Master Planning and Scheduling, 4th Edition

6Where and What to Master Plan and Master Schedule

When you think you have all the answers, it may be time to re‐ask the question.

Like any tool, master planning and scheduling software is useful only if it is applied in the right way. Here, the right way begins with knowing where and what to master plan and master schedule. In the case of a simple product, like the flashlight in Chapter 3, it may be the flashlight product subfamily by months or weeks that needs master planning and the final assembly of the flashlight that needs master scheduling by weeks or days. In a more complex product, like an automobile, master planning may be done at the automobile subfamily (e.g., two‐door models and four‐door models) by months/weeks while master scheduling may be done at a number of intermediate steps—engines, transmissions, radios, and so on.

Knowing where and what to master plan and master schedule presupposes a clear understanding of the process by which the product is transformed from either raw materials or purchased components into a shippable configuration. Generally, that process begins with the ordering of the raw materials to be available when the product is to be built. In traditional manufacturing, these materials are inspected by the receiving/inspection department as they arrive to ensure their conformance to order specification and quality standards.

Items that pass muster are then stored and issued to the manufacturing floor as needed. At the point of issue, the conversion ...