Manufacturers capture these increments of value using a bill of materials (BOM): a classification of all of the materials, parts, and components that go into their products and the parts that go into them. This serves as the basis for everything from how they plan and execute production, to planning capacity, to scheduling operations. In essence, the BOM represents a road map to creating value, showing the important contribution of each element within the final product how each of these items that a company or its suppliers must optimally create align with other elements at any given point in production.