PRODUCTION PROGRAM: HOW IT IS MADE AND EXAMPLE - DUDAS - 2025

The production schedule is the activity in which all the resources that are used for the production activities, be it raw material, capital, labor, logistics and any other activity, are allocated in a period of time and scheduled in a calendar with production activities.

This program identifies which resources would be consumed at what stage of production, and according to the estimates a schedule is made so that the company does not run out of resources at the time of production.

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This plan quantifies the processes, parts, and other significant resources to optimize production, identify bottlenecks, and anticipate needs and finished products.

Using a production schedule helps avoid resource shortages, costly accelerations, last minute schedules, and inefficient resource allocation.

The production schedule was traditionally done manually, using paper. Then organizations started using spreadsheets and now there is a number of software available for it.

What does it consist of?

The production schedule is the calendar for the use of resources and processes required by a company to produce goods or provide services.

Convert customer demand (sales orders) into a manufacturing plan using planned orders, in a true component programming environment.

The goal of the production schedule is to keep it flowing. Adjusts the workforce and process flow for normal use of company resources, with minimal downtime and bottlenecks, and a level of output consistent with all resources put into the process.

A typical business will modify its production schedule in response to large customer orders, to accommodate changing resources, to reduce costs, and to increase overall production efficiency.

Inputs and outputs

Production schedule inputs can include forecast demand, production costs, inventory amount, customer needs, inventory progress, supply, lot size, production lead time, and capacity.

Outputs can include quantities to be produced, staffing levels, available quantity to promise, and projected available balance. The outputs can be used to create a materials requirements planning schedule.

Importance

A production schedule may be necessary for organizations to synchronize their operations and be more efficient. An effective production program will ultimately serve to:

- Provide the production, planning, purchasing and administration departments with the information to plan and control manufacturing.

- Link general business planning and forecasting to detailed operations.

- Train marketers to make legitimate delivery commitments to warehouses and customers.

- Increase the efficiency and precision of a company's manufacturing.

- Polish production capacity planning.

As elaborated?

In the production schedule, the process begins with identifying the due date, then moving back to the current date. Process bottlenecks are identified in the process.

The production schedule takes into account all constraints, such as capacity, labor, inventory and plant performance, trying to optimize its use.

List the activities

A list of all activities in the production process is compiled, showing the amount of time each activity takes and the earliest possible start date.

It is indicated if each task can be executed in parallel to other tasks, or if it is sequential to the successful completion of a previous activity.

Configure the chart

A large sheet of paper or a blackboard is used to trace the draft of the table. Columns are created to represent time intervals, such as hours, days, or weeks, depending on how long the products take to manufacture.

For example, clothing items may require hourly intervals, while furniture construction may require daily or weekly intervals.

A bar is drawn or sticky notes are used to represent each task, beginning at the start time and ending after the amount of time it takes.

Activities that depend on the completion of others are scheduled in sequential order. Tasks that are performed at the same time as others are scheduled in parallel, one below the other.

Analyze the schedule

Different colors are used to highlight tasks assigned to specific teams or individuals. Dotted lines are drawn in red to indicate the critical path of the production process. This highlights the main activities that the production team must complete to produce the goods.

For example, if two different products must be manufactured to produce the finished item, the critical path runs from the start date of the first item, through the production process, and ends with the production of the last item or the assembly of the final product..

Monitor the process

The time taken by each task in the production schedule should be monitored, comparing it with the Gantt chart.

Modify the table when necessary, changing the timeline according to actual performance.

Sequential tasks are changed accordingly, to ensure that the completion date is accurate.

If changes affecting the end date are unacceptable, tasks that need to be accelerated to make up for delays are identified. This way you can meet the end date.

Example

Suppose that company XYZ needs to produce product A to meet its monthly demand. The week-long production schedule for making such a product is shown in the table:

Usually weekly time slots are used. The time horizon covered by the production program depends on the characteristics of the product and the delivery times.

It must produce 182 A products daily to satisfy in November 2018, with 22 business days, a demand of 4,000 units.

Production plan and production schedule

The flow chart of the production plan and production schedule is shown in the following figure.

The plan determines the level of operations that seeks to balance market demand with the company's material, labor, and equipment capabilities.

A production schedule converts the plan into a specific number of finished products that will be produced in a specific period of time. It is the basic input for material requirement planning.

Therefore, the production schedule is a prerequisite for capacity planning.

References

1. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2018). Master production schedule. Taken from: en.wikipedia.org.
2. Mba Skool (2018). Production Scheduling. Taken from: mbaskool.com.
3. Tracey Sandilands (2018). A Format for Production Planning. Small Business - Chron. Taken from: smallbusiness.chron.com.
4. Bdc (2018). What makes a good production plan? Taken from: bdc.ca.
5. Wisdom Jobs (2018). Master Production Schedule (MPS) Production and Operations Management. Taken from: wisdomjobs.com.