Production Scheduler 'Freely' Releases New 'Planning Gantt Chart' Feature on March 25. Optimize Process Management with Short-Term 'Board' × Mid-Term 'Gantt' Combination

Japan Computer Development Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Ebina City, Kanagawa; President & CEO: Keiji Eguchi) will release a new feature, "Planning Gantt Chart," for its cloud-based production scheduler "Freely" on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.

With the implementation of this feature, users can now choose between the existing "Planning Board" suited for daily task management and the new "Planning Gantt Chart" suited for medium-to-long-term process management, dramatically improving operational flexibility on the shop floor.

■ New Features and Key Enhancements

1. Hybrid Management of 'Short-Term' and 'Mid-Term' Schedules

Users can switch between two types of boards to match their operational style.

• [Existing] Planning Board (for short-term scheduling):
  The conventional board for assigning task cards on a daily basis. Ideal for detailed daily work assignments and handling sudden task changes.

• [New Feature] Planning Gantt Chart (for mid-term scheduling):
  A board for visually managing multi-day long-term tasks and the sequential relationships (order) between processes. Suited for an overview spanning several weeks to months and for delivery deadline simulations.

By using these two board types in combination, multi-layered operations become possible—such as "floor leaders managing details via the Board" and "managers overseeing overall progress via the Gantt Chart."

2. Seamless Bidirectional Integration with Core Systems

Migration from Excel or whiteboards is straightforward, and data integration with existing core systems (such as production management or sales management systems) is also supported.

• Import:
  "Order data" and "manufacturing instruction data" from core systems can be imported into Freely and immediately deployed as planning data.

• Export:
  Work results recorded in Freely (start, completion, man-hours, etc.) can be fed back to the core system.

This eliminates the burden of double data entry while simultaneously improving budget-vs-actual management accuracy and streamlining back-office operations.

3. Speed Up Planning and Adjustments with Intuitive Operations

Schedule and assignee changes can be made via drag-and-drop on the Gantt chart. The UI (user interface) was designed so that even shop floor staff unfamiliar with system operations can use it intuitively.

■ About "Freely"

"Freely" is a production scheduler born from a shop-floor-first philosophy of "more user-friendly, easier to get started, and more intuitive." The pursuit of a low barrier to entry and an interface that anyone can operate intuitively stems from a commitment to valuing the voices of every individual working on the shop floor. Improvement requests received directly from numerous users have been reflected in continuous feature updates. Going forward, "Freely" will continue to be a part of the daily life on the shop floor...