Switching from Work Order to Sage Production Management: What You Need to Know
If you're currently using the Work Order module in Sage 100, it's time to make a change.
Article Summary: Sage Production Management replaces the legacy Work Order and MRP modules, and you'll most likely need to upgrade soon. Here's why: Sage 100 2022 was the last version to support Work Order, and that version of your ERP reached end of life in April 2025. That means no more updates, hotfixes, or support from Sage. The good news? Sage Production Management (PM) offers real-time cost tracking and inventory visibility, streamlined workflows, and modern capabilities that will help you increase profitability.
This article explains in detail what makes Sage PM different from Work Order, why the switch is necessary, and what the migration process will look like for your business.
What Is Sage Production Management?
Sage Production Management replaces the legacy Work Order and Material Requirements Planning (MRP) modules. It represents a significant upgrade because most people agree that Work Order has an outdated look and feel, and that billing out of the module is problematic (at best).
In contrast, Sage Production Management looks and feels more modern because it offers the latest Sage 100 capabilities like primary and secondary data entry grids, resizable windows, batch data entry, user-defined fields and tables, and custom scripting. And while best practices still dictate that you bill out of Sales Order, if you use PM for billing, it will be more reliable than Work Order was.
In short, Sage Production Management is going to work a lot better for you.
The Biggest Difference Between the 2 Options
In a nutshell:
Work Order helps you create work orders, handle scheduling, and link to additional information.
Sage Production Management helps you increase profitability (and also create work orders, handle scheduling, and view additional information in real time).
The reason why PM can increase profitability is because it helps you answer important questions, such as:
What does a job cost?
Sage Production Management shows your real-time costs vs. budget and provides visibility into real-time inventory and material counts. It also provides insight into your costs for labor, AP, and overhead, so you can adjust as needed.
How can I make a job more efficient?
You already know the bottlenecks in your Work Order process: the inability to edit work tickets, the difficulty in moving materials through steps, etc. Sage PM clears up those issues, and it also offers an app that frees you to use PM directly from your shop floor. It saves time and reduces errors by giving you the ability to create new work orders from multiple sources, import materials into a job, and create one-click purchase orders. And that’s only a small portion of what it can do.
Basically, PM provides the real-time visibility you need to identify what's holding back your profits, as well as the flexibility and capability for you to do something about it.
It gives you a lot more control over your profitability than you had with the Work Order module.
What Will It Take to Switch to Sage Production Management?
Switching to Sage PM on its own is a small migration project, which requires planning, configuration, decisions about how to handle your historical Work Order data, and some light user retraining so your staff is familiar with a few new terms and screens, along with expanded ways to access data.
However, if you're running Work Order, that means you're on Sage 100 2022 or earlier. In that case, we should have a bigger conversation about migrating to Sage 100 2025. (More about that below.)
Do I Have to Switch to Sage PM?
Yes, you do.
The last Sage 100 version that supported the Work Order module was Sage 100 2022. That reached end of life (EOL) in April 2025, which means it no longer receives updates, hotfixes, phone support from Sage, and Sage won't help research strange issues you may run into.
Therefore, your best move right now is to migrate to Sage 100 2025 and update to Sage Production Management at the same time. This will restore robust support for your Sage system for the longest time possible.
Plus, Sage 100 2025 has a much better look and feel, along with many useful new features, like the ability to expand your invoice numbers from 7 characters to 20.
Here's a quick overview of what's new in Sage 100 2025.
Get the Help You Need. Work with Ardent Consulting.
Some companies can realistically move to Sage 100 2025, but others may have customizations for Sage 100 2022 that prevent them from making the switch any time soon.
That’s perfectly understandable, and we’re here to help.
The experts at Ardent Consulting are happy to work with you based on your specific situation. Although we recommend migrating to Sage 100 2025, we're not going to insist that you do. Instead, we will focus on supporting your business’s needs and honoring your preferences.
