Free Excel Template for Shift and Production Planning
Plan staff, equipment, and production orders in a macro-enabled Excel template (.xlsm) with integrated planning macros and sample data.
onsector GmbH · Karlsruhe, Germany · Version 1.0 · 5 language versions
Format: Excel macro-enabled workbook (.xlsm)
When opening in Excel: enable macros when prompted.
How it works
Enter master data and availability
Set up and manage staff and equipment data in the worksheets.
Capture production orders
Enter orders with equipment, delivery date, priority, and duration.
Generate and review the plan
Click "Create plan" on the Start sheet and adjust assignments per shift.
What the template offers
A linked planning model for production, not a blank spreadsheet.
Maintain shift roster
Annual overview with twelve sortable, filterable monthly tables for availability, vacation, and days off.
Skill-based staffing
Staff management with an integrated skills matrix aligned with equipment requirements.
Plan with one click
The macro distributes open orders across staff and equipment while respecting requirements and availability. Deterministic and conflict-aware.
Print-ready plan display
Print preview of the plan for the selected period, ready for production.
Excel template vs. PLEXecute APS
| Excel template | PLEXecute APS | |
|---|---|---|
| Planning scope | Staff, equipment, and orders | All existing resources and process complexities |
| Sequencing | Simple assignment without any dependencies | Optimized, constraint-based sequencing with priorities, deadlines, and complex process dependencies |
| Material & setup times | Not included | Material constraints, reservations, and setup-time-aware planning |
| Plan updates | Manual editing in Excel | Live notifications on changes and their impact with integrated fully automatic rescheduling |
| Collaboration | Single user only | Cross-department use with always up-to-date plan views |
| Best for | Rough organization of shifts and orders | Precise planning of all resources under real production conditions |
Interested in fully automatic production planning?
PLEXecute plans all resources in under one minute, with priorities, material constraints, setup times, and complex process dependencies. When changes occur, the professional APS automatically informs all affected departments and reschedules fully automatically when needed.
Frequently asked questions
Shift-based production planning distributes production orders across available staff and equipment within defined shift windows (e.g. early, late, and night shifts). It considers availability, qualifications, priorities, and deadlines. Our free Excel template implements this model in a simple form.
Yes. You can download the .xlsm file directly, with no registration or email required. The template is a free demonstration and planning aid from us.
Yes. The template is a .xlsm file with embedded macros for planning, plan validation, plan clearing, and display printing. Excel will prompt you to enable them when opening. You must enable macros for full functionality.
Staff availability and shift schedules, skill-based equipment staffing, and order-centric production planning. The workbook includes views for master data maintenance, production data maintenance, and planning (assignments and order plan), pre-filled with sample data for easier understanding.
The Excel template is a free demonstration and planning aid in a single file. PLEXecute is onsector's professional APS software: it plans all resources in under one minute, handles full operational complexity, and keeps every department informed when plans change.