Planning in units is a lie: how to calculate workload in hours and where this difference flips the queue

The author shares their experience managing a production unit (printing and embroidery on apparel), explaining why planning orders by unit count is ineffective. While units are convenient for customers, they fail to answer the critical question: will production meet the deadline? The article details a methodology for transitioning to hourly planning, which allows for an objective assessment of capacity utilization. The author provides specific formulas and calculation examples, demonstrating how the discrepancy between the number of items and actual time expenditure changes the priority of orders in the queue. This article is useful for small business owners and production managers looking to optimize planning and improve deadline accuracy.