Operation Scheduling

Chapter -7
 Introduction
Operations scheduling is critical to the success of an organization.
Scheduling is the process of arranging, controlling and optimizing
work and workloads in a production process or manufacturing
process. Scheduling is used to allocate plant and machinery
resources, plan human resources, plan production processes and
purchase materials.
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 Operations Scheduling

 Making efficient use of the labor.

 Making best possible use of the equipment 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 Scheduling
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.
 Minimize Completion Time
 Average Completion Time= Sum of total flow time
Number of Jobs
 Maximum Utilization
Utilization = Total Job work Time
Sum of total flow time

Minimize Work in Process

Average Number of jobs in the system = Sum of total flow time
Total Job Work Time
Minimize Customer Waiting Time
Average Job Lateness = Total Late Days
Number of Jobs
Schedule Jobs according to Critical Ratio(CR)
CR = Time Remaining = Due Date – Today’s Date
Workdays remaining Work(lead) time remaining
 Loading means the assignment of Jobs to work or processing
centers.
 Operations Managers assign jobs to work centers so that cost and
completion times are kept to a minimum
 Work centers are areas in a business in which productive resources
are organized and work is completed.
 It may be a single machine, a group of machines, or an area where
a particular type of work is done.
 The work centers can be organized in a variety of ways including by
function in a job-shop configuration; or by product in a flow,
assembly line, or group-technology-cell configuration
 A characteristic that distinguishes one scheduling system from
another is how capacity is considered in determining the schedule.
 The scheduling systems can use Infinite Loading or Finite Loading
• Ignores capacity constraints, but helps identify bottlenecks in
a proposed schedule to enable proactive management
• With infinite loading jobs are assigned to work centers without
regard for capacity of the work center.
• Jobs are loaded at work centers according to the chosen
priority rule.
• Priority rules are appropriate for use under the infinite loading
approach
• This is known as vertical loading.
 Allows only as much work to be assigned as can be done with
available capacity – but doesn’t prepare for inevitable slippage
 Finite loading considers the capacity of each work center and
compares the processing time so that process time does not
exceed capacity.
 With finite loading the scheduler loads the job that has the
highest priority on all work centers it will require.
 Then the job with the next highest priority is loaded on all
required work centers, and so on.
 This process is referred to as horizontal loading
 It is a technique that allows operation personnel to
manage facility work flows.
 I/O control is a capacity-control technique used to
monitor work flow at individual work centers
 Monitors how well available capacity is used and
provides insight into process problems
Figure 15-6 Input/output report for work center 101
Input Information (in hours) Period
4 5 6 7 8
Planned Input 800 750 800 820 800
Actual Input 750 780 780 810 810
Deviation -50 30 -20 -10 10
Cumulative deviation 0 -50 -20 -40 -50 -40

Output information (in hours) Period

4 5 6 7 8
Planned output 800 800 800 800 800
Actual output 800 750 780 850 825
Deviation 0 -50 -20 50 25
Cumulative deviation 0 0 -50 -70 -20 5

Backlog (in hours) 100 50 80 80 40 25

 Gantt charts are named for Henry Gantt, a management pioneer of the early
1900s. He proposed the use of a visual aid for loading and scheduling. This Gantt
chart is used to organize and clarify actual or intended use of resources within a
time framework. Generally, time is represented horizontally with scheduled
resources listed vertically. load chart and schedule chart are commonly used
Gantt Chart.
 A load chart displays the loading and idle times for machines or departments;
this shows when certain jobs are scheduled to start and finish and where idle
time can be expected. This can help the scheduler redo loading assignments for
better utilization of the work centers.
 A schedule chart is used to monitor job progress. On this type of Gantt chart, the
vertical axis shows the orders or jobs in progress while the horizontal axis
represents time. A quick glance at the chart reveals which jobs are on schedule
and which jobs are on time.
 The chart must be repeatedly updated to keep it current. Also, the chart does
not directly reveal costs of alternate loadings nor does it consider that
processing times may vary among work centers.
Schedule Chart
 The assignment method is a way of allocating
organization's resources to projects and tasks. It is an
optimization technique for resource allocation, which
allocates resources according as the rule ‘one job to
one person’.
 The assignment method can be used for many other
purposes besides production allocations. It can be
employed to assign the number of salespersons to a
given territory or territories.
 Hungarian Method is mostly use to solve Assignment
Problem
 The Hungarian Method is an algorithm developed by
Harold Kuhn to solve assignment problems in polynomial
time
 Scheduling is the process of arranging, controlling and
optimizing work and workloads in a production
process or manufacturing process.
 Scheduling is used to allocate plant and machinery
resources, plan human resources, plan production
processes and purchase materials.
 Priority Rules for Scheduling Jobs
First Come, First Served(FCFS)
Shortest Processing Time(SPT)
Earliest Due Date(EDD)
Longest Processing Time(LPT)
Methods used for Operation Scheduling
1. Johnson’s two machine algorithm
 Very effective when the operations sequencing has two
machines and the processing time depends on the sequence
in which the jobs are loaded.
 Also used when the company involves a backlog of the
orders.
 Helps in the determination of the optimal job sequence.
2. Index method
 Used for the purpose of the loading and also for allocating
the different jobs to the different machines.
 Generally orders are assigned on the basis of the “first come
first assigned” method.
 Johnson’s Rule
List all jobs and times for each work center
Choose the job with the shortest activity time. If that
time is in the first work center, schedule the job first.
If it is in the second work center, schedule the job
last.
Once a job is scheduled, it is eliminated from the list
Repeat steps 2 and 3 working toward the center of
the sequence
Johnson’s Rule Example
Work Center 1 Work Center 2
Job (Drill Press) (Lathe)
A 5 2
B 3 6
C 8 4 B E D C A

D 10 7
E 7 12
Time 0 3 10 20 28 33

WC
1 B E D C A

WC
2 B E D C A

Time 0 1 3 5 7 9 10 11 12 13 17 19 21 22 2325 27 29 31 33 35

B E D C A
Scheduling is dynamic and rules need to be
revised to adjust to changes
Rules do not look upstream or downstream
Rules do not look beyond due dates
 Scheduling Services
Service systems differ from manufacturing
Manufacturing Services
Schedules machines Schedule staff
and materials
Inventories used to Seldom maintain
smooth demand inventories
Machine-intensive and Labor-intensive and
demand may be smooth demand may be variable
Scheduling may be bound Legal issues may constrain
by union contracts flexible scheduling
Few social or behavioral Social and behavioral
issues issues may be quite
important
Some Scheduling Services

 Hospitals have complex scheduling system

to handle complex processes and material
requirements
 Banks use a cross-trained and flexible
workforce and part-time workers
 Retail stores use scheduling optimization
systems that track sales, transactions, and
customer traffic to create work schedules in
less time and with improved customer
satisfaction
Scheduling Services

 Airlines must meet complex FAA and union

regulations and often use linear
programming to develop optimal schedules
 24/7 operations like police/fire departments,
emergency hot lines, and mail order
businesses use flexible workers and
variable schedules, often created using
computerized systems
Demand Management
 Appointment
 Reservation systems
 Posted Schedule
 FCFS sequencing rules or any other
rule
 Discounts or other promotional
schemes
 When demand management is not
feasible, managing capacity through
staffing flexibility may be used
 Scheduling Employees

Staffing for Peak Demand

Floating Employees
Employees on Call
Temporary Employees
Seasonal Employees
Part-time Employees
Scheduling Service Employees With
Cyclical Scheduling

 Objective is to meet staffing

requirements with the minimum
number of workers
 Schedules need to be smooth and
keep personnel happy
 Many techniques exist from simple
algorithms to complex linear
programming solutions
Cyclical Scheduling Example

1. Determine the staffing requirements

2. Identify two consecutive days with the
lowest total requirements and assign these
as days off
3. Make a new set of requirements subtracting
the days worked by the first employee
4. Apply step 2 to the new row
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all requirements
have been met
 :

Tibrewala, Philippe, and Brown developed a technique for scheduling

a seven day operation giving each employee two consecutive days
off. This example shows how a staff of six people can be scheduled.
 Step 1 – Find out the minimum number of employees needed for
each day of the week
(1) Day of the week M T W Th F Sa Su
Number of staff needed 4 5 5 3 5 2 3
 Step 2 – Given the above requirements, calculate the number of
employees needed for each pair of consecutive days
(1) Pair of Consecutive Days Total of Staff needed
Monday & Tuesday 9 employees
Tuesday & Wednesday 10 employees
Wednesday & Thursday 8 employees
Thursday & Friday 8 employees
Friday & Saturday 7 employees
Saturday & Sunday 5 employees
 Step 3 - Find the pair of days with the lowest total needed
 Step 4 – Update the number of employees you still need to
schedule for each day
(2) Day of the week M T W Th F Sa Su
Number of staff needed 3 4 4 2 4 2 3
 Step 5 – Using the updated staffing needs, repeat steps 2
through 4 until you have satisfied all needs
(2) Pair of Consecutive Days Total of Staff needed
Monday & Tuesday 7 employees
Tuesday & Wednesday 8 employees
Wednesday & Thursday 6 employees
Thursday & Friday 6 employees
Friday & Saturday 6 employees
Saturday & Sunday 5 employees
(3) Day of the week M T W Th F Sa Su (4) Day of the week M T W Th F Sa Su
Number of staff needed 2 3 3 1 3 2 3 Number of staff needed 1 2 3 1 2 1 2
(3) Pair of Consecutive Days Total of Staff needed (4) Pair of Consecutive Days Total of Staff needed
Monday & Tuesday 5 employees Monday & Tuesday 3 employees
Tuesday & Wednesday 6 employees Tuesday & Wednesday 5 employees
Wednesday & Thursday 4 employees Wednesday & Thursday 4 employees
Thursday & Friday 4 employees Thursday & Friday 3 employees
Friday & Saturday 5 employees Friday & Saturday 3 employees
Saturday & Sunday 5 employees Saturday & Sunday 5 employees
 Schedule con’t

(5) Day of the week M T W Th F Sa Su (6) Day of the week M T W Th F Sa Su

Number of staff needed 0 1 2 0 1 1 2 Number of staff needed 0 1 1 0 0 0 1
(5) Pair of Consecutive Days Total of Staff needed (6) Pair of Consecutive Days Total of Staff needed
Monday & Tuesday 1 employees Monday & Tuesday 1 employees
Tuesday & Wednesday 3 employees Tuesday & Wednesday 2 employees
Wednesday & Thursday 2 employees Wednesday & Thursday 1 employees
Thursday & Friday 1 employees Thursday & Friday 0 employees
Friday & Saturday 2 employees Friday & Saturday 0 employees
Saturday & Sunday 3 employees Saturday & Sunday 1 employees
(7) Day of the week M T W Th F Sa Su  This technique gives a work
schedule for each employee
Number of staff needed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 to satisfy minimum daily
staffing requirements
Employees M T W Th F Sa Su  Next step is to replace
1 x x x x x off off numbers with employee
2 x x x x x off off names
3 x x off off x x x  Manager can give senior
4 x x x x x off off employees first choice and
proceed until all employees
5 off off x x x x x
© Wiley 2010
have a schedule
6 x x x x off off x
Cyclical Scheduling Example

M T W T F S S
Employee 1 5 5 6 5 4 3 3

Capacity (Employees)
Excess Capacity
Cyclical Scheduling Example

M T W T F S S
Employee 1 5 5 6 5 4 3 3
Employee 2 4 4 5 4 3 3 3

Capacity (Employees)
Excess Capacity
Cyclical Scheduling Example

M T W T F S S
Employee 1 5 5 6 5 4 3 3
Employee 2 4 4 5 4 3 3 3
Employee 3 3 3 4 3 2 3 3

Capacity (Employees)
Excess Capacity
Cyclical Scheduling Example

M T W T F S S
Employee 1 5 5 6 5 4 3 3
Employee 2 4 4 5 4 3 3 3
Employee 3 3 3 4 3 2 3 3
Employee 4 2 2 3 2 2 3 2

Capacity (Employees)
Excess Capacity
Cyclical Scheduling Example

M T W T F S S
Employee 1 5 5 6 5 4 3 3
Employee 2 4 4 5 4 3 3 3
Employee 3 3 3 4 3 2 3 3
Employee 4 2 2 3 2 2 3 2
Employee 5 1 1 2 2 2 2 1

Capacity (Employees)
Excess Capacity
Cyclical Scheduling Example

M T W T F S S
Employee 1 5 5 6 5 4 3 3
Employee 2 4 4 5 4 3 3 3
Employee 3 3 3 4 3 2 3 3
Employee 4 2 2 3 2 2 3 2
Employee 5 1 1 2 2 2 2 1
Employee 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 0

Capacity (Employees)
Excess Capacity
Cyclical Scheduling Example

M T W T F S S
Employee 1 5 5 6 5 4 3 3
Employee 2 4 4 5 4 3 3 3
Employee 3 3 3 4 3 2 3 3
Employee 4 2 2 3 2 2 3 2
Employee 5 1 1 2 2 2 2 1
Employee 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
Employee 7 1

Capacity (Employees)
Excess Capacity
Cyclical Scheduling Example

M T W T F S S
Employee 1 5 5 6 5 4 3 3
Employee 2 4 4 5 4 3 3 3
Employee 3 3 3 4 3 2 3 3
Employee 4 2 2 3 2 2 3 2
Employee 5 1 1 2 2 2 2 1
Employee 6 1 1 1 1 1 1 0
Employee 7 1

Capacity (Employees) 5 5 6 5 4 3 3
Excess Capacity 0 0 0 0 0 1 0