what the shop actually does.

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Routing Accuracy Audit Template

Routing Accuracy Audit

Company: Acme Precision Ltd Plant: Plant 1, Machining Auditor: Industrial Engineering Date: 2026-11-05

Item under audit

Part: MCH-004217 Routing: RTG-004217 Rev C Sample method: Last 10 completed jobs

Scope

Review operation sequence, work center, setup time, run time per piece, tooling, inspection points and scrap against the last 10 completed work orders.

Operation comparison

OpWork center (ERP)Work center (actual)Setup (ERP)Setup (actual)Run/pc (ERP)Run/pc (actual)Variance %
10
20
30
40
50

Checks

CheckPassFailComment
Operation sequence matches the real flow
Work center and resource group are correct
Tooling and fixture references are current
Inspection and sign-off points are routed
Outside processing steps are included with lead time
Yield or scrap assumptions match history

Findings

Run time on OP30 averages above routing. OP50 deburr is performed at a different work center than routed.

Corrective actions

Update OP30 run time after review with the programmer. Move OP50 to work center DBR-02 and revise the routing.

Approvals

Auditor / Date
Production supervisor / Date
Manufacturing engineering / Date
Planning / Date

Variance percent is (actual - ERP) / ERP x 100 for each time. Many plants investigate variances above 10 percent, but set your own threshold. Decide up front whether routing times represent standard, average or best-demonstrated performance, so you compare like with like.

Want routing variances found from your ERP history?

Optional: we can review an export of routings and job history and highlight the largest gaps.

Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.

How to use the template

Choose a part or family and a sample method: a short time study, recent completed jobs from MES or ERP labor reporting, or operator interviews. Enter the ERP values in the operation comparison table, fill in the actual values, and compute the variance. Complete the checks, then record findings and actions. Export to PDF for sign-off or to Word to continue editing. One audit per high-volume or high-cost routing per year is a practical start.

What to compare

The key fields are sequence, work center, setup time, run time per piece, tooling, inspection points and yield. Run time per piece should be compared per unit after dividing actual job hours by good quantity. Setup is best compared across several jobs, because one outlier can mislead. Also check outside processing steps, since a missing operation or lead time quietly breaks promised dates even when machine times look right.

  • Sequence and work center
  • Setup and run time
  • Tooling and fixtures
  • Inspection and sign-off steps
  • Yield and scrap assumptions

Reading the variance

A small positive variance on run time may simply mean normal losses are not in the standard. A large negative variance suggests the routing is padded, which inflates capacity needs and lead times. Where actuals vary a lot between operators, fix the process before changing the standard. After any change, tell planning and costing, because new times change capacity loads and, with standard costing, the next cost roll.

Common mistakes

Using one lucky or unlucky job as the sample gives a false answer. Mixing prove-out runs with steady production inflates setup. Updating the routing without a revision record loses the link to costing and quality history. Auditing only times and not work centers misses cases where the job runs on a different machine class, which distorts capacity planning. Close each audit by assigning a named owner for every action.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should routings be audited?

Audit high-volume and high-cost routings at least yearly, and any routing after a significant process or equipment change. Low-volume parts can be sampled. Automated variance reports from MES or ERP labor data help flag outliers between audits.

What variance should trigger a routing update?

Many plants investigate when average actual time differs from the routing by more than about 10 percent over a meaningful sample. Choose a threshold that fits your cost of error and keep it consistent across audits.

Should routing times be standard or actual?

It depends on the use. Scheduling usually wants realistic average times, while standard costing may want an engineered standard. Decide and document which one your routing holds, then audit against that definition.

Does a routing change affect product cost?

Yes. Changing setup or run time changes planned labor and overhead absorption. With standard costing, the effect shows after the next cost roll. Coordinate with finance before releasing routing changes in bulk.

If you want routing times compared to actual labor and machine history automatically, we can build a read-only comparison on your ERP and MES data, kept on-prem if required.

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