Once the planning (work) to meet sales is complete and a set of decisions have been formulated, the next step is the implementation of the decisions through detailed plans and schedules.

Schedule and control of production focus attention on the following:-

(a)    Knowing the total overall production targets- how to determine the amount of each product to be manufactured if there are products of different kinds and sizes?
(b)    How to decide about and deploy work force (different types of workers kinds of skills) and equipment to achieve the target production rate?
(c)    How to determine individual work assignments?
(d)    What should be information system to feed back quickly and accurately the actual output duly compared with the scheduled one?

Scheduling means when and in what sequence the work will be done. It involves deciding as to when the work will start and in certain duration of time how much work will be finished. Scheduling deals with orders and machines, i.e., it determines which order will be taken up on which machine and in which department by which operator.While doing so, the aim is to schedule as large amount of work as the plant facilities can conveniently handle by maintaining a free flow of material along the production line.

A product schedule is a statement of target dates for all orders or operations in hand and reveals their starting and finishing dates. Scheduling finalizes the planning phase of production planning ancestral system.

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