What Is Parallel Actuals Mirroring in Scheduling? EDGEBIC Definition
User Solutions TeamParallel actuals mirroring is the automatic copying of a primary step's logged actuals onto its parallel sibling steps. When actuals are logged on a primary step, its parallel siblings receive mirrored actuals: the dates copied one to one, the hours scaled by each alternative's factor, and the rows tagged as system auto-filled from plan. Because synchronized parallel machines run at the same moment, their actuals are the same event seen on different machines, so logging the lead machine's run automatically stamps the ones that ran alongside it, with no repeated data entry.
This entry is part of the EDGEBIC by User Solutions glossary series; for the broader vocabulary of planning, see the manufacturing glossary. For the scheduling model it supports, see what is dependent parallel processing.
How Parallel Actuals Mirroring Works
Some operations run several machines in lockstep: synchronized drill heads, mirrored assembly stations, parallel booths working one part. In the schedule these appear as a primary step and one or more parallel siblings that share its timing.
When those machines run, they run together, which means their actuals are not independent events; they are one event recorded on several machines. Asking an operator to log each machine separately would be redundant and would invite the records to drift apart. Mirroring solves this by driving the siblings from the primary.
When actuals land on the primary step, the mirror copies them to each sibling in three moves. The dates copy one to one, because the siblings ran at the same time as the primary. The hours are scaled by each sibling's factor, so a machine that contributes at a different rate carries proportional hours rather than an identical copy. And the mirrored rows are stamped with the system auto-filled from plan source, marking them as system-produced copies rather than typed values.
The result is a consistent set of actuals across the synchronized machines, produced from a single log, with the copies clearly labeled as such.
A Concrete Example
A large frame goes under three synchronized drill heads on one job. The heads start together, run together, and finish together, which is exactly what the dependent-parallel model schedules.
The operator logs the primary drill head's run: the actual start, end, and hours. Parallel actuals mirroring immediately stamps the other two heads. Their dates copy one to one, since all three ran at the same time. Their hours are scaled by each head's factor. And both mirrored rows are tagged system auto-filled from plan, so a planner reviewing the job can see at a glance that the primary was logged directly and the two siblings were mirrored.
The operator entered the run once. The record shows all three heads consistently, without the drift that three separate manual entries would risk.
How EDGEBIC Uses It
Parallel actuals mirroring runs when actuals are logged on a primary step that has parallel siblings:
- Dates mirror one to one, because synchronized parallel machines run at the same time.
- Hours scale by the alternative's factor, so each sibling's logged effort stays proportional to how it contributes.
- Mirrored rows are tagged system auto-filled from plan, the same provenance stamp used elsewhere for system-produced actuals, so copies are never mistaken for typed values.
Mirroring is the actuals-side companion to dependent parallel processing, which is what schedules the synchronized machines in the first place. Log the primary step with how to log actual hours and pieces, and the mirror keeps the siblings in step.
Parallel actuals mirroring is the automatic copying of a primary step's logged actuals onto its parallel sibling steps. In EDGEBIC, when actuals are logged on a primary step, its parallel siblings receive mirrored actuals: the dates copied one to one, the hours scaled by each alternative's factor, and the rows tagged as system auto-filled from plan. It means logging the lead machine's run automatically stamps the synchronized machines that ran alongside it, so an operator does not log the same event several times.
Because synchronized parallel machines physically run at the same time, so their actuals are the same event seen on different machines. Making an operator log each one separately would be redundant data entry and a chance for the records to drift out of sync. Mirroring from the primary keeps the siblings consistent with the machine that led, copies the timing exactly, and scales the hours by each sibling's factor, so the record reflects reality without repeated entry.
They are tagged with the system auto-filled from plan source, the same provenance stamp used when the engine back-fills actuals. That label makes it clear the sibling's actuals were mirrored by the system from the primary, not typed by a person at the kiosk. A planner can therefore always distinguish the primary's directly logged values from the siblings' mirrored copies when reviewing the record.
Expert Q&A: Deep Dive
Q: We run three synchronized drill heads on one job. Do operators log all three?
A: No. The operator logs the primary drill head, and parallel actuals mirroring stamps the other two automatically. The dates copy one to one because the heads ran together, and each sibling's hours are scaled by its factor. The mirrored rows are marked system auto-filled from plan so they are clearly copies, not separate manual entries. Logging one head and letting the mirror handle the rest keeps the three records consistent and saves the operator from entering the same run three times.
Q: If a parallel machine has a different speed factor, are its mirrored hours the same as the primary's?
A: Not necessarily. The dates mirror exactly, since the machines run at the same time, but the hours are scaled by each alternative's factor. A sibling that runs at a different rate carries hours scaled accordingly rather than an identical copy of the primary's hours. This keeps each machine's logged effort proportional to how it actually contributes, while still driving the whole set from the single primary log.
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