One of the big differences that drive changes and customization in scheduling solutions is the need to schedule a simple process or a collection of processes. A scheduling system that’s used to schedule a single process can be thought of as the most simple type of scheduling solution but even in a simple process there can be a great number of constraints that complicate the process of putting together an efficient schedule for the plant.

Some examples of constraints that can effect the schedule might include delivery dates or promise dates, raw material availability and change over efficiency between similar products. These constraints are only the tip of the ice burg. When you get into the weeds in most manufacturing plants the collection of constraints is one of the most complex efforts the plant needs to manage. An effective scheduling system needs to offer enough flexibility to adapt to scheduling needs even when the scheduling requirements seems like it should be simple.

When working with a compound collection of steps to create a “job” the scheduling system becomes even more complicated. Examples of scheduling systems that contain a collection of steps or a process routing might include systems where tooling must be created be fore a job can proceed of where sub-assemblies are brought together to manage a large project. If your implementing a solution that is step based it is even more important to be able to provide a flexible architecture. Examples of flexible scheduling systems include the systems from ShopFloorReporting.com and Tuppas Software.

These systems provide a very flexible framework that allows the vendor or the customer to enhance the system quickly. If you’re interested in agile scheduling you should check into Productionschedulingsoftware.Wordpress.com.