Chapter 16

Scheduling

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Chapter 16: Learning Objectives
You should be able to:
LO 16.1 Explain what scheduling involves and the importance of
good scheduling
LO 16.2 Compare product and service scheduling hierarchies
LO 16.3 Describe scheduling needs in high-volume systems
LO 16.4 Describe scheduling needs in intermediate-volume systems
LO 16.5 Describe scheduling needs in job shops
LO 16.6 Use and interpret Gantt charts
LO 16.7 Use the assignment method for loading
LO 16.8 Give examples of commonly used priority rules
LO 16.9 Discuss the Theory of Constraints and that approach to
scheduling
LO 16.10 Summarize some of the unique problems
encountered in service systems, and describe some of the
approaches used for scheduling service systems
16-2
Scheduling
 Scheduling:
 Establishing the timing of the use of equipment,
facilities and human activities in an organization
 Effective scheduling can yield
 Cost savings
 Increases in productivity
 Other benefits

LO 16-3
16.1
Scheduling Hierarchies

LO 16-4
16.2
High Volume Systems
Flow System
 High-volume system in which all jobs follow the
same sequence
 Flow system scheduling
Scheduling for flow systems
The goal is to achieve a smooth rate of flow of
goods or customers through the system in order to
get high utilization of labor and equipment

Workstation Workstation
Output
1 2
LO 16-5
16.3
Intermediate-Volume Systems
Outputs fall between the standardized type of
output of high-volume systems and the make-
to-order output of job shops
Output rates are insufficient to warrant
continuous production
 Rather, it is more economical
to produce intermittently
Work centers periodically
shift from one product to
another

LO 16-6
16.4
Low-Volume Systems
Job shop scheduling
 Scheduling for low-volume systems with many
variations in requirements
Make-to-order products
Processing requirements
Material requirements
Processing time
Processing sequence and setups
 A complex scheduling environment
It is impossible to establish firm schedules until
actual job orders are received

LO 16-7
16.5
Gantt Charts
Load chart
 A Gantt chart that shows the loading and idle
times for a group of machines or list of
departments

LO 16-8
16.6
Hungarian Method
1. Row reduction: subtract the smallest number in
each row from every number in the row
a. Enter the result in a new table
2. Column reduction: subtract the smallest number in
each column from every number in the column
a. Enter the result in a new table
3. Test whether an optimum assignment can be made
a. Determine the minimum number of lines needed to cross out all
zeros
b. If the number of lines equals the number of rows, an optimum
assignment is possible. Go to step 6
c. Else, go to step 4

LO 16-9
16.7
Hungarian Method (contd.)
4. If the number of lines is less than the number of
rows, modify the table:
a. Subtract the smallest 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 unchanged to the next table
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until an optimal table is
obtained
6. Make the assignments
a. Begin with rows or columns with only one zero
b. Match items that have zeros, using only one match for each row and
each column
c. Eliminate both the row and the column after the match

LO 16-10
16.7
Priority Rules
 FCFS - first come, first served
 SPT - shortest processing time
 EDD - earliest due date
 CR - critical ratio
 S/O - slack per operation
 Rush - emergency

LO 16-11
16.8
Theory of Constraints
 Theory of constraints
 Production planning approach that emphasizes
balancing flow throughout a system, and pursues a
perpetual five-step improvement process centered
around the system’s currently most restrictive
constraint.
 Bottleneck operations limit system output
 Therefore, schedule bottleneck operations in a way that
minimizes their idle times
 Drum-buffer-rope
 Drum = the schedule
 Buffer = potentially constraining resources outside of the
bottleneck
 Rope = represents synchronizing the sequence of operations
to ensure effective use of the bottleneck operations
LO 16-12
16.9
Theory of Constraints: Metrics
Three important theory of constraints
metrics:
 Throughput
 The rate at which the system generates money
through sales
 Inventory
 Inventory represents money tied up in goods and
materials used in a process
 Operating expense
 All the money the system spends to convert inventory
into throughput: this includes utilities, scrap,
depreciation, and so on

LO 16-13
16.9
Service Operation Problems
Service scheduling often presents challenges
not found in manufacturing
 These are primarily related to:
1. The inability to store or inventory services
2. The random nature of service requests
Service scheduling may involve scheduling:
1. Customers
2. Workforce
3. Equipment

LO 16-14
16.10
Scheduling Service Operations
 Scheduling customers: Demand
Management
 Appointment systems
 Controls
customer arrivals for service
 Reservation systems
 Enable service systems to formulate a fairly accurate
estimate demand on the system for a given time
period
 Scheduling the workforce: Capacity
Management
 Cyclical Scheduling
 Employees are assigned to work shifts or time slots, and
have days off, on a repeating basis

LO 16-15
16.10