By: Gerline Mae Ocampo Pableo

TOPIC: Scheduling

Part 1: Introduction

In manufacturing or production, operations are considered processes performed on

machines in order to obtain the desired output. In scheduling, work is assigned to

production units with specifications of times in a detailed way. This also includes

manufacturing sequence and continues until the final product is made and ready for

delivery. Scheduling refines processing times to complete all the jobs or tasks on

time so that the final product can be delivered to customers on time. Operations in

manufacturing or production face challenges related to keeping production in a

timely and efficient manner. Many organizations face this challenge due to

advancements in technology. Operations scheduling is one solution to such issues

or challenges. This includes processing assigned operations or tasks to the right

machines and the right labor resources. So, to put it in simple words, operations

scheduling is a process that prescribes the timelines of execution of each operation

in the manufacturing or production process. Scheduling includes determining the

time required for performing each operation and also, the time needed to continue

the whole series of operations as prescribed. It is crucial to utilize the available

resources to ensure the completion of production on time. If operations scheduling is

executed properly, it may increase the revenue of the organization and decrease the

overall production time. While the appropriate allocation of different resources and

materials for each job comes under planning, scheduling brings the timing element of

the production schedule. It optimizes the operation sequence on the allocated

resources and thus, ensures the creation and execution of the most efficient

production schedule.

Part 2: Summary of the topics/Topics Digest

Scheduling is establishing the timing of the use of specific resources of that

organization. This relates to the use of equipment, facilities, and human activities In

the decision-making hierarchy, scheduling decisions are the final step in the

transformation process before actual output occurs. Effective scheduling can yield

cost savings, increases in productivity, and other benefits. Generally, the objectives

of scheduling are to achieve trade-offs among conflicting goals, which include

efficient utilization of staff, equipment, and facilities, and minimization of customer

waiting time, inventories, and process times. Scheduling encompasses allocating

workloads to specific work centers and determining the sequence in which

operations are to be performed. High-volume systems goal of scheduling is to obtain

a smooth rate of flow of goods or customers through the system in order to get a

high utilization of labor and equipment. High volume systems usually require

automated or specialized equipment. Several factors determine the success of such

a system: a process and product design, preventive maintenance, rapid repair when

breakdowns occur, optimal product mixes, minimization of quality problems and

reliability and timing of supplies. Intermediate volume systems typically produce

standard outputs. It is more economical to process these items intermittently when

run sizes are relatively large. The three basic issues in intermediate volume systems

are the run size of jobs, the timing of jobs, and the sequence in which jobs should be

processed. Job shops include ERs, repair shops, etc. when products are made to

order and services are performed according to need. Job shop processing gives rise

to two important issues for schedulers; how to distribute the workload among work

centers and what job processing sequence to use. Loading is the assignment of jobs

to processing (work) centers. Gantt charts are used for a variety of purposes related

to loading and scheduling. The purpose is to organize and visually display the actual
By: Gerline Mae Ocampo Pableo

or intended use of resources in a time framework. There are many different types of

these charts. The two of the most common ones are the load chart and the schedule

chart. Two approaches are used to load work centers: infinite loading (assigns jobs

to work centers without regard to the capacity of the work center), finite loading

(projects actual job starting and stopping times at each work center). There are two

general approaches to scheduling: forward scheduling is scheduling ahead from a

point in time, backward scheduling is scheduling backward from a jobs due date).

Input/output (I/O) control is monitoring the work flow and queue lengths at work

centers. The purpose of I/O control is to manage workflow so that queues and

waiting times are kept under control. The hungarian method helps to identify the

lowest cost solution wherein each job must be assigned to only one worker. It is

assumed that every worker is capable of handling every job. Sequencing is

concerned with determining job processing order. Priority rules are simple heuristics

used to select the order in which the jobs will be processed. Effectiveness of any

given sequence is judged on performance measures. Some common ones are: job

flow time (amount of time it takes from when a job arrives until it is complete), job

lateness (amount of time the job completion date is expected to exceed the date the

job was due or promised to a customer), makespan (total time needed to complete a

group of jobs) and average number of jobs. The SPT rule always results in the

lowest average completion time. The major disadvantage of SPT is that it tends to

make long jobs wait. The EDD rule directly addresses due dates and minimizes

lateness. Johnsons rule is a technique managers can use to minimize the makespan

for a group of jobs to be processed on two machines/at two workcenters. The steps

in Johnsons rule are: select job with the shortest time, eliminate the job and its time

from further consideration, repeat steps 1 and 2, working toward the center of the
By: Gerline Mae Ocampo Pableo

sequence. Scheduling can be difficult for many reasons, one of which is that, in

reality, an operation must deal with variability in setup times, processing times,

interruptions, and changes in the set of jobs. The ways to minimize scheduling

difficulties are: to set realistic due dates, focus on bottleneck operations and consider

lot splitting for large jobs. The theory of constraints by Eli Goldratt states an hour lost

at a bottleneck operation is an hour lost by the system and that saving time through

improvements of a non bottleneck will not increase the ultimate output of the system

and lastly, activation of a resource is not the same as utilization of a resource.

Scheduling service systems presents certain problems because of: the inability to

store or inventory services, the random nature of customer requests, the fact that

when waiting, customers can observe the service, first come first served is used

even though it isn’t the most efficient. The approach used to schedule services

generally depends on whether customer contact is involved. An ideal situation is one

that has a smooth flow of customers through the system, this would occur if each

new customer arrives at the precise instant that the last customers service is

completed. Scheduling in service systems may involve scheduling customers, the

workforce and equipment systems. Appointment systems are intended to control the

timing of customer arrivals in order to minimize customer waiting while achieving a

high degree of capacity utilization. Reservation systems are designed to enable

service systems to formulate a fairly accurate estimate of the demand on the system

for a given time period and to minimize customer disappointment generated by

excessive waiting or no availability. Yield management is the application of pricing

strategies to allocate capacity among various categories of demand with the goal of

maximizing the revenue generated by the fixed capacity. Scheduling customers is

demand management, scheduling the workforce is capacity management. Generally,

a basic work pattern is set and a list of staffing needs for the schedule cycle (usually

one week) is given. In some situations, it is necessary to coordinate the use of more

than one resource. The greater the number of resources to be scheduled

simultaneously, the greater the complexity and the less likely an optimum schedule

can be achieved. Scheduling can either help or hinder operations strategy. If

scheduling is done well, goods or services can be made or delivered in a timely

manner, resources can be used to the best advantage, and customers will be

satisfied.

Part 3: Recommendations

It’s not uncommon for managers to be on-the-go and out of the workplace for some

of the day and during these times there must be scheduling oversight. For example,

a situation may arise when a manager is out of the workplace and an employee

cannot show up for a shift or calls in sick at the last minute. In order to manage this

situation as smoothly and efficiently as possible, it’s important that managers have

access to schedules and employee information on-the-go. The solution to this

scheduling issue is easy, start using an employee scheduling software, to easily and

quickly edit or create new shifts on-the-go. The days of endless excel spreadsheets

are over, using an employee scheduling app will save time so that there will be focus

on the things that truly matter in the business. Managers are also able to see shift

information and communicate with relevant employees through the in-app chat, all

directly through their mobile device in the palm of their hands. When all is said and

done, the main staff scheduling problems are last minute scheduling, lack of the

proper technology, employee confusion, clopen shifts, lots of overtime hours,

unequal shift distribution, messy shift swapping, employee shortages, and last

minute absences, no control or oversight, and the inability to manage the schedule
By: Gerline Mae Ocampo Pableo

on-the-go. While not all these problems are 100% stoppable, they are definitely

avoidable. In the end, it all boils down to two things: communication and

organization.

Part 4: Conclusions

Scheduling and workplace planning is the final step in operation planning and

design. Operations scheduling and workplace planning is implemented during the

transformation of input to output. Scheduling deals with production of the required

quantity of product within the required time frame. Workplace planning deals with

allocation of resources with priority to work job with first delivery date. Scheduling

deals with both time allocations as well as resource allocation for production of

required quantities. Operations’ planning is done as part of short term planning. High

level objective of operation’s planning is to decide the best way of allocation of labor

and equipment as to find balance between time and use of limited resources within

the organization. In the modern age of competition and global market importance is

given to Just In Time and the lean production concepts. This has led to the

importance of operation’s scheduling.