Objectives of the Operations Scheduling –
1. Making efficient use of the labour.
2. Making best possible use of the equipments that are available for the use.
3. Increasing the profit.
4. Increasing the output.
5. Improving the service level.
6. Maximizing the delivery performance i.e. meeting the delivery dates.
7. Minimizing the inventory.
8. Reducing the manufacturing time.
9. Minimizing the production costs.
10. Minimizing the worker costs.

Functions of the operations scheduling –
1. Allocation of the resources.
2. Shop floor control.
3. Making maximum use of the plant at minimum possible cost.
4. Ensure that the needs of the manpower are optimum.
5. Determination of the sequence of the jobs.
6. Specifying the start and the end time for each job (actively scheduled).
7. Getting quick feedback from the shops regarding the delays and the various interruptions.
8. Possess up – to – date information for the availability of the materials, expected delivery dates etc.
9. Possess up – to – date data on the machine regarding its breakdown, servicing etc.
10. Keep itself abreast of the hiring, dismissals, holidays etc. of the work force.

Introduction
In the operations management or the production management, this technique of operations scheduling forms a very important part and acts as the back – bone for the performance of the manufacturing or the service organizations. With the help of the operations scheduling, two very important factors or the aspects of the resources within an organization that can be pertained are as follows –

1. Allocating the resources within an organization.
2. Setting up the time – table.

In today’s competitive world, the orders that are placed either from the side of the customer or from the side of the assembly benches – are to be completed on or before the contracted or the promised date. For fulfilling this, operations scheduling plays a very critical and an essential role and completely ensures that these dates are met.

Operations scheduling helps in the confirmation or the revision of the tentative delivery date that has been promised in the original quotation. Sometimes during the operations scheduling of the work order, it may be discovered that the delivery date originally and tentatively promised cannot be met. All this may be due to the several problems like the materials that are required may not be available at that particular time or may not be available immediately. This problem can also occur due to the increased plant loading while the customer is deciding whether or not to award the quoted job to this company.

It has been observed that the operations scheduling has a direct affect on the effectiveness of the production function and this relation was actually explained by Vollman.

According to Vollman, “The priority planning and the shop floor control and the scheduling elements ultimately determine the performance of the production system.”

If the operations scheduling is carried out in an efficient manner, then there occurs a considerable improvement in the performance in the delivery. Also helps in the achievement of the goals that have been set by the company. Efficient operations scheduling playa a very critical part in the reduction of the production lead times.

1. A planning horizon is considered from about 3 to 18 months, with the periodic updating.
2. Aggregate product demand, stated in the common terms is observed.
3. Aggregate resource quantities, stated in the common terms are observed.
4. Influence both the supply and the demand by adjusting the production rates, workforce levels, the inventory levels etc., but the facilities cannot be expanded.

Aggregate planning strategies

1. Active strategy –
• Tries to control the fluctuations, which are in the demand by focusing on the demand management.
• Use the pricing strategies.
• Make use of the methods like the advertising and the promotion.
• Do not meet demand.
• Develop counter – cyclical products.
• Request the customers to back order or advance order.

2. Passive strategy –
• Also called as the reactive strategy.
• Tries to control the fluctuations in demand by focusing on the supply and capacity management.
• Vary size work force by hiring or lay – offs.
• Vary utilization of the labour and also of the equipment through the overtime or the idle time.
• Build or draw from the inventory.
• Sub – contract production.
• Negotiate co – operative arrangements with the other firms.
• Allow the back – logs, back orders and/or stock outs.

3. Mixed strategy –
• Joins or combines the elements of both of the active strategy as well as the passive or the reactive strategy.
• Firms will usually use some combination of the two.

Objectives of the Aggregate planning

1. To minimize the investments in the various inventories.
2. To minimize the total cost over the planning horizon.
3. To maximize the customer service.
4. To minimize the changes in the workforce levels.
5. To minimize the changes in the production rates.
6. To maximize the utilization of the plant and the various equipments.

Introduction and meaning
Aggregate planning can be defined as the process involving the development, analyzation and the maintenance of a preliminary and approximate schedule of the overall operations that take place or have to take place in an organization. It is actually an operational activity involving an aggregate plan, which would guide the production process. This plan is made in advance of about 3 to 18 months and this plan plays a very critical role in providing an idea to the management about the quantity of the materials and the other resources that are to be procured and at what time of the operation all these are required.

An aggregate plan also consists of the targeted sales forecasts, production levels, inventory levels, customer backlogs etc. In this type of planning, the word ‘aggregate’ is used because the planning at this level includes all the resources in the aggregate. The schedule used in the aggregate planning plays a very critical and an essential role in providing the satisfaction to the demand forecast at a minimum cost.

Aggregate planning serves as the basic structure for the future short – range type planning and this type of planning can be categorized as follows –

1. Production plan –
• Also called as the manufacturing aggregate plan.
• Is a managerial statement of the period – by – period production rates, work – force levels etc.

2. Staffing plan –
• Also called as the service aggregate plan.
• Is a managerial statement of the period – by – period staff sizes and the labor – related capacities, given customer requirements and the capacity limitations.