Advanced Scheduler

The Advanced Scheduler allows the user to alternate between automatic and manual scheduling. It ties into popular ERP/MRP systems much like basic spreadsheet scheduling does, but offers highly sophisticated visualization and automatic assignments, drastically reducing scheduling time and effort and improving scheduling and production efficiency.

Some key scheduling features are:

• Assign to First Valid Slot: assigns selected order(s) to the first available slot(s) in the schedule obeying all constraints.

• Assign First Valid Order: assigns the first available order(s) that abide by the scheduling constraints to the selected slot(s).

• Scratch Pad and Hold Lists: offers flexibility and varying levels of prioritization while scheduling.

• Manually Assign, Unschedule, and Move Orders: allows for easy manual manipulation of individually selected orders or orders selected by property such as those with hard or soft constraints.

• Pin Order: locks an order to a slot so that it cannot be unscheduled or moved by subsequent assignment changes.

• Assign Serial Numbers: Generates a unit serial number for each order selected and associates the unit serial numbers to the order(s).

This module allows users to define an unlimited number of constraints to be followed that related to order attributes such as customer, color, option codes, etc.

Each constraint can be designated as a hard constraint, which must be followed, or a soft constraint, which is desirable but not required to be followed. 

If a user selects an order, the available slots are automatically color-coded as red, which would indicate that a hard constraint would be violated; yellow, which would indicate that a yellow constraint would be violated; or white, which means a good assignment with no scheduling violations.

In a similar fashion, if a user selects a slot, the unscheduled orders are automatically color-coded, making recommendations clear. 

Scheduling constraint types include:

• Start Date and End Date: specify how early and/or how late an order can be scheduled for production before its completion due date.

• Daily Min, Max, and Exact: set the minimum, maximum, and/or exact quantity of a particular model-option configuration that can be produced on a particular day.

• Weekly Min, Max, and Exact: set the minimum, maximum, and/or exact quantity of a particular model-option configuration that can be produced in a particular week.

• Changeover: designate the number of empty slots needed between two units of specific model-option configurations.

• Batch: group units to be scheduled together.

• XinY: control how many of a certain model-option configuration (X) can be scheduled in a consecutive number of slots (Y).

With so many orders, so many constraints, and so many possibilities, it is critical to have a flexible interface in which changes are made freely and easily. Users can expand, shrink, dock, float, or hide any tab on the screen. Familiar spreadsheet interfaces with click and drag, right-click menus, and customized column views make learning the tool easy.