Manufacturing execution system (MES) software is used to manage and monitor work-in-process on the factory floor. Plant managers and production personnel use MES software to support collaborative manufacturing strategies that are designed to integrate disparate data streams from a company’s supply chain, factory floor, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Selecting manufacturing execution system (MES) software requires a detailed analysis of capabilities and features. Some products provide operator instructions for each stage of production. Others provide finite scheduling, workflow management, resource planning, and quality analysis (QA) features. Most MES software is designed to improve asset productivity, reduce order-to-ship times, and eliminate costly rework. Typically, industries that implement manufacturing execution system (MES) software treat cycle-time, the total time to produce an order, as a key performance indicator (KPI).