Article Title: Error: 'Check the rates, rules and shift patterns on the resources'

Article Short Description: How to resolve the 'check the rates, rules and shift patterns on the resources' error when adding a job to the plan or opening the plan after an import.

This error can appear in several different scenarios when working with Orchestrate:

When adding a job to the plan: "Check the rates and rules shift patterns on the resource."
When editing a resource in a resource group: "You must enter a value for description."
When opening the plan after an import, an unexpected error referencing a resource group, order, process, item, and operation.

There are several known causes for this error. Work through the solutions below to find the one that applies to your situation.

Solution 1: Set up shift patterns and upgrade Orchestrate

This error can occur when shift patterns have not been configured for a resource, or when Orchestrate cannot handle one-minute tasks when using the Part Transfer relation type.

Review and set up shift patterns for the affected resources.
Upgrade to Orchestrate 7.72 hotfix 10 or above, which includes a code enhancement that resolves this issue.

📌Note: The hotfix addresses an issue where Orchestrate could not handle one-minute tasks properly in certain cases when using the Part Transfer relation type.

Solution 2: Increase labour resource capacity and correct the planning rule

This error can occur when a labour resource has insufficient capacity for the works order quantity, or when the labour resource group is using an incorrect planning rule.

To increase the capacity on a labour resource:

Select Resources.
Select Labour.
Enter the relevant resource and click Search.
Click Edit.
Tick Allow Overlaps.
Enter a figure greater than one in the Units Available column (for example, 2).

To change the labour resource group planning rule:

Select Resources.
Select Labour Groups.
Click the square box to enlarge the window.
Select the relevant labour resource group and click Edit.
Select the relevant rule from the PlanningRule dropdown list — for example, select Preferred Resources Only with Earliest Completion instead of Preferred Resources Only with Minimise Setup.

Solution 3: Decrease the resource required quantity

This error can occur when the resource required quantity exceeds resource availability, preventing Orchestrate from planning the order. Decreasing the number of resources required will resolve the issue.

Solution 4: Add a missing item production rate

The error message details the specific issue — for example, the item production rate may be missing for the item described in the error. To add a missing item production rate:

Select Items.
Select Item Production Rates.
Click New.
Enter the resource (normally the same as the Resource Group shown in the error message).
Enter the item.
Enter the rate value and Rate Type.
Click Apply, then click OK.
Run the data import again — the plan will open successfully.

Solution 5: Check resource rules against order attributes

This error can occur when a works order has an attribute that conflicts with a resource rule. For example, if a works order is planning on a resource with a rule that excludes orders marked for release, but the works order has the Marked For Release attribute ticked, this error will be generated.

To resolve this:

Right-click the relevant works order in the order planner.
Select Edit Works Order Tasks.
Untick Marked For Released.
Click OK.
Click Add to Plan — the works order will plan without error.

Error: 'check the rates, rules and shift patterns on the resources'