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Overview

Not every product takes the same amount of planning. A loaf of banana bread can be baked the day before. A three-tier wedding cake needs days of work. Knead lets you tell each product how long it actually takes to make, so short-notice requests get flagged before you accept them.

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Bake Lead Time

Each product has a Bake Lead Time (days) — how many days you actually need to make it. You’ll find it on the product form in the Pricing & Production card (0–60 days). Pavlovas might be 2 prep days; cookies 1; sugar cookies 3–4. This is a warning, not a hard block. If a customer asks for the product sooner than the bake lead time, the order shows an amber warning — but you can still take it. You’re always in control of what you accept.

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Needs Day-of Assembly

Some products need hands-on work the day of the event — a Pavlova, for example, has its shells made ahead but is filled day-of. Turn on Needs day-of assembly on the product, and that day-of work stacks on top of the bake lead time when Knead schedules production.

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Setting Lead Time on a Product

  1. Open your product catalog and tap the product you want to configure.
  2. In the Pricing & Production card, set Bake Lead Time (days).
  3. Check Needs day-of assembly if it applies.
  4. Save your changes.
You can also edit these per product under Settings → Capacity → Per-product bake settings, which shows a “days” input and a “Day-of” checkbox for each product.

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Order Notice vs. Bake Lead Time

There are two related-but-separate settings, and it helps to know the difference:
  • Bake Lead Time (per product, above) — how long that product takes to make.
  • Order notice (days) (business-wide, in Settings → Capacity) — how much notice you want before accepting any order. Orders requested with less notice show an amber warning — you can still accept.
Good to know: Lead-time warnings are calculated from today’s date, not from when you accept the enquiry.

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How Lead Time Connects to the Backward Scheduler

Lead times also feed into the backward scheduler on The Sweet Spot. When an order is confirmed, Knead works backward from the delivery date to calculate when production must start for each product. Products with longer lead times trigger earlier production start dates. For example:
ProductLead TimeDelivery DateProduction Starts
Wedding cake14 daysMarch 22March 8
Sugar cookies3 daysMarch 22March 19
Bread loaves1 dayMarch 22March 21
This keeps your production schedule realistic and prevents bottlenecks.

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Choosing the Right Lead Time

Think about the full timeline for each product:
  • Sourcing: Do you need to order specialty ingredients?
  • Preparation: Does the product have multi-day steps like soaking fruit, chilling dough, or drying fondant decorations?
  • Production: How long does the actual baking, assembly, and decorating take?
  • Buffer: Is there room for a batch that does not turn out right?
Start with your best estimate and adjust as you learn. You can change a product’s lead time at any time without affecting existing orders.
Pro tip: Set a short default lead time (2-3 days) for most products to give yourself breathing room. Reserve longer lead times for complex custom work.

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Products Without Lead Time

If you do not set a lead time, the product has no minimum ordering window. Customers can select any available date, including tomorrow. This works for items you can produce on short notice, but keep your capacity limits in mind.
Still need help? Contact us