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Operations Planning and Scheduling
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Across the Organization
l Operations planning and scheduling is the process of making sure that demand and supply plans are in balance at all levels
l Sales and operations planning and scheduling
l Requires managerial inputs from all of the firm’s functions
l Each function is affected by the plan
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Across the Organization
TABLE 14.1 | TYPES OF PLANS WITH OPERATIONS PLANNING AND| SCHEDULING
Term DefinitionSales and operations plan (S&OP)
A time-phased plan of future aggregate resource levels so that supply is in balance with demand throughout the organization
Aggregate plan Another term for the sales and operations plan
Production plan A manufacturing firm’s sales and operations plan that centers on production rates and inventory holdings
Staffing plan A sales and operations plan for a service firm, which centers on staffing and on other human resource-related factors
Resource plan An intermediate, more detailed, step in the planning process that lies between S&OP and scheduling
Schedule A detailed plan that allocates resources over shorter time horizons to accomplish specific tasks
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l Aggregationu Product familiesuWorkforce u Time
l The relationship of operations plans and schedules to other plansuA business plan uAn annual plan or financial plan uResource planningu The lowest planning level is scheduling
Stages in Planning and Scheduling
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Stages in Planning and Scheduling
Business orannual plan
• Employee and equipment schedules• Production order schedules• Purchase order schedules
Scheduling• Employee schedules• Facility schedules• Customer schedules
Scheduling
• Master production schedule• Material requirements planning
Resource Planning (manufacturing)• Workforce schedule• Materials and facility resources
Resource Planning (services)
SalesPlan
OperationsPlan
Sales and Operations Plan
Forecasting
Operationsstrategy
Constraintmanagement
Figure 14.1 – The Relationship of Sales and Operations Plans and Schedules to Other Plans
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lMatching supply with demand becomes challenging when forecasts call for uneven demand patterns
l Demand management, the process of changing demand patterns using one or more demand options
Managing Demand
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Managing Demand
TABLE 14.2 | DEMAND AND SUPPLY OPTIONS FOR| OPERATIONS PLANNING AND SCHEDULING
Demand Options Supply OptionsComplementaryproducts
Anticipation inventory
Promotional pricing Workforce adjustment (hiring or layoffs)Prescheduled appointments
Workforce utilization (overtime and undertime)
Reservations Part-time workers and subcontractors
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Aggregate plan
Sales and Operations Plans (S&OP)
Supplier capabilities Storage capacity Materials availability
Materials
Current machine capacities Plans for future capacities Workforce capacities Current staffing level
Operations
New products Product design changes Machine standards
EngineeringLabor-market conditions Training capacity
Human resources
Cost data Financial condition of firm
Accounting and finance
Customer needs Demand forecasts Competition behavior
Distribution and marketing
Figure 14.2 – Managerial Inputs from Functional Areas to Sales and Operations Plans
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Sales and Operations Plans
l Information inputsl Supply options
u Anticipation inventoryu Workforce adjustmentu Workforce utilizationu Part-time workersu Subcontractorsu Vacation schedules
l Planning strategiesu Chase strategy (hiring and laying off employees)u Level strategy (keeping workforce constant)u Mixed strategy
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Sales and Operations Plans
l Constraints and costsl Six steps in the sales and operations planning
process
TABLE 14.3 | TYPES OF COSTS WITH SALES AND OPERATIONS PLANNING
Cost DefinitionRegular time Regular-time wages plus benefits and pay for vacationsOvertime Wages paid for work beyond the normal workweek exclusive
of fringe benefitsHiring and layoff Cost of advertising jobs, interviews, training programs, scrap
caused by inexperienced employees, exit interviews, severance pay, and retraining
Inventory holding Capital, storage and warehousing, pilferage and obsolescence, insurance, and taxes
Backorder and stockout Costs to expedite past-due orders, potential cost of losing a customer
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Figure 14.3 – Sales and Operations Plan for Make-to-Stock Product Family
Sales and Operations Plans
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Sales and Operations Plans
Finalize and
communicate6
Executive S&OP
meeting5
Consensus meeting
4
Update S&OP spreadsheets
3
Demand planning
2
Gather data
1
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Using Spreadsheets
Figure 14.4 – Manufacturer’s Plan Using a Spreadsheet and Mixed Strategy
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Using Chase and Level Strategies
EXAMPLE 14.1A large distribution center must develop a staffing plan that minimizes total costs using part-time stockpickersFirst level strategy that meets demand with the minimum use of undertime and not consider vacation schedulingEach part-time employee can work a maximum of 20 hours per week on regular timeInstead of paying undertime, each worker’s day is shortened during slack periods and overtime can be used during peak periods
1 2 3 4 5 6 Total
Forecasted demand 6 12 18 15 13 14 78
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Using Chase and Level Strategies
Currently, 10 part-time clerks are employed. They have not been subtracted from the forecasted demand shown. Constraints and cost information are as follows:a. The size of training facilities limits the number of new hires
in any period to no more than 10.b. No backorders are permitted.c. Overtime cannot exceed 20 percent of the regular-time
capacity in any period. The most that any part-time employee can work is 1.20(20) = 24 hours per week.
d. The following costs can be assigned:
Regular-time wage rate $2,000/time period at 20 hrs/weekOvertime wages 150% of the regular-time rateHires $1,000 per personLayoffs $500 per person
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Using Chase and Level Strategies
SOLUTIONa. Chase StrategyThis strategy simply involves adjusting the workforce as needed to meet demand, as shown in Figure 14.5. Rows in the spreadsheet that do not apply (such as inventory and vacations) are hidden. The workforce level row is identical to the forecasted demand row. A large number of hirings and layoffs begin with laying off 4 part-time employees immediately because the current staff is 10 and the staff level required in period 1 is only 6. However, many employees, such as college students, prefer part-time work. The total cost is $173,500, and most of the cost increase comes from frequent hiring and layoffs, which add $17,500 to the cost of utilized regular-time costs.
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Using Chase and Level Strategies
Figure 14.5 – Spreadsheet for Chase Strategy
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Using Chase and Level Strategies
b. Level StrategyIn order to minimize undertime, the maximum use of overtime possible must occur in the peak period. For this particular level strategy (other workforce options are possible), the most overtime that the manager can use is 20 percent of the regular-time capacity, w, so
A 15-employee staff size minimizes the amount of undertime for this level strategy. Because the staff already includes 10 part-time employees, the manager should immediately hire 5 more. The complete plan is shown in Figure 14.6. The total cost is $164,000.
1.20w = 18 employees required in peak period (period 3)
w = = 15 employees181.20
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Using Chase and Level Strategies
Figure 14.6 – Spreadsheet for Level Strategy
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Application 14.1 (for homework until Slide 29)
The Barberton Municipal Division of Road Maintenance is charged with road repair in the city of Barberton and surrounding area. Cindy Kramer, road maintenance director, must submit a staffing plan for the next year based on a set schedule for repairs and on the city budget. Kramer estimates that the labor hours required for the next four quarters are 6,000, 12,000, 19,000, and 9,000, respectively. Each of the 11 workers on the workforce can contribute 520 hours per quarter. Overtime is limited to 20 percent of the regular-time capacity in any quarter. Subcontracting is not permitted.Payroll costs are $6,240 in wages per worker for regular time worked up to 520 hours, with an overtime pay rate of $18 for each overtime hour. Although unused overtime capacity has no cost, unused regular time is paid at $12 per hour. The cost of hiring a worker is $3,000, and the cost of laying off a worker is $2,000.
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Application 14.1
Use a chase strategy for the Barberton Municipal Division that varies the workforce level without using overtime. Undertime should be minimized, except for the minimal amount mandated because the quarterly requirements are not integer multiples of 520 hours. (Students complete highlighted sections)
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Quarter1 2 3 4 Total
Forecasted demand (hrs)
6,000 12,000 19,000 9,000 46,000
Workforce level (workers)
12 91
Undertime (hours) 240 1,320Overtime (hours) 0 0Utilized time (hours)
6,000 46,000
Hires (workers) 1 26Layoffs (workers) 0 19
37
2400
19,000
130
18
3600
9,000
019
Application 14.1
24
4800
12,000
120
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Application 14.1
What is the total cost of this plan?
Costs per Quarter1 2 3 4 Total
Utilized time $72,000 $552,000Undertime 2,880 15,840Overtime 0 0Hires 3,000 78,000Layoffs 0 38,000
Total Cost $683,840
$144,0005,760
036,000
0
$228,0002,880
039,000
0
$108,0004,320
00
38,000
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Application 14.2
Find a level plan for the Barberton Municipal Division that allows no delay in road repair and minimizes undertime. Overtime can be used to its limits in any quarter. Given that the demand peaks in quarter 3, we get:
1.20w =
w = 30.45 or 31 employees
36.54 employee-period equivalents 19,000
520 =
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Quarter1 2 3 4 Total
Forecasted demand (hrs)
6,000 12,000 19,000 9,000 46,000
Workforce level (workers)
31
Undertime (hours) 10,120Overtime (hours) 0Utilized time (hours)
6,000
Hires (workers) 20Layoffs (workers) 0
Application 14.2
31
4,1200
12,000
00
31
02,880
16,120
00
31
7,1200
9,000
00
124
21,3602,880
43,120
200
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Costs per Quarter1 2 3 4 Total
Utilized time $72,000 $517,440Undertime 121,440 256,320Overtime 0 51,840Hires 60,000 60,000Layoffs 0 0
Total Cost $885,600
Application 14.2
What is the total cost of this level workforce plan?
$108,00085,440
000
$193,4400
51,84000
$144,00049,440
000
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Application 14.3
A mixed strategy considers and implements a fuller range of reactive alternatives than any one “pure” strategy.Now propose a plan of your own for the Barberton Municipal Division. Use the chase strategy as a base, but find a way to decrease the cost of hiring and layoffs by selectively using some overtime. (Students complete highlighted sections)
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Quarter1 2 3 4 Total
Forecasted demand 6,000 12,000 19,000 9,000 46,000Workforce level Undertime (hours)Overtime (hours)Utilized time (hours)Hires (workers)Layoffs (workers)
Application 14.3
12240
06,000
10
851,0802,880
43,1202013
24480
012,000
120
310
2,88016,120
70
18360
09,000
013
Several solutions are possible. The key idea in creating this one is hiring only 7 employees in quarter 3, while using overtime to its maximum limit and eliminating undertime for that quarter. Hiring fewer in quarter 3 allows the number of layoffs in quarter 4 to drop to only 13, down from 19.
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Costs per Quarter1 2 3 4 Total
Utilized time $72,000 $144,000 $193,440 $108,000 $517,440UndertimeOvertimeHiresLayoffs
Total Cost
Application 14.3
What is the cost of your mixed strategy plan?
12,96051,84060,00026,000
$668,240
2,8800
3,0000
5,7600
36,0000
051,84021,000
0
4,32000
26,000
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Scheduling
l Takes operations and scheduling process from planning to execution and requires gathering data from sources such as demand forecasts, resource availability from the sales and operations plan, and specific constraints from employees and customers. Generates a work schedule for employees or sequences of jobs or customers at workstations.
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Gantt Charts
l The job or activity progress chartl The workstation chart
Nissan
Ford
Pontiac
Job 4/20 4/22 4/23 4/24 4/25 4/264/214/17 4/18 4/19
Current date
Figure 14.7 – Gantt Progress Chart for an Auto Parts Company
Start activity
Finish activity
Scheduled activity time
Actual progress
Nonproductive time
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Gantt Charts
Operating Room A
Workstation 7am
Operating Room B
Operating Room C
12 pm8am 9am 10am 11am 1pm 2pm 3pm 4pm 5pm 6pm
Time
Dr. Gary Case Dr. Jeff Dow Dr. Madeline Easton
Dr. Dan GillespieDr. Jordanne Flowers
Dr. Jon Adams Dr. Aubrey Brothers Dr. Alaina Bright
Figure 14.8 – Gantt Workstation Chart for Operating Rooms at a Hospital
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Scheduling Employees
l Translate the staffing plan into specific schedules of work for each employeel Constraints
u Technical constraintsu Legal and behavioral considerationsu Psychological needs of workers
l Rotating schedulel Fixed schedule
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Scheduling Employees
l Steps in developing a workforce scheduleStep 1: Find all the pairs of consecutive daysStep 2: If a tie occurs, choose one of the tied
pairs, consistent with the provisions written into the labor agreement
Step 3: Assign the employees for the selected pair of days off
Step 4: Repeat steps 1 – 3 until all of the requirements have been satisfied
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Developing a Workforce Schedule
EXAMPLE 14.2The Amalgamated Parcel Service is open seven days a week. The schedule of requirements is
Day M T W Th F S Su
Required number of employees 6 4 8 9 10 3 2
The manager needs a workforce schedule that provides two consecutive days off and minimizes the amount of total slack capacity. To break ties in the selection of off days, the scheduler gives preference to Saturday and Sunday if it is one of the tied pairs. If not, she selects one of the tied pairs arbitrarily.
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Developing a Workforce Schedule
SOLUTIONFriday contains the maximum requirements, and the pair S – Su has the lowest total requirements. Therefore, Employee 1 is scheduled to work Monday through Friday.Note that Friday still has the maximum requirements and that the requirements for the S – Su pair are carried forward because these are Employee 1’s days off. These updated requirements are the ones the scheduler uses for the next employee.The day-off assignments for the employees are shown in the following table.
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Developing a Workforce ScheduleScheduling Days Off
M T W Th F S Su Employee Comments
6 4 8 9 10 3 2 1 The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 1 to a M-F schedule.
5 3 7 8 9 3 2 2 The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 2 to a M-F schedule.
4 2 6 7 8 3 2 3 The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 3 to a M-F schedule.
3 1 5 6 7 3 2 4 The M–T pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 4 to a W-Su schedule.
3 1 4 5 6 2 1 5 The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 5 to a M-F schedule.
2 0 3 4 5 2 1 6 The M–T pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 6 to a W-Su schedule.
2 0 2 3 4 1 0 7 The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 7 to a M-F schedule.
1 0 1 2 3 1 0 8 Four pairs have the minimum requirement and the lowest total. Choose the S–Su pair according to the tie-breaking rule. Assign Employee 8 to a M-F schedule.
0 0 0 1 2 1 0 9 Arbitrarily choose the Su–M pair to break ties because the S–Su pair does not have the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 9 to a T-S schedule.
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 10 Choose the S–Su pair according to the tie-breaking rule. Assign Employee 10 to a M-F schedule.
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Scheduling Days Off
M T W Th F S Su Employee Comments
6 4 8 9 10 3 2 1 The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 1 to a M-F schedule.
5 3 7 8 9 3 2 2 The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 2 to a M-F schedule.
4 2 6 7 8 3 2 3 The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 3 to a M-F schedule.
3 1 5 6 7 3 2 4 The M–T pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 4 to a W-Su schedule.
3 1 4 5 6 2 1 5 The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 5 to a M-F schedule.
2 0 3 4 5 2 1 6 The M–T pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 6 to a W-Su schedule.
2 0 2 3 4 1 0 7 The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 7 to a M-F schedule.
1 0 1 2 3 1 0 8 Four pairs have the minimum requirement and the lowest total. Choose the S–Su pair according to the tie-breaking rule. Assign Employee 8 to a M-F schedule.
0 0 0 1 2 1 0 9 Arbitrarily choose the Su–M pair to break ties because the S–Su pair does not have the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 9 to a T-S schedule.
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 10 Choose the S–Su pair according to the tie-breaking rule. Assign Employee 10 to a M-F schedule.
Developing a Workforce Schedule
The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 1 to a M-F schedule.The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 2 to a M-F schedule.The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 3 to a M-F schedule.
6 4 8 9 10 3 2 1
5 3 7 8 9 3 2 2
4 2 6 7 8 3 2 3
3 1 5 6 7 3 2 4 The M–T pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 4 to a W-Su schedule.
3 1 4 5 6 2 1 5 The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 5 to a M-F schedule.
2 0 3 4 5 2 1 6 The M–T pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 6 to a W-Su schedule.
2 0 2 3 4 1 0 7 The S–Su pair has the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 7 to a M-F schedule.
1 0 1 2 3 1 0 8 Four pairs have the minimum requirement and the lowest total. Choose the S–Su pair according to the tie-breaking rule. Assign Employee 8 to a M-F schedule.
0 0 0 1 2 1 0 9 Arbitrarily choose the Su–M pair to break ties because the S–Su pair does not have the lowest total requirements. Assign Employee 9 to a T-S schedule.
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 10 Choose the S–Su pair according to the tie-breaking rule. Assign Employee 10 to a M-F schedule.
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Developing a Workforce Schedule
Final Schedule
Employee M T W Th F S Su Total
1 X X X X X off off
2 X X X X X off off
3 X X X X X off off
4 off off X X X X X
5 X X X X X off off
6 off off X X X X X
7 X X X X X off off
8 X X X X X off off
9 off X X X X X off
10 X X X X X off off
Capacity, C 7 8 10 10 10 3 2 50
Requirements, R 6 4 8 9 10 3 2 42
Slack, C – R 1 4 2 1 0 0 0 8
In this example, Friday always has the maximum requirements and should be avoided as a day off. The final schedule for the employees is shown in the following table.
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Sequencing Jobs at a Workstation
l Performance measuresu Flow time
l Priority sequencing rulesu First-come, first-served (FCFS)u Earliest due date (EDD)
u Past due (also referred to as tardiness)
Flow time = Finish time + Time since job arrived at workstation
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Using the FCFS Rule
EXAMPLE 14.3Currently a consulting company has five jobs in its backlog. The time since the order was placed, processing time, and promised due dates are given in the following table. Determine the schedule by using the FCFS rule, and calculate the average days past due and flow time. How can the schedule be improved, if average flow time is the most critical?
Customer Time Since Order Arrived (days ago)
Processing Time (days)
Due Date(days from now)
A 15 25 29
B 12 16 27
C 5 14 68
D 10 10 48
E 0 12 80
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Using the FCFS Rule
SOLUTIONa. The FCFS rule states that Customer A should be the first one
in the sequence, because that order arrived earliest—15 days ago. Customer E’s order arrived today, so it is processed last. The sequence is shown in the following table, along with the days past due and flow times.
Customer Sequence
Start Time
(days)
Processing Time (days)
Finish Time
(days)
Due Date
Days Past Due
Days Ago Since Order
Arrived
Flow Time
(days)
A
B
C
D
E
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Using the FCFS Rule
SOLUTIONa. The FCFS rule states that Customer A should be the first one
in the sequence, because that order arrived earliest—15 days ago. Customer E’s order arrived today, so it is processed last. The sequence is shown in the following table, along with the days past due and flow times.
27 14 12 53
41 + 10 = 51 48 3 10 61
51 + 14 = 65 68 0 5 70
65 + 12 = 77 80 0 0 77
15 40+ 25 = 25 29 00
25 + 16 = 41
Customer Sequence
Start Time
(days)
Processing Time (days)
Finish Time
(days)
Due Date
Days Past Due
Days Ago Since Order
Arrived
Flow Time
(days)
A
B
C
D
E
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Using the FCFS Rule
The finish time for a job is its start time plus the processing time. Its finish time becomes the start time for the next job in the sequence, assuming that the next job is available for immediate processing. The days past due for a job is zero (0) if its due date is equal to or exceeds the finish time. Otherwise it equals the shortfall. The flow time for each job equals its finish time plus the number of days ago since the order first arrived at the workstation. The days past due and average flow time performance measures for the FCFS schedule are
Average days past due =
Average flow time =
= 3.4 days
= 60.2 days
0 + 14 + 3 + 0 + 05
40 + 53 + 61 + 70 + 775
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Using the FCFS Rule
b. The average flow time can be reduced. One possibility is the sequence shown in the following table.
Customer Sequence
Start Time
(days)
Processing Time (days)
Finish Time
(days)
Due Date
Days Past Due
Days Ago Since Order
Arrived
Flow Time
(days)
D
E
C
B
A
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Using the FCFS Rule
b. The average flow time can be reduced. One possibility is the sequence shown in the following table.
0 + 10 = 10
Customer Sequence
Start Time
(days)
Processing Time (days)
Finish Time
(days)
Due Date
Days Past Due
Days Ago Since Order
Arrived
Flow Time
(days)
D
E
C
B
A
This schedule reduces the average flow time from to 60.2 to 47.8 days—a 21 percent improvement. However, the past due times for jobs A and B have increased.
Average days past due =
Average flow time =
= 14.6 days
= 47.8 days
0 + 0 + 0 + 25 + 485
20 + 22 + 41 + 64 + 925
22 + 14 = 36 68 0 5 41
36 + 16 = 52 27 25 12 64
52 + 25 = 77 29 48 15 92
48 0 10 20
10 + 12 = 22 80 0 0 22
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Software Support
l Computerized scheduling systems are available to cope with the complexity of workforce scheduling
l Software is also available for sequencing jobs at workstations
l Advance planning and scheduling (APS) systems
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Customer Sequence
Start Time
(days)
Processing Time (days)
Finish Time
(days)
Due Date
Days Past Due
Days Ago Since Order
Arrived
Flow Time
(days)
B
A
D
C
E
Revisit Example 14.3, where the consulting company has five jobs in its backlog. Create a schedule using the EDD rule, calculating the average days past due and flow time. In this case, does EDD outperform the FCFS rule?
Application 14.4
SOLUTION
0 + 16 = 16
41 + 10 = 51 48 3 10 61
51 + 14 = 65 68 0 5 70
65 + 12 = 77 80 0 0 77
27 0 12 28
16 + 25 = 41 29 12 15 56
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Customer Sequence
Start Time
(days)
Processing Time (days)
Finish Time
(days)
Due Date
Days Past Due
Days Ago Since Order
Arrived
Flow Time
(days)
B
A
D
C
E
Application 14.4
0 + 16 = 16
41 + 10 = 51 48 3 10 61
51 + 14 = 65 68 0 5 70
65 + 12 = 77 80 0 0 77
27 0 12 28
16 + 25 = 41 29 12 15 56
The days past due and average flow time performance measures for the EDD schedule are
By both measures, EDD outperforms the FCFS. However, the solution found in part (b) of Example 14.3 still has the best average flow time of only 47.8 days.
Average days past due =
Average flow time =
= 3.0 days
= 58.4 days
0 + 12 + 3 + 0 + 05
28 + 56 + 61 + 70 + 715
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Solved Problem 1
The Cranston Telephone Company employs workers who lay telephone cables and perform various other construction tasks. The company prides itself on good service and strives to complete all service orders within the planning period in which they are received.Each worker puts in 600 hours of regular time per planning period and can work as many as an additional 100 hours of overtime. The operations department has estimated the following workforce requirements for such services over the next four planning periods:
Planning Period 1 2 3 4
Demand (hours) 21,000 18,000 30,000 12,000
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Solved Problem 1
Cranston pays regular-time wages of $6,000 per employee per period for any time worked up to 600 hours (including undertime). The overtime pay rate is $15 per hour over 600 hours. Hiring, training, and outfitting a new employee costs $8,000. Layoff costs are $2,000 per employee. Currently, 40 employees work for Cranston in this capacity. No delays in service, or backorders, are allowed. Use the spreadsheet approach to answer the following questions:
a. Prepare a chase strategy using only hiring and layoffs. What are the total numbers of employees hired and laid off?
b. Develop a workforce plan that uses the level strategy, relaying only on overtime and undertime. Maximize the use of overtime during the peak period so as to minimize the workforce level and amount of undertime.
c. Propose an effective mixed-strategy plan.d. Compare the total costs of the three plans.
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Solved Problem 1
a. The chase strategy workforce is calculated by dividing the demand for each period by 600 hours, or the amount or regular-time work for one employee during one period. This strategy calls for a total of 20 workers to be hired and 40 to be laid off during the four-period plan. Figure 14.9 shows the “chase strategy” solution that OM Explorer’s Sales and Operations Planning with Spreadsheets solver produces. We simply hide any unneeded columns and rows in this general-purpose solver.
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Solved Problem 1
Figure 14.9 – Spreadsheet for Chase Strategy
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Solved Problem 1
b. The peak demand is 30,000 hours in period 3. As each employee can work 700 hours per period (600 on regular time and 100 on overtime), the workforce level of the level strategy that minimizes undertime is 30,000/700 = 42.86, or 43 employees. This strategy calls for three employees to be hired in the first quarter and for none to be laid off. To convert the demand requirements into employee-period equivalents, divide the demand in hours by 600. For example, the demand of 21,000 hours in period 1 translates into 35 employee-period equivalents (21,000/600) and demand in period 3 translates into 50 employee-period equivalents (30,000/600). Figure 14.10 shows OM Explorer’s spreadsheet for this level strategy that minimizes undertime.
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Solved Problem 1
Figure 14.10 – Spreadsheet for Level Strategy
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Solved Problem 1
c. The mixed-strategy plan that we propose uses a combination of hires, layoffs, and overtime to reduce total costs. The workforce is reduced by 5 at the beginning of the first period, increased by 8 in the third period, and reduced by 13 in the fourth period. Figure 14.11 shows the results.
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Solved Problem 1
Figure 14.11 – Spreadsheet for Mixed Strategy
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Solved Problem 1
d. The total cost of the chase strategy is $1,050,000. The level strategy results in a total cost of $1,119,000. The mixed-strategy plan was developed by trial and error and results in a total cost of $1,021,000. Further improvements are possible.
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Solved Problem 2
The Food Bin grocery store operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Fred Bulger, the store manager, has been analyzing the efficiency and productivity of store operations recently. Bulger decided to observe the need for checkout clerks on the first shift for a one-month period. At the end of the month, he calculated the average number of checkout registers that should be open during the first shift each day. His results showed peak needs on Saturdays and Sundays.
Day M T W Th F S Su
Number of Clerks Required 3 4 5 5 4 7 8
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Solved Problem 2
Bulger now has to come up with a workforce schedule that guarantees each checkout clerk two consecutive days off but still covers all requirements.a. Develop a workforce schedule that covers all requirements
while giving two consecutive days off to each clerk. How many clerks are needed? Assume that the clerks have no preference regarding which days they have off.
b. Plans can be made to use the clerks for other duties if slack or idle time resulting from this schedule can be determined. How much idle time will result from this schedule, and on what days?
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Solved Problem 2
SOLUTIONa. We use the method demonstrated in Example 14.2 to
determine the number of clerks needed. The minimum number of clerks is eight.
3 4 5 5 4 7 8off off X X X X X3 4 4 4 3 6 7
off off X X X X X
DayM T W Th F S Su
RequirementsClerk 1RequirementsClerk 2RequirementsClerk 3RequirementsClerk 4
3 4 3 3 2 5 6X X X off off X X2 3 2 3 2 4 5X X X off off X X
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Solved Problem 2
The minimum number of clerks is eight.
1 2 1 3 2 3 4X off off X X X X0 2 1 2 1 2 3
off off X X X X X0 2 0 1 0 1 2X X off off X X X0 1 0 1 0 0 1X X X X off off X0 0 0 0 0 0 0
DayM T W Th F S Su
RequirementsClerk 5RequirementsClerk 6RequirementsClerk 7RequirementsClerk 8Requirements
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