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      KMS: Continuous Flow Zones

      Introduced in October 2023, Continuous Flow Zones can be utilised in Paperless Kitchen within Polygon POS installations.

      Summary

      Why Use Continuous Flow Zones

      Prerequisites

      Continuous Flow Zones Configuration

      Assigning Continuous Flow Zones

      Working with Continuous Flow Zones

      Using Multiple Zones

      Considerations

      Related Functionality


      Summary

      Zoning is a part of the Continuous Flow development that aims to improve the accuracy and efficiency of bagging and serving orders. 
      Zoning introduces the concept of bays, enabling seamless order fulfilment by systematically organising items and intelligently managing the number of concurrent orders in progress in the kitchen. By strategically regulating the kitchen's workload, Zoning not only enhances order throughput but also ensures a more efficient and consistent order-serving experience.

      on and off premise
       

      Why Use Continuous Flow Zones

      Continuous Flow Zones allow for a structured output where orders with different presentation requirements (for example, orders to be bagged versus orders for table service) can be directed to different serving or bagging areas.  It additionally allows for further grouping where all the items for a single order are placed in the allocated bay.
      The aim is to reduce the possibility of mixing or missing items for orders, especially when the volume of orders is high resulting in a better experience for your customers.
      Reducing the number of orders on the screen can help the kitchen staff focus on the current order preparations without getting distracted or overwhelmed with upcoming orders.  

      Prerequisites

      To utilise Continuous Flow Zones, the following versions are required.

      Polygon POS Management: 2408.6.1 or later (to be confirmed on production release)
      Polygon POS Terminal: 2408.1.1 or later (to be confirmed on production release)
      Polygon Intelligent Production Display:  2407.29.1 or later (to be confirmed on production release)

       
      Clients wishing to utilise Continuous Flow Zones must:
      • have a Polygon POS installation at the store
      • be using the Polygon Paperless kitchen management system for production output.

      Continuous Flow Zones Configuration

      To be able to apply Continuous Flow Zones on the devices in your KMS network, configuration and programming are required in your Polygon POS Management database.

      Please note: Continuous Flow Zones can only be programmed in an HQ database and are issued to all stores from there.  

      You can read the article with details of the required configuration settings and instructions for programming Continuous Flow Zones here.

      Assigning Continuous Flow Zones

      To assign a Continuous Flow Zone on a KMS device:

      • Choose the System Settings button on the toolbar
      • Navigate to Workflow | Continuous Flow in the menu
      • Use the picklist button to display the list of available Production Zones and select the required Zone(s).
      • Use the OK button to save the setting.

      continuous flows


      Working with Continuous Flow Zones

      When Continuous Flow Zones are implemented:

      • Orders will only be released to the KMS network according to the programmed queue prioritisation threshold. Orders that cannot yet be released will be queued and these are notated on the Queued Orders button on the POS toolbar.
        queued orders
      • The Bay ID will be displayed in the top right of each order listbox (replacing the usual order listbox number).
        bay id
      • Orders will be assigned to Bays in the ascending/descending order programmed for the zone. 
        For example, if the zone is programmed with Bays (descending)  D1, C1, B1 and A1, and both D1 and A1 are served - the next order will be allocated to Bay D1.

        bay numbers
        • Note: The same bay number can be allocated to multiple order list boxes.  For example, if there are 6 order list boxes configured, orders with Bays D1, C1, B1 and A1 will display in list boxes 1-4 while list boxes 5-6 will again show D1 & C1.
      • Long orders will extend to the next listbox with the Continued from previous card notation in the second listbox.
        long orders

      Using Multiple Zones

      You can assign more than one Production Zone to a single KMS device.

      If you do this:

      • The orders will still be assigned to Bays in ascending/descending order, but the Bays from each zone will intermingle. So, you should make sure the zone can be easily determined from the Bay ID.  For example, Zone 1 could have Bays 1, 2, 3 and 4, while Zone 2 could have Bays A, B, C and D.
      In the image below, Zone 1 has Bays D1, C1, B1 and A1, while Zone 2 has Bays D2, C2, B2 and A2.  You can also see that D1 has been allocated twice - first in listbox 1 and again in listbox 6.
      multiple zones
      multiple zones 2


      Considerations

      When using Continuous Flow Zones consideration should be given to the following:

      • It is expected that every KMS device on the network is assigned to a Continuous Flow Zone.
      • You should ensure that every Sale Type used in your business is assigned to a Continuous Flow Zone.  If an order is placed for a Sale Type that does not conform to any Zone, the order will be displayed on any KMS role allocated to display the categories of the items.  The listbox will show the numerical sequence of the listbox and an exclamation mark (!).
        considerations
      • Staff should not manually release a queued order to the KMS network from the POS.  This will cause the order to be removed from the Continuous Flow queue and will result in the order bypassing the Bay allocation.  It will display as though the sale type is unallocated (see the previous point).
      • You may wish to configure the KMS displays to show only the number of listboxes that match the number of Bays.

      This article on Configuring Order Listboxes will show you how.


      Related Functionality

      These articles will provide more information on functionality that is complementary to Continuous Flow Zones.

      KMS: Ready-to-Bag Notifications

       

       

       

      Article Change Log

      Date Record of Changes Author

      September 2023

      First publication of this article

      S Black

      October 2023

      Updated the required versions to match the versions released to production.

      S Black

      April 2024

      Updated as the number of orders displayed per zone is no longer restricted to the number of bays programmed for that zone.  Instead queue prioritisation settings will determine the threshold for the kitchen.  Required versions will be updated upon production release.

      S Black

      August 2024

      Added required software versions.

      S Black