Skip to content

Manual Overrides & Governance

While automation provides speed and consistency, manufacturing expertise often requires "nudging" the numbers based on real-world constraints. Manual Overrides allow this flexibility while maintaining strict governance.

Why Overrides are Necessary

  • Shop Floor Reality: A machine may be underperforming or a specific operator may be exceptionally fast.
  • Supplier Volatility: Real-time RM rate changes that haven't hit the master data yet.
  • Strategic Pricing: Lowering margin for a high-volume "foot in the door" account.
  • Experimental Processes: Estimating a process the factory hasn't run before.

The Golden Rule of Overrides

"Any value can be changed, but every change must be justified and logged."

Override Workflow

  1. Identify: User clicks an "Override" icon next to a field.
  2. Input: User enters the new value (e.g., Cycle Time from 1.2h to 1.1h).
  3. Justify: A "Reason for Override" becomes mandatory if it's a Key Field.
  4. Apply: System recalculates the entire tree instantly.
  5. Log: Change is recorded in the Explainability trail and the Version History.

Level of Overrides

Scope Example Impact
Master Data Global RM rate update Affects all future quotes using that material.
Quote Level Specific Material Rate Affects only this quote (and its future versions).
Operation Level Specific Setup Time Affects only a single process step in the routing.

Which fields need a note?

We want to keep things fast, so you don't have to explain every tiny tweak. However, some fields are critical for "defending" the cost later. We call these Key Fields.

Category Key Fields Why it needs a note
Material Grade, RM Rate, Weights These are usually the biggest cost drivers.
Operations Cycle Time, MHR Directly impacts labor and machine recovery.
Processes Vendor Quotation Essential for verifying third-party costs.
Margins Net Margin % Important for profitability and approvals.

Visual Indicators

Standardized color-coding helps reviewers spot overrides instantly:

  • Regular Value: Standard font (Black/Gray).
  • Overridden Value: Bold Amber/Gold with a * indicator.
  • Reason Tooltip: Hovering shows "Estimator Rahul: Reduced cycle time for Op 2 based on previous similar job J-998."

Governance & Approval

For "Safe" costing, overrides above a certain threshold trigger an approval workflow:

  • Impact < 5%: Auto-approved.
  • Impact 5-15%: Flagged for senior estimator review.
  • Impact > 15%: Requires Manager approval before a PDF quote can be generated.

The System Learns from You:

Overrides are a great way to "nudge" the system, but if you're changing the same thing every time, the system should probably just update its defaults.

graph TD
    A[Manual Override] --> B{Key Field?}
    B -- Yes --> C[Mandatory Justification]
    B -- No --> D[Optional Note]
    C --> E[Log to DB]
    D --> E
    E --> F[Analyze Frequency]
    F --> G{Trend Detected?}
    G -- Yes --> H[Suggest Master Update]
    H --> I[Admin Approval]
    I --> J[Update Defaults]
    G -- No --> K[Continue Monitoring]
  1. Spotting a Pattern: The system notices that you always reduce the cycle time for "Machine CNC-01" by 10%.
  2. Suggesting an Improvement: It will flag this for an Admin: "You've nudged CNC-01 in 80% of recent quotes. Should we update the default to save you time?"
  3. Closing the Loop: Once approved, the new default is saved, meaning fewer manual interventions for everyone.