The ultimate guide to VISUAL JOB SHOP SCHEDULING

Table of content>Purpose of this guide......................................................................................................3

Introduction..................................................................................................................4

CuttingaGordianKnotandputtingtheoryintopracticalactions......................4

Whatisjobshopscheduling?.............................................................................5

Everythingyouneedtoknowaboutjobshopscheduling............................................9

Whyisjobshopschedulingimportant?..............................................................9

Asecretsaucetoschedulingsuccess................................................................11 Jobshopschedulingbestpractices...................................................................14 Jobshopschedulingbenefits.............................................................................18 Jobshopschedulingexamplesandcasestudies...............................................21 Turningthetheoryintopractice...................................................................................24 Signsthatyourjobshopneedsproperscheduling...........................................24 Howtokick-startjobshopschedulingwithvisualscheduling...........................27 Buildyourschedulingteam...............................................................................33 Establishingroutines.........................................................................................35 Softwaretoolsforjobshopscheduling.......................................................................37 Requirementsforaproperjobshopschedulingsoftware................................37 Abuyingguide...................................................................................................39 Partingwords...............................................................................................................41

Thisguideisahands-onresource for all owners of job shopswhostrugglewithkeepingdeliverytimes,lacktransparencyofwhatishappeningontheshopfloor,sufferfromconstantfire-fighting,andfeelthattheyshouldsolve“that scheduling thing”.

Itisalsomeanttohelp operations managers and production planners working in a job shopwhoaretaskedwithrunningtheshopsmootherbyintroducingproperschedulingtechniques.

Last,butnotleast-itisforeverybody who is just curiousaboutvisualjobshopscheduling.

Enjoyreadingthisguide;-)

The hands-on resource when it comes to job shop scheduling

Purpose of this guide>

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1. Introduction

Cutting a Gordian Knot and putting theory into practical actions

ThebackboneofmostWesterneconomiesismid-sizedorganizations.EspeciallyinEuropeandNor-thernAmerica,SMBmanufacturingcompanieshavebeenplayingacrucialroleoverthepastdecades.Youcanstatethatthesmallerthemanufacturingcompanyis,thehigherthelikelihoodthatitisanysortofajobshop.

Whenwespeakaboutajobshop,wemeanamanufacturingcompanythatproducessmallbatchesofavarietyofcustomproducts.Theyarealsoreferredtoashigh-mix,low-volumemanufacturer.Jobshopsareusuallybusinessesthatperformcustompartsforotherbusinesses.Typically,eachproductproducedrequiresauniqueset-upandsequencingofprocesssteps.

Duetothenatureofbeingacustomer-drivenmake-to-orderbusinesswithahighvarietyand lowbatchsizes(andhencelessrepeatability),manyjobsdescribethemselvesas“beinginconstantchaosandpermanentfire-fighting”.

However, job shop scheduling is abroad topic. Indeed, it is also sub-ject to numerous academic researchpapersandstudies.As insightful thisacademic research is, as small is itsuse for job shop owners and opera-tionsmanagerswhoneedtogettheirarmsaroundscheduling.

Due to being in a constant fire-figh-ting,manyjobshopownersnotonlylackthetimetodigestallthisacade-micresearch.Evenworse:theacade-mic research regularly lacks practi-cal adviceandhands-onmethods toapply.

“Scheduling is a proven strategy to master this chaos and to stop this fire-fighting.

>

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ThisebookismeanttocutthisGordianknot.

Itismeanttoprovideinsightsgainedfromacademicstudies…inamannerthatisconsumableforpeoplerunningashop,andbeinginconstantfire-fighting.

Itisalsomeanttoguidehowshopownerscanturnthetheoryintopractical,day-to-dayactions.

What is job shop scheduling?

So,let’sgetonthesamepage.Let’smakesurethatyouandwehavethesameunderstandingofwhatjobshopschedulingis.

Thisallstartswithhavingthesameviewonwhatajobshopis,andwhatmakesajobshopspecificcomparedtoothertypesofmanufacturingcompanies.

Characteristics of a Job Shop Thestrongestcharacteristicthatunitesalljobshopswehavebeenworkingwithisthatchangeistheonlyconstant.Hereiswhy:

> The high-mix element of a job shop: Jobshopstypicallyproducededicatedcus-tomer orders. As orders are custom (andoftenlastminute), it ishardto impossibletoplantheproductionwellaheadoftimeusing historical sales data or order fore-casts.

> The low-volume element of a job shop:Batchsizesaresmall,andtheflowofeach job through the workstations varieswith each customer order. Consequent-ly,workersmust constantly adjust tonewworkflowsandmachinesetupshavetobealtered regularly. Theeffects area lackofroutinesandstandardization.Thismakesitchallenging to assess capacity and qualitylevels.

Overall,ajobshopcanbecharacterizedasahigh-mix,low-volumemanufacturerfacingahighlyvolatile,ever-changing,and,notuncommonly,chaoticenvironment.

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Scheduling Job Shops Tomasterthis“chaos”andtheexistentuncer-taintyinajobshopitisessentialtointroducesomekindofstructure,visualization,andplan-ningtools.Butpreciselybecauseoftheperva-sivevolatility,implementingaproperjobshopschedule presents manufacturers with morethanonechallenge:

1.Howcanajobshopmanufacturerintrodu-ceastructuredplanwhilewhatjobshopslackmostisastructure?

2.Howcanoneproperlyaccount forsuddenandfrequentchanges?

3.Howcanoneoptimizeandimproveopera-tionswhenformsofroutinesandforecastsarerare?

“Those who master this challenge are most likely to run smoo-ther and to prosper more than job shops that do not schedule but just react to what is happening.

Andthesechallengesarejustthetipoftheiceberg.However,whenbeingawareofsomeimpor-tantinsights,understandingtheunderlyingconceptsandmodels,andapplyingsomehelpfultools,chancesarehighthatjobshopscanmasterthischallenge.

Thisiswhyyoucametothisguide,andthisiswhyweencourageyoutocontinuereadings.

A simplistic, and yet abstract view on the job shop schedule’s constraintsThejobshopschedulingproblemalsocanbeseenasasequencingproblem.Ifyouwanttosolveit,youhavetodealwithafewconstraints.Hereisaminimumsetofthese:

1.Aworkstation,e.g.amachine,canonlyhandleonejobatatime.2.Workstationsormachinesmostlikelydifferintermsoftheircapacitylevel.3.Anewtask(job)onaworkstationcanonlybestartedif(a)theprevioustaskonthesamemachi-neisfinishedand(b)ifatleastapartialquantityoftheprevioustaskofthesamejobisfinished.4.Thereisadefinitiveroutingtoeachjob.

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Schedulinghastodealwiththeseconstraintswhensequencingjobsandwhenassigningtaskstoresources.Theultimategoalistomeetdeliverytimeswhilemakingthebestuseoftheavailableresources.

Scheduling Example

Hereisanexampleofjustthissequencingchallenge.Itisbasedontheassumptionofastableen-vironment.Hence,theotherchallengesoutlinedabove(frequentchange)arenotyetpartofthisexample.

Let’sassumewehavethreejobproductionstoallocatetothreemachines(e.g.:jobIIIfirstrequires4hoursofmachine2andafterward3hoursofmachine3.Further,thejobshouldbecompletedafter8hours).

Thefirstscenariobelowrepresentsanon-idealsolutiontotheproblem.Theschedulerfirstallo-catedeverytaskofjobI,theneverytaskforjobIIandfinallyeverytaskofjobIIIwithoutchangingpreviouslymadeallocations.Asaresult,JobIIandjobIIIcannotbedeliveredontime.

Now,let’slookatabettersolution.Everytimeanewjobordercomesin,thescheduleradjuststhecurrentschedulewithkeepingdeliverydatesinmind.Hereishowtobestsolvethepuzzle:

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This simple example already reveals the benefits proper job shop scheduling can yield. Let’s take a deeper dive.

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2. Everything you need to know>about job shop scheduling

Why is job shop scheduling important?

“ In essence, scheduling is a process of matching supply and demand.

Inthatparticularcase,itmatchesthedemandforamanufacturer’scapacitiesresultingfromthecustomerorderswiththeavailablecapacity(i.e.thesupplyofcapacity).Whendoneproperly,deli-verytimesaremetandresourcesareusedeffectively.

Ajobshopthatfallsshortonproperschedulingrunssevererisks:

> Itlackstransparencyonwhatishappeningontheshopfloor.

> Hence,itdoesnotknowwhichjobiswhere,andwhenitwillbecompleted.

> Mostlikely,deliverycommitmentsarewrongandcannotbemet.

> Constantfire-fightingresultsinsteadilychan-gingthe“schedule”.Thiscreatesmorechaos,andresourcesarenolongerusedinanidealway.

> Theremightbeevencasesthatjobshopsre-jectcustomerinquiriesastheythinktheyarerun-ningatfullcapacity,butinfact,arenot.

Avoiding these risksmakes job shop schedulingsoimportant

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Ontheflipsideoftherisksofhavingnoproperschedulingsysteminplacearethebenefitsofha-vingone.Wewillshedmorelightonthislater,buthereisalreadyanoverviewofthem:

1.Proper scheduling provides visibility and transparency.Thisismeantforallworkorders,butalsoformachinecapacities,duedates,idletimes,shopfloorprogress,productiondependencies,andmuchmore.

2. Transparency establishes both control and precision.Onceyouknowalldependenciesandhaveaclearunderstandingofwhatishappening,youcantakecontrol.Havingcontrolturnsyourbeha-viorfromreactivetoproactive.

3. Make reliable delivery time commitments. This isanothersideeffectoftransparency. Ifyouknowandunderstandwhatisgoingon,youcanmakemuchmorereliabledeliverytimecommit-mentstoyourclients.

4. Fight bottlenecks and disruption.Trackingeverystepoftheproductionandhavingalltheinfor-mationavailableinoneplaceopensuptheopportunitytoidentifydisruptionsandbottleneckswellaheadoftime.

5. Identify new opportunities.Thisisthepositiveflipsideoftheabove.Withproperscheduling,younotonlyspotbottlenecksearlier.Youalsobetterunderstandwhereyouhaveidletimesthatcouldbeusedtotakeadditionaljobsin.

6. Have real-time shopfloor insights.Onceyouhaveaschedule,youshouldundertakesomeeffortstomaintainitandkeepitcurrentwithshopfloordata.Ifyoudoso,yougainreal-transparencyandimmediatealertsincasethatsomethinggoesunplanned.

7. What-if scenarios.Properschedulingsoftwareallowsyoutoaddnewjobs,tomodelmachinedowntimes,andrapidlyseetheimpactofsmallchangesonotherprocesses,resources,material,personnel,andothercapacities.

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A secret sauce to scheduling success

Bynow,youshouldhavenoticedthathavingaproperschedulingtoolinplaceisessential.However,ifyouwanttoachieveschedulingsuccess,justatoolwillnotdothejob.Youshouldgoforatoolthataddsalittle,butahighlyvaluableelementtoscheduling.Andthisisvisualscheduling

The secret sauce revealed: visualization (and why it is so important)

Youheardthesayingthatapictureisworthathousandwords.Youalsoapplieditmanytimesinyourlife.Thinktrafficlights,brandlogos,oremojisonyoursmartphone.

“ Communicating by using gestures, signs or images is the most effective approach of sharing knowledge as the human brain processes information through images.

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Infact,around50percentofourbrainisbusywithvisualprocessing.

This insightcannotbe ignoredwhen it comes tounderstanding thesuccess factorsof jobshopscheduling.

Visual job shop scheduling uniquely combines the best of both worlds. It brings together

Visual job shop scheduling – defined

> the ease of a visual, Gantt chart based drag & drop scheduler

> with the sophistication of automatic scheduling.

As such, it predominantly provides transparency and lets the scheduler understand the complex scheduling mechanisms that happen behind the scenes.

That way, visual job shop scheduling puts the user into the forefront of everything, and the scheduler and planner into the driver’s seat.

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What you get from visualization

1. Simplicity.Ifyourscheduleisvisual,itiseasytounderstand.Ifitiseasytounderstand,itiseasytomaintainandtoupdate.Thatway,simplicitydrivesefficiency.

2. Understanding.Withonceglance,youseethecurrentstatusofyourjobs,resourceutilizationlevels,delays,andmachinecapacities.Avisualscheduleprovidestheinformationneededtosuc-cessfullymanagetheshopratherthanbeinginaconstantfirefightingmode.

3. Scenario planning.Changethepriorityofajob,andseetheimpact.Undo.Thensqueezeinano-therjob.Seewhichjobsturnlateduetothisaction.Undo.Addanextrashift.Seetheimpact,planscenarios,andmakeinformeddecisions.

4. Spot bottlenecks.Youarenotaflowshop.Youareajobshop.Yourbottleneckskeeponchangingdependingonthetypeofjobsyoucurrentlyworkon.Avisualschedulehelpsyoutospotbottle-necks(eveniftheychange)sothatyoucantakecountermeasures(suchasextrashiftsorsubcon-tracting)induecourse.

5. Better forecasting, more reliable commitments.Withavisualschedule,yougetthebiggerpic-tureofyourproduction.Combinethebenefitsof1to4andyouhaveallingredientstomakemorerealisticdeliverytimecommitments.

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Job shop scheduling best practices

Wehavehundredsofcustomers,whoovertheyearshavescheduledhundredsofthousandsofjobswithjustplanit.Asaconsequence,overtimewescheduledmillionsoftasks(alwaystakingintoaccountanygivenconditionandrestriction).

Thisjobshopschedulingusagedataisaninvaluablesourceofinsightforusandhelpedustoderivebothjobshopbestpracticesandmachineshopbestpractices(Link:https://www.just-plan-it.com/smb-production-scheduling-blog/10-machine-shop-scheduling-best-practices)

Whenitcomestojobshopschedulingbestpractices,welearnedthatitisusefultodifferentiatethephaseofselectingajobshopschedulingtoolandthephaseofactuallyusingit.Hereisadetailedblogpostexactlyonthis.Itprovidesyouwithseventipsonhowtoachieveyourschedulinggoalsinahigh-mix,low-volumeshops(Link:https://www.just-plan-it.com/smb-production-scheduling-blog/7-tips-how-to-meet-scheduling-targets-in-a-high-mix-low-volume-shop)

Consequently,wepresentourjobshopschedulingbestpracticesalongthosetwodimensions:

1) Best practices when you search for a job shop Beforewedrillintotheindividualbestpractices,hereistheonegoldenadvicethatweliketogive(andithadbeensaidbyVoltairebackinthedays).

“ Perfect is the enemy of good.

Donotsearchforaperfecttool.Resistthetemptation(whichmightevenkillyou).Goforanappro-priatetool.Let’sbreakthisdownintothreebestpracticestoapplywhenselectingajobshopsche-dulingtool.

Best practice #1: Do not look for a tool that promises optimization. Youareajobshop.Theonlyconstantyouhaveisconstantchange.Hence,yourdatawillneverbepreciseandexact.

Now,let’sthinkaboutwhat“optimization”means.Optimizationsrequirealgorithms.Algorithmsrequire clear and stable rules, and they requireexactdata.Otherwise, youachievegarbage-in,garbage-out. Withgoingforoptimization,yougoontheroutetofail.Goforsomethingthat ismadetocopewithconstantchangeinyourjob(andnotforsomethingthatissilentlybasedontheassumptionofstability).

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Best practice #2: Look for an effective solution.

Asmost jobshops facemorethan1,000tasks toscheduleatatime,aproject-centricplanningboardthatjustprovidessomemanualdraganddropwon’tbeappropriateeither.Thetypicalcom-binationofthevolumeoftasksandthevelocityofjobsmakespuremanualschedulingveryhard.

Watchoutforatoolthatprovideseffectiveautomaticscheduling.Automaticmeans:theremustbesomelogichappeninginthebackground,butnooptimization.

Thislogicmustbetunedtodealwithahigh-mix,low-volumebusiness.Anditshouldbemadetohelpyouwithwhatmattersmost:improvingon-timedeliveries.

Best practice #3: Make scheduling visual.

Wehadthisbefore.Jobshopschedulingshouldbevisualjobshopscheduling.Thisisnotjustabestpractice,itisamust.Nomorewordstosay.

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2) Best practices when you use a job shop scheduling tool

Wehaveseenitsomanytimes:Companiesundertakeanenourmouseffort intoselectinga jobshopschedulingtool.Wewishtheywoulddoaswellwhenitcomestousingit.Hence,wehaveapieceofgoldenadviceforusageaswell.Thistime,wedonotneedtoquotesomebodyelse.

“ Job shop scheduling is hard work. You need executive spon-sorship, clear responsibilities and routines, routines, and even more routines.

Best practice #4: Get executive sponsorship.IfyourCEOand/ortheownerofyourhigh-mix, low-volumeshopisnotbehindyourattempttoimplementproperscheduling–justforgetit.

Introducingschedulingisnotaone-timeinvestmentintobuyingsomesoftwaretools.Muchmoreimportant:itrequiresongoingtimetoworkwiththesoftware.

Makesure,youhavethebackingofyourmanager…andalsomakesurethatyoursoftwareprovi-desyouwithsomeKPIsandstatisticstoprovethevalueitdelivers.

Best practice #5: Scheduling is teamwork. Define res-ponsibilities.

Yes,schedulingisteamwork.Ofcourse,itrequiressomebodytobuild,manage,andrunthesche-dule.Typically,thisistheproductionplannerortheoperationsmanager.

However,agreatschedule(andthisissomethingyoualsoshouldlookforwheninvestigatingsche-dulingtools)alsocangeteasilyupdated.Thisupdatedoesnotjustmeantoaddnewjobs.Thisispartoftheplanner’sjob.

Updatingtheschedulemeansalsoaddingactualdatafromtheshop-floorandhenceadjustingthescheduleinreal-time.Providingactualdatafromtheshop-floornolongeristheplanner’sjob.Thisissomethingtheoperatorsorforemenshouldbeheldaccountablefor.

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Best practice #6: Build scheduling routines.Schedulingisnomagicpillthatyoutake,andallyourgriefsvanishinstantaneously.Schedulingisanongoingprocess.Hereisthemetaphorthatwekeeponusing:

“ Scheduling is like a dishwasher. The machine will help you to achieve your target much more productive than the ma-nual option. But you rely on routines to operate it. There must be someone responsible to gather the dirty dishes. Another one is responsible to fill the machine. Then there must be one to select the program and to start it. Finally, the clean dishes need to be put to its origin. Then the same procedure starts again and again.

So,let’sgoangetyourdishwashermakingtheuglyworkforyou.Itisuptoyoutodefineroutinestomakethathappen.

Ifyoumanagetoestablishroutines,whicharepermanentlylivedandwhichbecomea“natural”partofthedailybusiness,thenyouwillmeetyourschedulingtargetsusinganyappropriatesche-dulingtool.

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Job shop scheduling benefits

Visualjobshopschedulingprovideshigh-mix,low-volumemanufacturerswithaplethoraofbene-fits.Weregularlyinterviewourcustomerswhattheygetfromusingoursoftware,andtheysharedwithussixtangiblejobshopschedulingbenefits. Hereisasummaryofthesebenefits.Followthelinkjustprovidedifyouwanttotakeadeeperdive.

Benefit #1: TransparencyAvisual schedule letsyouquicklyseewhich jobsare runninglate,andwhichjobsareindangerofrunninglate.Italsohelpsyoutounderstanddependenciesandtoeasilyspotbottlenecks.

“ And by the way: understand is the important word here. Transparency enables understanding.

Once you fully understand your schedule, the dependencies,and potential threats, you can easily take countermeasures,andgetcontrolofwhatishappeninginyourshop.

Benefit #2: Increase on-time deliveries Withproperscheduling,newjobsareaddedtoyourexistingscheduleautomatically–takingintoaccountfinitecapacities,yourshopcalendar,andpotentialmachinedowntimes.Inthesecondanewjobhitsthevisualjobshopschedulingsoftware,youseetherealisticdeliverydate.

“ This is what you can communicate with your client. Impor-tant is: this is a realistic date.

Withthisabilitytogiverealisticdeliverytimecommitments,yourOTDwillskyrocket.

Benefit #3: Cut lead times

AccordingtoLittle’sTheorem,thereisadirectcorrelationbe-tweentheamountofwork-in-processandthe leadtime.ThehighertheWIP,thelongertheleadtimes.

Howdoesvisualjobshopschedulinghelp?

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“ The answer is transparency. Precisely: visual scheduling lets you easily identify bottlenecks.

Thisisnottrivialasbottlenecks–duetothenatureofjobshops–keeponchanging.

However,onceidentified,youcanapplycountermeasures(suchassubcontracting)andeliminatebottlenecks,whichinyourcasemostlikelyarejusttemporary.

Witheliminatingbottlenecks,youcancutleadtimes.

Benefit #4: Increase your throughput

Ifyoumanagetocutdownleadtimesandifyoukeepyourcapacityatthesamelevels,youmana-getogetdonemoreinthesameamountoftime.

“ Another way of phrasing it: by cutting lead times, you can increase your throughput.

Benefit 5: Increase your revenue by taking more orders in

Ifyoucombinethesefourbenefits,chancesarehighthatthiswillfuelrevenuegrowth.Hereiswhy:

1.Visualschedulingachievestransparencyofwhatishappening.2.Thankstothistransparency,youcanmakemorereliabledeliverytimecommitmentsandhenceincreaseyourOTD.3.Thankstothistransparency,youcanidentifybottlenecksfasterandcutleadtimes.4.Asaresult,youcanincreaseyourthroughput.

Inessence,weobservethatourcustomers–asaresultof1to4–feelcomfortabletakingmoreordersin.Ordersthattheywouldhavedeclinedbeforeastheylackedtransparencyandwereinaconstantfirefight.

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Benefit 6: Less distraction, more focus, less stress

Visualjobshopschedulinggivesyoucontroloverwhatishappeningonyourshop-floor.Youhavelessfire-fighting,yougetfewerdistractionsfromunplannedincidentsresultinginbigchaosandhenceyouhavelessstress.

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Job shop scheduling best practicesHerearetwojobshopschedulingcasestudies–ofcustomersthatsuccessfullyappliedtherecipessharedinthisultimateguide.

30-40%productivity increasein1stweek

ThefistexampleisfromPaneltechfromtheUK,andyoucanreadthefullcasestudyhere:https://www.just-plan-it.com/production-scheduling-reference/massive-productivity-increase/paneltech

Before using just plan it:

Beforeusingjustplanit,Paneltechtriedvarioussystems.Theyrangedfromsimplespreadsheetstoveryexpensiveadvancedschedulingsoftware.Howe-ver,theywerenotmadeformake-to-ordermanufacturersandhence“alwayshad a point of failure” asRoss Larner,OperationsDirector andCo-Owner,remembers.

Thechallengewasthatpeopledidn’ttrustthesystemandhencedidnotfo-llowaplan.Constantfire-fightingwasthenormandPaneltechneededtosetaplaninplacethatwouldbestable,whichtheycouldtrustandwhichwouldstopthelackofproductivity.

RossLarner:

“ The even bigger, wider issue was that we couldn’t give the customer a firm date on when a job would be done. Or, even worse, whether it wouldn’t be done on time at all.

Example#1:Paneltech(UK)

Tangible benefits:Inthefirstmonthofworkingwithjustplanit,Paneltechcouldruntheshopwithoutanyovertime.“Butneverthelesswedeliveredalljobsintime.Thisalonesavedus5,000Poundsonourpayroll”,asRossremembers.

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WithjustplanitPaneltechhastransparencyonwhatishappeningontheshop-floor,andisabletomakefirmdeliverytimecommitments.Aseverybodyworkswiththesameactionableschedule,theamountoffire-fightingandinterruptionshassignificantlydecreased.

Rosssummarizes:

“ We had a 30 to 40% increase in productivity in week one. The return on investment was within 1 or 2 months. As every-body trusts the software, I get less interruptions. This is ac-tually giving me more time to focus on other things to take my business forward to the next level.

25%increaseinon-time deliveries

Example#2:CIOvita(SouthAfrica)

Thesecondexample is fromCIOvita inSouthAfrica,andyoucanreadthe full casestudyhere:https://www.just-plan-it.com/production-scheduling-reference/visual-scheduling-key-to-maximi-zing-throughput/ciovita

Before using just plan it: Ciovitahasbeensuccessfullyusingtheapparel-specificERPsystemiSyncforallfinancialandad-ministrativeprocesses.However,productionschedulingalwayshappenedoutsidetheERPsystem.Forthatpurpose,CiovitabuiltahomegrownsystemwithMicrosoftExcelrelyingonalotofexportsandre-imports.

AndrewGold,CEOofCiovitaconcludes:

“ This worked for a while, but did not scale with the com-pany’s growth. It was not visual and most importantly, it was not dynamic. In addition to this, a spreadsheet program like Excel misses any drag & drop functionality.

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Tangible benefits:Withthetransparencyprovidedjustplan it,Ciovitamanagedtogetabetteralignmenttowardsproductiongoals.Inadditiontothis,justplanitenablesfasterandbetterschedulingdecisionsre-sultinginincreasedon-timedeliveries.

AndrewGoldsummarizes:

“ just plan it helped us most in making sure we deliver on time. We have seen a 25% increase in on-time orders. Most important is: Each department can see the impact their efforts have to keep a job on track.

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3. Turning the theory into >practice

In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, while in practice there is.

Bynow,youshouldhavelearned

> Whatjobshopschedulingis

> Whyitisimportant

> Whyitshouldbevisual

> Whichtechniquesandmethodsyoucanapply

> Whatbestpracticesothersuse

> Andwhatyoucangainofit

Now,itistimetoputthetheoryintopractice.Whatfollowsisconcreteadvice,checklists,andto-dolists.

Yougetconcreteactionitemstoapplyifyoudonotjustwanttobeajobshopschedulingtheorist,butsomebodywhosuccessfullyappliesschedulingtomanageandprospertheownshop.

Signs that your job shop needs proper scheduling

Hey,areyoustillunsurethatyouREALLYwanttogetgoingwith jobshopscheduling?Herearethreesignsthatyourshoptrulyneedsproperscheduling.https://www.just-plan-it.com/smb-pro-duction-scheduling-blog/3-signs-that-your-shop-needs-proper-job-shop-scheduling

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Regardthisasachecklist:ifatleastoneofthesesignsisvalidforyourshop,donotwastemoretime.Becomeconcrete.Getitgoing.

Now.

Sign #1: Your schedule consumes more time than it generates benefits

One thing shouldbeundeniable:whateverapproachyou take for scheduling, thepur-pose always is to help you better unders-tand,plan,andmanageyourproduction.

Ifthisisachieved,yougainalot–asIoutli-nedinthebenefitssectionofthisguideinalldetails.However,thereisalsoahiddencostassociatedwith scheduling (and Inot refe-rringtothecostofpurchasingaschedulingtool).

Thishiddencostisthecostofupdatingandmaintainingyourschedule.Withagrowingbusiness,incomingordersrise,moreanddi-fferentmachinesareadded,variousresour-ceshavetobehandledandproductionlinestendtobemorecomplex.Allofthishappe-ning in an ever-changing and volatile envi-ronmentasusualforjobshops.

At the pointwhere you aremore involvedwith updating your schedule than actuallybenefitingfromit,youshouldthinkaboutachange.

Sign #2: Your planning tool does not give you all information at one glance

Themoresuccessfulyouarewithyourshop,themorecomplexbecomesyourdecision-making.Themorecomplexyourdecision-making,themoreimportantitgetstohavethefollowinginfor-mationatyourfingertips:

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> Theutilizationlevelofeveryresourceandmachine

> Thecurrentordersthatareindangerofrunninglate> Theimpactofanychangestoyourjobshopset-up

> Etc

Ifyourschedulingtooldoesnotprovideyouwiththatinformationinstantly,youshouldthinkaboutachange.

Sign #3: Your scheduling tool is too static to deal with short-term incidentsHowquicklycanyouprovideareliabledeliverytimeifyourtopcustomersurprisinglycallsandasksifyoucansqueezeinarushorder?

Howquicklycanyouunderstandtheimpactofunplannedmachinedowntimeonyourschedule?

Howquicklycanyourescheduleifyoursubcontractorinformsyouaboutalatershipmentoftherequiredmaterial?

Ifyourscheduleistoostatictoprovideyouwithanswersinstantaneously,thelikelihoodishighthatyouanswershort-termincidentswithgut-feeldecisions.Theresultisaschedulethatisnolongerin-linewithreality,ofwhichtheresultisfire-fighting.

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Ifthissoundsfamiliar,youshouldthinkaboutachange.

Summingthisup,hereisyourchecklistwithsignsthatyouneedaproperjobshopscheduling:

Summing this up, here is your checklist with signs that you need a proper job shop scheduling:

A checklist for you

> Does your schedule consume more time than it generates benefits?

> Does your planning tool give you all information needed at one glance?

> Is your scheduling tool too static to deal with short-term incidents?

How to kick-start job shop scheduling

Gettingstartedwithjobshopschedulingisn’ttrivial.Youmightbeoverwhelmedbytheoptionsyouhave,andthelimited“spare”timeyouhavetounderstandtheseoptions.Thisiswhatwecalltheviciouscircleofgettingproductionschedulingstarted.

We’ve identified five steps to kick-start job shopscheduling (https://www.just-plan-it.com/smb-pro-duction-scheduling-blog/how-to-get-started-with-job-shop-scheduling) and the link brings you to anextensiveblogpostaboutthose.Hereistheconden-sedversion:

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TosayitwithBillCopeland:

Step 1: Define your scheduling goals

“ The trouble with not having a goal is that you can spend your life running up and down the field and never score.

Itmakesnosensetostartinvestingintovisualjobshopscheduling(oranyothersolution)withoutknowingwhatyouwanttoachieve.Taketheseconcreteactionstodefineyourschedulinggoals.

Action 1: Brainstorm ideas and write them down Isuggestthatyoufirstbrainstormgeneralareasof improvementthatyouwanttoachievewithimplementingproductionscheduling.

Thetrickis:writedowna(long)listofideasandthemin1stperson.Theyshouldbeyourgoals.Nobodywilldoitforyou.Yourgoals,yourinvestment,yourgain.

Action 2: Prioritize your ideas Youwon’tbeabletoachieveeverythingatonce.Prioritize,andmakesureyoufocus.

Thetrickis:makearankinglist,nopriorityclassed..Thisavoidsthatyouaddseventeenideasintothepriority1class,andthentheremainingthreeintothepriority2class.

Action 3: Turn your ideas into SMART goals Now,makeyour(mostlikely:vague)goalsveryclear.Makethemsmart:

> Specific

> Measurable

> Attainable

> Relevant

> Time-Bound

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Step 2: Derive major scheduling requirements

Knowingyourgoalsisnotenough.Youneedtotranslateyourgoalsintorequirementsforaschedu-lingsystem.Typically,onegoaltranslatesintomultiplerequirements.

Hereisanexample:

from your smart goals

> Goal:Iwanttodeliver90%+ofmyjobsintimewithinthenext9months.

> Resultingschedulingrequirements:

> Ineedasystemthatallowstoquicklyseepromiseddeliverydatesandproduction finishdatesnexttoeachother

> Ifmypromiseddeliverydatewillbemissed,Ineedtoquicklyseebyhowfarthe criticaljobswillmisstheirdeliverydate

> Ifmypromiseddeliverydatewillbemissed,Ineedtoquicklyunderstandmyoptions intermsofcountermeasures

Step 3: Talk to scheduling software vendors

Mystrongestrecommendationisthatyouresistthetemptationtotryschedulingsoftwareonyourown.Therearesolutionsouttherethatpretendthattheyaresupereasy.Theygiveyouafreetrial,orevenafreeaccount(withlimitedfunctionality).However,jobshopschedulingisnottrivial(hen-cethislongultimateguidetoit).Donotwasteyourtimeplayingaroundwith“schedulingtools”.

“ It is sign a of strength to ask for help.

Thisalsoenablesyoutochallengevendors,andtomakesurethattheynotjusthavefancywebsi-tes,butthattheyarecapableofdeliveringwhattheypromise.Hereisthequicklinktogetusintoameetingwithyou.https://www.just-plan-it.com/book-the-job-shop-meeting-now

Letusknowwhatyourgoalsandyourrequirementsare.Thenyoucandecideifthereisafit.Thisisafasterpathtosuccess.

Step 4: Gather and structure your data (that is (that is relevant for scheduling)

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Action 1: Gather relevant data about your resources (internal supply)

Task1:ListyourresourcesResourcesconstitutethecapacitythatfulfillstheoperationsofyourproductionprocess.Thisinclu-desallmachines,workingstations,orworkersavailable.Listthemall.

Task2:GroupyourresourcesIftherearesimilarresources,groupthem.“Similarresources”typicallyarethoseresourcesthatcandosimilartasks.Thisgivesyourlistofresourcesabetterstructure.Thisstructuremightlookasfollows:

> CNCmachines

> CNCmachine1

> CNCmachine2

> CNCmachine3

> Millingmachines

> Millingmachine1

> Millingmachine2

Task3:AddyourstandardresourcecalendarYoutypicallyhaveastandardcalendarordifferentstandardcalendars.Let’ssaypartsofyourshopworkoneshiftMondaytoFriday,otherstwoshiftseachdayoftheweek.Thisiswhatismeantherewithastandardresourcecalendar.

Action 2: Gather relevant data about your jobs (internal demand)

Task1:DefineajobbyitsmetadataDefiningajobbyitsmetadatasoundscomplicated,butitisn’t.Hereiswhatyoushoulddo.

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1.Listyourjobs(e.g.writedownthejobnumbers) 2.Thenperjobspecify a.Theearlieststartdate(ifyouhaveone) b.Theduedate(e.g.thedatethatyouneedtofinishthejobsothatyoudeliverin time)

Thatisallthatisneededforscheduling!

Task2:Defineajobbyitstasks

> Givethetaskatasknumber(sothatyoucanidentifyit)

> Specifythesuccessorofthetaskviathetasknumber

> Specifyhowlongittakestofinishthetask(keepitsimpleandignoreapotentialdifferentiationbetweensetuptime,runtime,etc.)

> Specifyeithertheresourcegrouportheresourcethatisneededtogetthetaskdone

Nowforeveryjobwritedownthetasksthatyouneedtodotogetthisjobdown.Also,writethemdowninthesequenceoforderthatyouneedtodothem.

Foreverytask,youneedtohavethefollowinginformation:

That’sall.Itwillbesomework.

However,havingthedatastructuredproperlytrulymakesiteasierforyoutogetstartedwithjobshopscheduling.Andbytheway:wehaveanExceltemplatethathelpsyouwiththisdataprepa-rationwork.DownloadtheExcelschedulingtemplatehere.https://www.just-plan-it.com/produc-tion-scheduling-excel-template

Step 5: Make use of an on-boarding service Assaidearlier:jobshopschedulingisn’teasy.

“ If you consider using a software solution to help you master this challenge, software alone will not do the job. Any softwa-re that is promoted to you as “easy and no support needed” is a toy that might be good looking, but most likely is not pro-blem-solving.

Ifyouwanttosucceedwithjobshopscheduling,lookforsoftwareandbestpractices.Lookforsof-twareandexpertsthathelpyousucceedwiththesoftware(andachievetheschedulinggoalsthatyoudevelopedthatnicely).

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Step 1: Define your scheduling goals

> Action1:Brainstormideasandwritethemdown

> Action2:Prioritizeyourideas > Action3:TurnyourideasintoSMARTgoals

Your 5 steps to kickstart job shop scheduling- a summary

Step 2: Derive major scheduling requirements from your smart goals

Step 3: Talk to scheduling software vendors

Step 4: Gather and structure your data (that is relevant for scheduling)

> Action1:Gatherrelevantdataaboutyourresources (internalsupply)

> Task1:Listyourresources > Task2:Groupyourresources > Task3:Addyourstandardresourcecalendar > Gatherrelevantdataaboutyourjobs(internal demand)

> Task1:Defineajobbyitsmetadata

> Task2:Defineajobbyitstasks

Wecondensedourexpertise,ourbestpractices,andourschedulinginsightsintoouron-boardingservices.Itisaservicethatwedelivertoeveryclient.Thisserviceisindividual,onthespot,tailoredtoyourgoals,andaffordable.

Makeuseofit.

Step 5: Make use of an on-boarding service

Build your scheduling team

Nowthatyouarereadytostart,youneedtobuildyourschedulingteam.

Yes:youarereadingthiscorrectly.

“ Although you might be the production planner in your company (or you are the owner and hired a production planner to make this happen), schedu-ling is no one-man show. Sche-duling is teamwork.

Ideally,yourschedulingteamconsistsofthreeroles.Weidentifiedthemasabsolutelycrucialtoeffectivelyrunaschedulingtool.Thiscanbereadinmoredetailsfromablogpostthatdifferen-tiatesschedulingsuccessfactorsforintroducingandforusingschedulingsoftware.https://www.just-plan-it.com/smb-production-scheduling-blog/7-tips-how-to-meet-scheduling-targets-in-a-high-mix-low-volume-shop

1st role to staff in your scheduling team: executive management

Schedulingisnomagicpill.Itisboth:aninitialinvestmentandanongoinginvestment

Hence,you–forsure–needthebackingofyourexecutivemanagement.Ideally,oneofyourexe-cutivesisdirectlyinvolvedintherevolvingschedulingprocess.Ourexperiencefromworkingwithhundredsofjobshopstellsusthatthisthemostoverlookedsuccessfactor.

Ifthisisnotpossible,anexecutivememberstillneedstobeintheschedulingcoreteamandrecei-veregularanalyticsandKPIsontheimpactthatthenewschedulingtoolhasontheshop.

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Well,thissoundstrivial.However,wehaveseencasesinwhichschedulingwasgivenasatasktoanadminworkerorevenanintern.Thisdoesnotwork.

Your scheduling teamsrequiresapersonwho is inchargeof scheduling.This person must be granted a relevant amount of her time for scheduling.

Itisimportantthatthe(chief)schedulergetsformallyappointedfromtheexecutiveteam,andactsasthefirstcontactforthemanagementforallschedulingquestions.Thispersonneedstohaveagoodstandingwithintheorganizationandasufficientbudgettosuccessfullyoperatehisschedulingtasks.

2nd role to staff in your scheduling team: (chief) scheduler

3rd to staff in your scheduling team: (chief) operator or foreman

Ascheduleisworthnothingifitdoesnotgetexecuted.Aproductionschedulegetsexecutedontheshop-floorandthepersonresponsibleforthisarethemachineoperatorsortheforeman.

Whenyourunaschedule,itisnotjustimportanttoschedulenewjobs.Theschedulealsomustreflectwhatishappeningontheshop-floor,anditmustquicklyadapttoanyshort-termincidentsthattakeplace.

However,toachievethis,agoodschedulingtoolmustbefedwithshop-floordata.Itshouldn’tbethetaskofthe(chief)schedulertoalwayshuntforthisdata.However,a(chief)operatorshouldbeappointedtobeheldresponsibleforregularlyprovidingcurrentdatafromtheshop-floortothescheduler.

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Therearetwothingstokeepinmind:

1.Schedulingisnomagicpillthatyoutakeonceandthatthencuresyourpain. 2.Instead,schedulingisaprocess.Aprocessthatrequiresactions.Moreover,itisanever-re-peatingprocessthatrequiresrepeatedactions.Readthisblogposttolearnmoreaboutthegeneralnatureoftheschedulingprocess.(https://www.just-plan-it.com/smb-production-scheduling-blog/critical-factor-of-successful-production-scheduling-establish-a-routine)

Toachieveproperscheduling,youneedtorunaprocessof

Establishing routines

> Updatingyourschedule(e.g.withnewjobs,withshop-floorinformation,withnewinsights)

> Understandingyourschedule(e.g.seetheimpactofthesechangesontheoverallschedule)

> Creatinganewschedule> Reportingonthenewschedule> Executingtheschedule

You will need to run this process daily.

Jobshopschedulingsoftwarecanhelpyouwiththisprocess,butitwillnottakeawaytheoverallwork.Tosomedegree,youcancompareschedulingsoftwarewithadishwasher:

“ A dishwasher helps you to achieve your target (cleaning the dishes) in a much more productive way than the manual option (I heard couples stating that they – for sure – would be divorced if they would not have a dishwasher). However, you can only benefit from these productivity (and “life improve-ment”) gains if you establish a routine to operate the machi-ne.

There must be someone responsible to gather the dirty di-shes. Another one is responsible to fill the machine. Then the-re must be one to select the program and to start it. Finally, the clean dishes need to be put back into the cupboard where they belong. Then the same procedure starts again and again.

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Now,thatyouhaveyourschedulingteaminpace,youlikewiseneedtodetermine

> Responsibilitiesforstandardschedulingtasks> Timingsastowhenthesetasksshouldbecompleted

Here are checklists and examples of how this could look like:

Tasks & timings for the executive

Tasks & timings for the (chief) scheduler

Tasks & timings for the (chief) operator

management or foreman

> Ongoing:Allocatedailytimefor the production planner towork on the schedule (ratherthantochaseinformationordosome non-scheduling relatedfiredrills)

> Ongoing:Maketheforemenaccountable forprovidingshop-floordatainduecourse

> Inlargerintervals:Giveacleardirection intermsofschedulinggoals(donotexpecttoget100%on-time deliveries, if you pushtheteamhardtoachievea100%machineutilization)

> Daily (at least): update theschedule with the informationobtainedfromtheshop-floor

> Daily: Understand the newdata and situation and build anewschedulethatmeetsthees-tablishedgoalsbest

> Daily:Communicatethenewschedule to the foremen and(chief)operator

> Weekly: report on key per-formance indicators regardingtheshopflooroperations(totheexecutivemanagement)

> At least once a day (bettermore regularly): provide shop-floorinformationandinsightstothe(chief)scheduler

> Make sure the schedule isexecutedasplanned

Job shop scheduling is a lot about processes and disciplines.

Ifyoudonotestablishroutinesand/orifyoulackthedisciplinetoexecutetheseroutines,anyjobshopschedulingsoftwarewillbelikeanunuseddishwasher:Awasteofmoney,andawastedchan-cetocapitalizeonsomestunningproductivitygains

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4. Software tools for job shop >scheduling

Requirements for a proper job shop scheduling software

Ifyoumadeittothischapter,youaremostlikelyconvincedoftheadvantagesofvisualjobshopscheduling.Certainly,toimplementvisualscheduling,aproperjobshopschedulingsoftwareisne-cessary.Ifyouarethinkingaboutusingsuchsoftwareforyourjobshop,keepreading.Herearesixrequirementsforaproperjobshopschedulingsoftware.

1. Rapid start with cloud technology Timeismoney.Aproperjobshopschedulingsoftwareshouldnotrequiredaysorweekstobesetup:cloudcomputingsolutionsguaranteeaneasyset-upandreducetheimplementationefforttoaminimum(pleasenotethatitstillshouldrequireacertainamountoftrainingandenablement…asjobshopschedulingisnotaneasytask).

Additionally,cloud-basedsoftwareisupdatedautomaticallyandisthereforealwaysup-to-date.Ifyouliketotakeadeeperdiveintothistopic,pleaseread6reasonsforrunningjobshopschedulingsoftwareinthecloud.(https://www.just-plan-it.com/smb-production-scheduling-blog/6-reasons-for-running-job-shop-scheduling-software-in-the-cloud)

2. InteroperabilityA new scheduling software should beable to integrate your current data andconnecttoothersoftwareprogramsthatare currently used in a job shop. Onlythen,maximumproductivitythroughoutthewholebusinessisensured.

State-of-the-art cloud-based produc-tion scheduling solutions come witha production scheduling API to easi-ly achieve this kind of interoperabi-l ity.(https://www.just-plan-it.com/smb-production-scheduling-blog/intro-ducing-the-just-plan-it-developer-plat-form-production-scheduling-api).

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ThisallowsyoutoestablishaseamlessflowofinformationfromyourERPorbusinessmanagementsystemtoyourschedulingsoftware,toyourshop-floor,toyouranalyticsandBItools…andback.

3. Intuitive and clear planning parameters

Thesoftwareshouldbeabletoincorporateallthenecessaryinformationaboutthejobandthetaskdetails,resourcecapacities,andkeyconstraints.

However,duetothe“chaotic”natureofahigh-mix,low-volumejobshopitshouldnotbebasedonatoosophisticatedmathematicaloptimizationalgorithm.Suchanalgorithmwouldrequiretoomuchtimeforgettingsetupandforgettingtrained–withouttheunderlyingassumptionsbeingstable.

An ideal scheduling software should be only as complex as necessary.

4. Focus on visualizationThesoftwareshouldcreateaschedulethatisrepresentedvisually.

Again,aGanttchartsystemoffersacomprehensiveandintuitiveillustrationoftheschedule.Theschedulermustgainanoverviewofthescheduleatoneglanceandmustspotconflicts,suchasbo-ttlenecksorlateorders,instantly.Differentviews(i.e.jobview,resourceview,etc.)ensureadeepunderstandingofthejobshopdata.

5. Intuitive handling

¡The focal point of the schedule shouldbetheuser.

Easy-to-understand handling ensuresthat the scheduler can make changes,suchaschangingthepriorityofajoboraddingaresource,withminimaleffort.

Again, using the software should savetime, hence increase efficiency, insteadof botheringwith unnecessary sophisti-cation.

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6. Incorporate real-time data Ideally,thesoftwarecancombineplanningdatawithcurrentshop-floordata.Duetothehighlyvolatileenvironmentofajobshop,theschedulewillneverbeexecutedcorrectly.

Byupdatingtheschedulewithreal-timedata,e.g.ifandwhenajobhasbeenstartedorhasbeenfinished,theschedulecanbemovedclosertoreality.

A buying guide

Ifyouareajobshopandwanttoschedulewithsoftware,hereiswhatwerecommendyoutolookfor: 1.Searchforastandardsoftware 2.Thissoftwareshouldhaveaschedulingenginethatisspecificformake-to-order manufacturing 3.Theschedulingapproachshouldbevisual,andnot“APS”-style(withheavy-duty algorithms) 4.Theschedulingsoftwareshouldbeprovidedtoyouasacloud-basedsolution

Ofcourse,therearealternativesavailabletoeachofthesefourrecommendations.Thedecisiontreeshowsyouwhytheymightnotbethebestfitforyou.

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Onceyouappliedthesefourcriteria,youshouldhaveaconcreteshortlistofproperjobshopsche-dulingsoftwaresolutions.

We finally recommend that you engage with a vendor who not just ships software, but also provides tips & tricks, best practices, references, and a wealth of job shop scheduling experience.

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5. Parting words >Hereiswhatyouneedtoremember.

Jobshopschedulingcangainyouacompetitiveedge.

Move away from outdated toolssuchasspreadsheets,whiteboards,aswellalsodumpschedulingmodulesthatarepartofyourERPsystem,orgoodlookingGanttchartsthatarenotmadeforjobshops(neitherformanufacturing).

Move away from outdated thinking and mindsets.Schedulingisnotamagicpill,butanongoingprocessthatrequiresdisciplineandroutines.

Move away from outdated technology.Windows-based,locallyinstalledapplicationshaveserveduswell–inthepastcentury.Modernapplicationsruninthecloud,arealwayscurrent,andcangetaccessedfromeverywhere,anytime.

Job shop scheduling can gain you a competitive edge.

Butitisyouwhoneedstobecommittedabout.Itisyouwhoneedstomakethefirststep.

Ifyoudecidetomakeyourfirststepwithus,youwon’tbealone.

Wewillhand-holdyouduringyourfirststeps–untilyouarethejobshopschedulingmasterforyourshop.

Comewithus.

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