Operations scheduling
After a production order has been estimated, you can use operations scheduling to schedule production on a broad level.
Operations scheduling provides you with a first cut, a rough overview of your production. It is often used to gain an overview of the planning that is necessary to run the production processes, and it is run before job scheduling, if job scheduling is also used.
Operations scheduling reserves capacity at the resource group level. It does not select specific resources in the group, as is the case with job scheduling. In other words, operations scheduling provides you with the sum of all available capacity based on the capacity in the resources that comprise the resource groups. It is also possible to load individual resources in operations scheduling, but a specific resource requirement must exist for that specific resource on the operation.
An operations schedule results in all operations being date-scheduled in the order that is specified by the production route. The duration of the operations is calculated, but no actual start and end times are scheduled, as is the case with job scheduling.
The main characteristics of operations scheduling involve the planning method, the capacity of the resources, and material optimization. The settings that you define allow you to complete the following tasks:
- Control the scheduling direction (for example, forward or backward schedule from a date).
- Schedule productions based on the capacity of the resources (finite capacity).
- Use capabilities in resource requirements in the route.
- Schedule resources exclusively.
- Schedule productions based on material availability (material optimization).
- Schedule subproductions.
When you run an operations schedule, each of the operations in the production route is date-scheduled based on the operation's resource requirements. Additionally, the duration of each operation is stamped on the production route.
Unless the resource requirements for an operation identify a specific resource, operations scheduling reserves capacity on the resource group and does not select specific resources in the group.
In such situations, it is the sum of available capacity on the resources involved that makes up the capacity for the resource group and that is considered in connection with finite capacity or limited capacity. Operations scheduling results in all operations being date-scheduled in the order that is specified by the production route.
Contrary to job scheduling, no starting and ending times are given for the operations, although the duration of the operation is considered.
When operations scheduling is complete, the result is as follows:
- Dates are displayed in the relevant fields on the production order.
- Capacity reservations are generated for the selected resource groups or resources.
- The status of the production is changed to Scheduled.
Cancellations can still be made to certain parts of the routing, which are included in the next stage of the production process.