LGT 2106

Principles of Operations Management

2023/24, Semester 1

Lecture 5
Operations Scheduling
 Learning Outcomes of Lecture 5
1. Explain operations scheduling
2. Identify the elements of job shops scheduling
3. Analyze scheduling problems using priority rules and more specialized techniques
4. Identify the major elements of scheduling workers in service operations
5. Analyze worker schedules in the service sector

References: Jacobs & Chase, 15th ed, Chapter 22.

Scheduling
• Scheduling
• defined as the prioritizing and sequencing of work
• a timetable for performing activities, using resources, or allocating facilities

• Effective and efficient scheduling can be a competitive advantage

• Internally effective scheduling means faster movement of goods and services through
a facility and better use of assets
• Externally good scheduling provides faster throughput, added flexibility, and more
dependable deliveries, improving customer service
Examples of Scheduling Decisions
TABLE Scheduling Decisions

ORGANIZATION MANAGERS SCHEDULE THE FOLLOWING

Delta Air Lines Maintenance of aircraft
Departure timetables
Flight crews, catering, gate, ticketing personnel
Arnold Palmer Hospital Operating room use
Patient admissions
Nursing, security, maintenance staffs
Outpatient treatments
University of Alabama Classrooms and audiovisual equipment
Student and instructor schedules
Graduate and undergraduate courses
Amway Center Ushers, ticket takers, food servers, security personnel
Delivery of fresh foods and meal preparation
Orlando Magic games, concerts, arena football
Lockheed Martin Factory Production of goods
Purchases of materials
Workers
Job Shop (Workcenters)
• Job shop (Workcenter): an area in which production resources are organized and work is
completed
• May be a single machine, a group of machines, or an area where work is done
• Can be organized according to function, product in a flow, or group technology

• Jobs need to be routed between functionally organized workcenters to complete the work

• Infinite loading: work is assigned to a work center based on what is needed

• No consideration to capacity
• MRP is one example

• Finite loading: schedules each resource using the setup and run time required for each order
• Determines exactly what will be done by each resource at every moment during the day
Typical Scheduling and Control Functions
• Scheduling and control system must be capable of:
• Allocating orders, equipment, and personnel to work center or other specified
locations (short-run capacity planning)
• Determining the sequence of order performance (e.g., establishing job priorities)
• Dispatching orders to the factory floor
• Maintaining shop floor/production activity control to review order status and
expedite late or critical orders
• Revising the schedule to reflect changes in order status
• Assuring that quality control standards are met
Workcenter Scheduling Process

➢ The scheduler selects and sequences available

jobs to be run at individual workstations

➢ The scheduler’s decisions are based on the

operations and routing requirements of each
job, the status of existing jobs at each
workcenter, the queue of work before each
workcenter, job priorities, material availability,
anticipated job orders to be released later in the
day, and workcenter resource capabilities

➢ The details of the schedule are communicated

to workers via dispatch lists shown on
computer terminals, in hard-copy printouts, or
by posting a list of what should be worked on in
central areas
Objectives of Work-Center Scheduling
• Meet due dates
• Minimize lead time
• Minimize setup time or cost
• Minimize work-in-process inventory
• Maximize machine utilization

• It is unlikely, and often undesirable, to simultaneously satisfy all of these

objectives
Elements of Job Shop Scheduling
• Job Arrival Patterns
• Constant or random arrivals
• Singly or in batches (bulk or lot arrivals)
• High or normal priorities

• The Machinery in the Shop

• Number of variety of machines

• The Ratio of Skilled Workers to Machines

• Machine-limited systems: capacity is determined by the number of machines
• Labor-limited systems: capacity is determined by the number of workers

• The Flow Pattern of Jobs through the Shop

Concepts
• A job
• Processing time
• Due date
• Flow time: the time a job spends in the process (waiting time, processing time, time spent
moving between operations, delay due to machine breakdown, etc)
= finish date of a job – arrival date of a job
• Slack time remaining:
= time remaining before due date – remaining processing time
• Lateness (tardiness): the amount of time by which a job missed its due date

• A schedule of jobs
• Makespan: the overall length of the schedule (=maximum flow time, if all jobs arrive at
the beginning)
Job Sequencing
• Sequencing: the process of determining the job order on machines or work centers
• Also known as priority sequencing

• Priority rules: the rules used in obtaining a job sequence

• Can be simple or complex
• Can use one or more pieces of information
• Common rules shown on next slide
Priority Rules for Job Sequencing
Schedule Evaluation Criteria
• Standard measures of schedule performance used to evaluate priority rules:

• Meeting due dates of customers or downstream operations

• Minimizing flow time (throughput or cycle time) that the job spends in the shop

• Minimizing work in process

• Minimizing idle time of machines and workers

Scheduling n Jobs on One Machine
• In scheduling terminology, this class of problems is referred to as an “n job—one-
machine problem” or simply “n/1”
• Example: compare different priority rules (FCFS, SOT, EDD, LCFS, random, STR) in a
static scheduling situation involving five jobs on one machine
Scheduling n Jobs on One Machine (cont’d)
• FCFS: first come, first serve
Scheduling n Jobs on One Machine (cont’d)
• SOT: shortest operating time
Scheduling n Jobs on One Machine (cont’d)
• EDD: earliest due date first
Scheduling n Jobs on One Machine (cont’d)

• LCFS: last come, first serve

• Random: order or whim

• STR: slack time remaining

Scheduling n Jobs on One Machine (cont’d)
• Comparison of Priority Rules

SOT minimizes mean flow time.

EDD minimizes the maximum lateness.
http://rbutterworth.nfshost.com/Scheduling/1.3-due
Scheduling n Jobs on Two Machines
• Two or more jobs must be processed on two machines in a common
sequence

• Wish to minimize the makespan of the schedule - from the beginning of the
first job to the finish of the last job
Scheduling n Jobs on Two Machines

• Johnson’s Rule (Method)

1. List the operation time for each job on both machines.

2. Select the shortest operation time.

3. If the shortest operation time is on the first machine, do that job first; if the shortest
time is on the second machine, do the job last. (Break ties arbitrarily.)

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each remaining job until the schedule is complete.
Optimal Schedule of Jobs Using Johnson’s Rule - Example
Job Operation Time Operation Time
on Machine 1 on Machine 2
A 3 2
B 6 8
C 5 6
D 7 4

Decision steps:
1. Select Job A, and assign it as the last job to be processed.
2. Select Job D, assign it as the 2nd last job.
3. Select Job C, assign it as the 1st job.
4. Select Job B, assign it as the 2nd job.
Optimal Schedule of Jobs Using Johnson’s Rule - Example

Job Operation Time on Operation Time on

Machine 1 Machine 2
A 3 2
B 6 8
C 5 6
D 7 4
Optimal Schedule of Jobs Using Johnson’s Rule - Example
Job Operation Time on Operation Time on
Machine 1 Machine 2
C 5 6
Gantt Chart
B 6 8 ➢ A type of bar chart that
plots tasks against time
D 7 4 ➢ Used for project
planning and to
A 3 2 coordinate a number of
scheduled activities

Machine 1 Job C (5) Job B (6) Job D (7) Job A

(3)
Job C (6) Job B (8) Job D Job
Machine 2 A (2)
(4)

Days
5 11 19 23 25
Scheduling Services

• Service systems differ from manufacturing

MANUFACTURING SERVICES
Schedules machines Schedule staff
and materials
Inventories used to Seldom maintain inventories
smooth demand
Machine-intensive and demand may Labor-intensive and demand may be
be smooth variable
Scheduling may be bound by union Legal issues may constrain flexible
contracts scheduling
Few social or behavioral issues Social and behavioral issues may be
quite important
Scheduling Workers in Service Operations

• Why Scheduling is Important in Services

• Determining the proper number of workers is critical to providing services to satisfy
customer demand

• Having only the necessary number of workers is critical to keeping labor costs down
Daily Staff Hours Required
 Scheduling Workers in Service Operations
How many workers to schedule for
that time period (see labor
requirements table in the next slide)

Additional factors such as (a)

minimum length of a shift
prescribed by a union contract,
(b) maximum shift length
permitted by laws, (c)
company’s policies about rest
and meal breaks

Usually developed on a weekly basis for several reasons:

More complicated. Take into • Laws
consideration workers’ days • The distinction between full-time and part-time workers is
off for illness, holidays, and often made on the basis of the number of hours worked in
vacations. Additional cost to a calendar week
work on holidays • Many workers are paid on a weekly basis
An Example of Labor Requirements Table for a Fast-Food Operation

**

***
*Floaters help out; they patrol the lot, lobby, and restrooms; restock; and cover on breaks.
**Minimum staffing level
Source: Adapted from “McDonald’s,” Harvard Business School Case No. 681–044, 1980.
***Full staffing level
Example: Scheduling Consecutive Days Off
• Objective. Find the schedule that minimizes the number of five-day workers with two consecutive days off,
subject to the demands of the daily staffing schedule
• Procedure. Starting with the total number of workers required for each day of the week, create a schedule
by adding one worker at a time

• Step 1: Circle the lowest pair of consecutive days off. The lowest pair is the one where the highest number
in the pair is equal to or lower than the highest number in any other pair. (This ensures that the days with
the highest requirements are covered by staff.) In case of ties choose the days-off pair with the lowest
requirement on an adjacent day. This day may be before or after the pair. If a tie still exists, choose the pair
with the second lowest requirement on any adjacent day. If a tie still remains, choose the first of the
available tied pairs.
• Step 2: Subtract 1 from each of the remaining five days
Solution: Scheduling Consecutive Days Off

4 4 4 3 3 2
3 3 3 2 2 2
2 2 2 2 2 1
1 1 1 1 1 1

The lowest pair is the one where the highest number in the pair is equal to or lower than the
highest number in any other pair.

This solution consists of five workers covering 19 worker days, although slightly
different assignments may be equally satisfactory. The schedule: Worker 1 is assigned
S–Su off; Worker 2, F–S off; Worker 3, S–Su off; Worker 4, Tu–W off; and Worker 5
works only on Wednesday, since there are no further requirements for the other days.