Scheduling

Production Management MAN 329

SDU University, Kaskelen. 2023

Definition

• Scheduling - establishing the timing of the use of equipment, facilities,

and human activities in an organization.
• 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.
• E.g. in hospitals, effective scheduling can save lives and improve
patient care.
• Can be source of competitive advantage
Sample Footer Text

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.

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Scheduling in High-Volume Systems
• High-volume systems are characterized by standardized equipment and
activities that provide identical or highly similar operations.
• The goal is to obtain a smooth rate of flow of goods or customers through
the system.
• Flow system - High-volume system in which jobs all follow the same
sequence.
• Flow-shop scheduling - Scheduling for flow systems.
• Examples: mass production of cars, fast food chains, bakery production line
• Line balancing - allocating the required tasks to workstations so that they
satisfy technical (sequencing) constraints and are balanced with respect to
equal work times among stations.
Scheduling Problems in High-Volume Systems

• Discontent of workers:

- works are divided into series of simple tasks boring and monotonous
- this may give rise to fatigue, absenteeism, turnover, and other problems
reduce productivity and disrupt the smooth flow of work.
• Flow systems are not devoted to only one product

- different inputs of parts, materials, and processing requirements that must be

scheduled into the line
• Possible disruptions in the system caused by equipment failures, material shortage,
accidents etc
- less output
Factors which affect success of flow system

• Process and product design

• Preventive maintenance
- Keeping equipment in good operating order can minimize breakdowns
that would disrupt the flow of work
• Rapid repair when breakdowns occur:
- stocks or specialists
• Minimization of quality problems
• Reliability and timing of supplies
Scheduling in Intermediate-Volume Systems

• Like the high-volume systems, intermediate-volume systems typically

produce standard outputs.
• However, the volume of output is not large enough to justify continuous
production.
• Thus, intermediate-volume work centers periodically shift from one job to
another.
• Examples: canned foods, baked goods, paint, and cosmetics.
Scheduling in Low Volume Systems

• Low Volume Systems - products are made to order, and orders usually differ
considerably in terms of processing requirements, materials needed,
processing time, and processing sequence and setups
• Job-shop scheduling -scheduling for low-volume systems with many
variations in requirements.
• Two basic issues:
1. How to distribute the workload among work centers?
2. What job processing sequence to use?
Scheduling in Low Volume Systems: Loading

• Loading refers to the assignment of jobs to processing (work) centers.

• Operations managers have to decide how to assign jobs to centers
• Especially, when two or more jobs are to be processed and there are a
number of work centers capable of doing it
• Important aspects when assigning jobs:
• minimize processing and setup costs
• minimize idle time among work centers
• minimize job completion time
Sample Footer Text

Gantt Charts

To organize and
visually display the
actual or intended
use of resources in a
time framework.
For trial and error to
see different
arrangements

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 Gantt: Load Chart

• A load chart depicts the loading and idle times for a group of machines or a
list of departments.

Most commonly used types of Gannt chart are - load chart and the schedule chart.
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Loading Approaches
• Infinite loading - assigns jobs
to work centers without regard
to the capacity of the work
center.
• Finite loading - Jobs are
assigned to work centers taking
into account the work center
capacity and job processing
times.

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Scheduling Approaches

• Schedule chart - a Gantt chart that shows the orders or jobs in progress
and whether they are on schedule.
• Forward scheduling - Scheduling ahead from a point in time.
• It is used if the issue is “How long will it take to complete this job?”
• Backward scheduling - scheduling backward from a due date.
• It is used if the issue is “When is the latest the job can be started and still
be completed by the due date?”
Scheduling
Input/Output Control

• Input/output (I/O)
control refers to
monitoring the work-
flow and queue
lengths at work
centers.
• The purpose of I/O
control is to manage
work-flow so that
queues and waiting
times are kept under
control
Hungarian method - assigning jobs by a one-for
one matching to identify the lowest-cost solution

1. Row reduction. Subtract the smallest number in each row

from every number in the row.
2. Column reduction. Subtract the smallest number in each
column of the new table from every number in the column.
3. Cross out all zeros (horizontal or vertical)
4. If number of lines and rows are not equal,
a. Subtract the smallest uncovered number from every
uncovered number in the table.
b. Add the smallest uncovered number to the numbers at
intersections of cross-out lines.
c. Numbers crossed out but not at intersections of cross-out
lines carry over to the next table.
5. Make the assignments. Begin with rows or columns with only
one zero. Match items that have zeros, using only one match for
each row and each column. Eliminate both the row and the
column after the match.
Sequencing

• Sequencing is concerned with determining job processing order.

• Sequencing decisions determine both the order in which jobs are processed
at various work centers and the order in which jobs are processed at
individual workstations within the work centers.
• Workstation An area where one or a few workers and/or machines perform
similar work.
• For heavily loaded work centers and lengthy jobs are involved, the order of
processing can be very important in terms of costs associated with jobs
waiting for processing and in terms of idle time
Sequencing
• Priority rules Simple heuristics used to select the order in which jobs will
be processed.
• Job processing times and due dates are important pieces of information.
Sequencing: performance measures
• Job flow time is the amount of time it takes from when a job arrives until it is complete.

processing time, waiting time, transportation time between operations, any waiting time related to equipment breakdown,
unavailable parts
• Job lateness is the amount of time the job completion date is expected to exceed the date the
job was due or promised to a customer.
Job lateness = Actual completion time – due date
If it is a negative, then it is called job tardiness
• Makespan - total time needed to complete a group of jobs from the beginning of the first job to
the completion of the last job.
• Average number of jobs. Jobs that are in a shop are considered to be work-in-process
inventory
Average number of jobs = Total flow time / Makespan
Example:
Processing times (including setup times) and
due dates for six jobs waiting to be
processed at a work center are given in the
following table.

Determine the sequence of jobs, the average

flow time, average tardiness, and average
number of jobs at the work center, for each
of these
rules:
a. FCFS (First come first served)
b. SPT (Shortest processing time)
c. EDD (Earliest due date )
d. CR (Critical ratio)
Sequencing Jobs through Two Work Centers

• Johnson’s rule is a technique that managers can use to minimize the

makespan for a group of jobs to be processed on two machines or at two
successive work centers
• It also minimizes the total idle time at the work centers
Example:
• A group of six jobs is to be processed through a two-machine flow shop.
The first operation involves cleaning and the second involves painting.
Determine a sequence that will minimize the total completion time for this
group of jobs. Processing times are as follows:
Why Scheduling Can Be Difficult

• Variability in setup times, processing times, interruptions, and changes

• Except for small jobs, there is no method for identifying the optimal
schedule, and it would be virtually impossible to sort through the vast
number of possible alternatives to obtain the best schedule.
• Not an exact science, thus it is an ongoing task for a manager
Scheduling Services

1. Inability to store
2. Random nature of customer requests for services – appointment/ reservation system
• Scheduling of services depends on customer contact
- back-front operations can apply same rules as in manufacturing
- front-operations: scheduling workforce to meet demand and not create waiting lines
Summarising points

• Scheduling can either help or hinder operations strategy

• Scheduling not performed well will result in inefficient use of resources and
possibly dissatisfied customers.
• Management should not overlook the important role that scheduling plays
in the success of an organization and the supply chain.
• It is not enough to have good design, superior quality, and the other
elements of a well-run organization if scheduling is done poorly—just as it
is not enough to own a well-designed and well-made car, with all the latest
features for comfort and safety, if the owner doesn’t know how to drive it!