Manufacturing systems students usually complete lab projects for class requirements. However, they often do not have an idea how many resources such as time, tools, and materials they will need to complete a project until they get into constructing it. Yet one of the first tasks of real-world manufacturing personnel when they receive new product drawings is to create a process plan. This task, when completed, generally directs both organization of needed resources and actual production of the product. This article outlines the basics of process planning and provides examples for instructors who want to teach their students its principles. (Contains 5 tables.)