PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

UNIT IV
SCHEDULING:
Policies of scheduling:

Operations scheduling is critical to the success of an organization; however, it can be a very

complicated task. Effective schedules are needed to meet promised customer delivery dates
or inventory targets.
It covers the following areas in particular:
- assign job to a particular work center/ machine
- time of assignment of job and completion
- allocation of resources like manpower and materials
- time sequence of operations
- feedback and control function to take care of deviations

Objectives of Operational Schedulling:

Making efficient use of the labour.

Making best possible use of the equipments that are available for
the use.

Increasing the profit.

Increasing the output.

Improving the service level.

Maximizing the delivery performance i.e. meeting the delivery dates.

Minimizing the inventory.

Reducing the manufacturing time.

Minimizing the production costs.

Minimizing the worker costs.

Functions of Operations Scheduling

Allocation of the resources.

Shop floor control.
Making maximum use of the plant at minimum possible cost.
Ensure that the needs of the manpower are optimum.
Determination of the sequence of the jobs.

Specifying the start and the end time for each job (actively scheduled).
Getting quick feedback from the shops regarding the delays and the various interruptions.
Possess up to date information for the availability of the materials, expected delivery
dates etc.

Possess up to date data on the machine regarding its breakdown, servicing etc.

Types of Schedulling:
Types of Operations Scheduling are as follows:
1. Forward operations scheduling

Classified on the basis of the time.

All the activities are scheduled from the date of the planned order release.
First task of the job is scheduled.
Its subsequent task is scheduled on the scheduled completion of the first
task.
Like this, accordingly all the tasks of the job are scheduled.

2. Backward operations scheduling

Also classified on the basis of the time.

Activities are scheduled from the date or the planned receipt date.

The last activity is scheduled first.

Time of the start of the last task is considered as the time for the
start of the previous activity.

Flow shop scheduling

Flow shop scheduling problems, are a class of scheduling problems with a workshop or group
shop in which the flow control shall enable an appropriate sequencing for each job and for
processing on a set of machines or with other resources 1,2,...,m in compliance with given
processing orders. Especially the maintaining of a continuous flow of processing tasks is desired
with a minimum of idle time and a minimum of waiting time. Flow shop scheduling is a special case
of job shop scheduling where there is strict order of all operations to be performed on all jobs. Flow
shop scheduling may apply as well to production facilities as tocomputing designs.
A special type of flow shop scheduling problem is the permutation flow shop scheduling problem in
which the processing order of the jobs on the resources is the same for each subsequent step of
processing.

2 jobs and n machines

Line of Balance:
Line of Balance (LOB) is a management control process for collecting, measuring and presenting facts relating to
time (seeSchedule Control), cost and accomplishment all measured against a specific plan. It shows the process,
status, background, timing and phasing of the project activities, thus providing management with measuring tools that
help:
1.

Comparing actual progress with a formal objective plan.

2.

Examining only the deviations from established plans, and gauging their degree of severity with respect to
the remainder of the project.

3.

Receiving timely information concerning trouble areas and indicating areas where appropriate corrective
action is required.

4.

Forecasting future performance.

The LOB itself is a graphic device that enables a manager to see at a single glance which activities of an operation
are in balance i.e., whether those which should have been completed at the time of the review actually are
completed and whether any activities scheduled for future completion are lagging behind schedule. The LOB chart
comprises only one feature of the whole philosophy which includes numerous danger signal controls for all the
various levels of management concerned.

To do LOB, the following is needed: [1]

1.

A contract schedule, or objective chart;

2.

A production plan or lead-time chart for the production process itself;

3.

Control points cumulative inventories; and

4.

A program status chart on which to plot LOB and the cumulative quantities of units that have passed through
the control points of the assembly/production process.