How phase-in works

The phase-in calculation is the core of Redline. It determines the date at which a change should become effective in production — based on real ERP data, not estimates.

What Redline uses to calculate

Input	What it tells Redline
Stock on hand	How many units of the old part are currently in inventory
Open purchase orders	Additional old-part stock arriving in the future, with exact delivery dates
Open production orders	Active production runs consuming the old part, with planned end dates
New part lead time	How long it takes to receive the new part after ordering
Buffer days	Safety margin added to the calculated date (default: 5 days, configurable)

Explainability — why you can trust the date

Every phase-in date comes with two transparency features:

Plain-language explanation — a 1–3 sentence summary in operational language. Example: “Phase-in date is 18 March because 47 units on hand will be consumed by that date at current usage rate, plus 5 buffer days.”

Input snapshot — click View Inputs to see every ERP data point used: exact stock quantities, each open PO with line number and delivery date, each production order with planned end date. Nothing is hidden.

The calculation is deterministic

The phase-in date is always produced by a rule-based engine — not AI. The same ERP inputs always produce the same date. AI is used only to write the plain-language explanation. This means the result is reproducible, auditable, and defensible.

Multi-item ECOs

When a change affects multiple items, Redline calculates independently per item. The Phase-In tab shows individual dates, per-item conflict flags, and a governing date — the latest of all item dates, recommended as the ECO implementation date.