The Details of a Software-Based Production Schedule
If you’re used to using a spreadsheet or even a piece of painted plywood with sticky notes for your production scheduling, you’re missing a lot of information within that schedule. You could go look that information up, dig it out of file cabinets, make some phone calls, tap someone on the arm and ask, “Hey, do you know more about …?” But really it’s all the same thing. Your schedule simply doesn’t show enough detail.
This reminds me of a famous movie line; “His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking.”
A solidly-built Production Scheduling software system will allow you into the details which will get you more of the information you need, exposing the various layers of the schedule itself without leaving the software. When you open the schedule on the screen you’ll see a two-dimensional display, just like what you’re used to with your spreadsheet or your piece of plywood with the sticky notes. Then, within the software-based schedule, click on one of the tags or blocks showing an event or part of a job. A window will open showing the details of that particular part of the schedule. Click again and you’ll see the entire project’s schedule, what’s happened ahead of schedule and what needs to be caught up. Click a worker’s name and you’ll see how long they’re assigned to the project and what other projects they’re working on.
Keep clicking and you’ll keep learning things about what’s going on overall. That’s the beauty of a good Production Scheduling software system.
More importantly, use the cursor to grab part of the new schedule, drag it to a new date and time and let it go. If the system is built for real flexibility, the schedule will be automatically rearranged to accomodate whatever change you just made. It’s that simple. Underneath, new workers will be assigned to the new work based on the workers’ availability. Try doing that with your plywood. It won’t happen.
Moving from an older system to something that’s automated is always a challenge. In the case of Production Scheduling software the benefits outweigh any possible problems by quite a large margin. There are simply more details available in such a system, details you’re likely spending time going after uusing other methods anyway.
Are you ready for three-dimensional thinking?
