Scheduling JobBOSS²

If we consider a work center as a "bucket" into which work can be added, capacity can be seen as the size of the bucket and indicates the amount of time the work center is available for use on a given day, week, month, etc.

Elements Of Capacity

The following items all go into determining the capacity of a work center.

• Shift Entry

  Shifts are used to define a standard "work day" and can be applied to all of the following:

  • The company as a whole (set in Company Maintenance | Time And Attendance)
  • Employees (each employee is assigned to a specific shift)
  • Work centers (work centers can be assigned to multiple shifts if they are present)

  From a scheduling standpoint, it is the work center shifts that matter since that is what determines how many hours on a given day each work center is expected to be "open" and available for work. By default, work centers "inherit" the shifts created in Company Maintenance but they can be edited as needed. When setting up company and work center shifts, keep the following in mind:

  • Shift times are entered in 24 hour (or military) format.
  • Shifts should not overlap.
  • If a shift spans midnight, it must take place during the '3rd Shift.'
  • Shifts must be marked as active (selected) at the work center level (in Calendar Settings) to be included.
    • Shifts created from company shifts are selected automatically.
  • Shifts must also be marked as active (selected) in the Whiteboard Settings.
• Company Holidays

  Holidays entered under Company Maintenance represent days that the entire shop is expected to be closed, meaning that no work at all will be scheduled on these dates.

  Dates entered as holidays or vacations for individual employees will NOT affect the schedule, regardless of which employee the dates are entered for.

• Employee Breaks

  Automatic breaks assigned to employees that are selected as a 'Shift Operator' on a work center will be used to reduce its capacity.

  • The break must fall within the stated time frame of the selected shift.
  • Capacity will be reduced by the amount of time of the break even if the option to 'Automatically Process Scheduled Breaks' is not enabled on the selected employee.

• Work Center Setup

  In addition to defining the shifts for which the work center is available, capacity for a work center is also affected by the Capacity Factor assigned.

  For additional information on work center settings, see the Work Center Setup section under 'Scheduling Foundations' in this topic.

If we continue the analogy of a bucket, utilization - represented as a percentage value on the work center - indicates how much of the bucket's capacity can successfully be used. For example, the bucket may be capable of holding up to 10 gallons of material, but if the material is too heavy, the handle will break, meaning we may only be able to haul 9 or 8 gallons of material instead. Along those same lines, if a work center's Utilization Percentage is less than 100, the scheduling engine will reduce its effective capacity accordingly.

Setting Utilization below 100 does not modify estimated routing times; it instead decreases the number of hours the work center is assumed to be available on a given day.

• Example: Assume a work center has 10 hours of availability (Capacity) on any given day, but its Utilization Percent is set to 90. This results in an effective capacity of 9 hours as opposed to 10.

To conclude our analogy, load can be considered as the amount of material that is placed in the bucket.

Adding Load

The amount of load added to a work center is determined by the routing details of the jobs that are assigned to it based on pieces or hours, depending on the 'Miscellaneous Setting' option selected in the 'Scheduling Engine' portion of the Whiteboard Settings. (For more information see Scheduling Whiteboard.) When based on the number of pieces,

• Load = Setup Hours + (Run Quantity X Cycle Time)

When based on the number of hours,

• Load = Setup Hours + Cycle Hours

Whether calculated based on pieces or hours, load is always measured and displayed in terms of HOURS and will include any Queue Time provided in the work center settings.

Load is actually added to a work center during order entry or when the scheduling whiteboard is opened depending on the 'Miscellaneous Setting' option selected in the 'Scheduling Engine' portion of the Whiteboard Settings. (For more information see Scheduling Whiteboard.)

• When the option to update in 'Real Time' is used, jobs are scheduled and load is added when the 'OK' button is clicked on the 'Add' or 'Update' order screen.
• When the option to update in 'Real Time' is not used, jobs are not scheduled and load is not added until the Whiteboard is opened and a Global Reschedule is performed.

Loading Methods

Loading methods do not change how load is calculated; instead they determine how load is assigned to a work center using one of two methods.

• Infinite

  Work centers that have an 'Infinite' Loading Method ignore their capacity limits, including a reduction based on a utilization of less than 100%, when work is assigned.

  • When the amount of work exceeds the work center's effective capacity, the system continues to assign jobs, resulting in an "overload" situation.
  • Overloaded work centers are identified by the Whiteboard and in the Scheduling Advisor for easy reference, under the assumption that the user will determine which job(s) should be worked on first.
  • Effective capacity is used to determine when work should be performed when the 'Balance Load' option is used on an overloaded work center.
• Finite

  Work center's that have a 'Finite' Loading Method take capacity limits into consideration when work is assigned.

  • When the amount of work exceeds the work center's effective capacity, the system stops assigning jobs, meaning the work center will not be overloaded.
  • Jobs that do not "fit" into the work center's effective capacity are scheduled to be completed in the future, meaning some jobs may be scheduled for completion beyond their listed due date.

Removing Load

Load is removed from the schedule as time tickets are turned in and pieces are accounted for as either 'good' or 'scrapped.'

Timely and accurate time records are important for the successful use of scheduling.

• Forward

  Forward scheduling begins at the job's start date, which is assumed to be the current date, and calculates forward in time to determine its ship date.

• Backward

  Backward scheduling begins at the job's stated due date and calculates backward in time to determine its start date.

  • Depending on circumstances, Backward Scheduling can lead to start dates that are in the past; however there are ways to allow the system to automatically recalculate these dates if desired.

Scheduling Direction is designated in the Scheduling Whiteboard Settings. For more information see Scheduling Whiteboard.

Do not confuse efficiency with utilization. Utilization refers to the ability to use a work center to its full potential whereas efficiency refers to the ability to perform a scheduled step in the time provided.

• 'Percent Efficiency' is step specific and is located in the details of each internal step.
  • Default values can be provided by selecting an Operation Code for the internal step.
• When Percent Efficiency is less than 100, the amount of scheduled cycle time is increased accordingly.
  • Example: If 'Percent Efficiency' is set to '90', the amount of scheduled cycle time for that step is increased by 10%.
  • Setup time is not affected by efficiency values less than 100.

Steps that are less than 100% efficient do not alter the amount of estimated cycle time itself, only the amount of scheduled cycle time.

• When used, queue times are added to every step routed to the work center.
• For additional information on queue time, see 'Work Center Setup' in the 'Scheduling Foundations' section of this topic.

Though every job is important, they are not all equal, and the ability to assign a priority provides the system a way to determine which ones should be worked on first.

• A job's priority is originally inherited from the priority assigned to the Customer Code selected on the order.
• Jobs can be individually prioritized for scheduling purposes manually or automatically within the Scheduling Whiteboard.
• The higher the priority, the more important a job is considered to be.

W/C Calendar By Day Of The Week

Use these values to indicate which shifts the work center is available for use on a daily basis in addition to indicating specific dates that are an exception to the standard times. Based on what it represents, some work centers may depend on specific individuals to be present or may not be available at certain times due to required maintenance.

Loading Method

This setting determines how much work will be assigned to the work center during scheduling calculations. Options include:

• Infinite: The system ignores any limits placed on the work center's ability to perform work and will overload it as necessary to handle the work assigned.
• Finite: The system considers limits placed on the work center's ability to perform work and will stop assigning work to it once they have been reached.

See the entry for 'Load' under 'Scheduling Fundamentals' in this topic for additional information about Loading Methods and the limits that affect them.

Queue Time / Queue Time Units

Queue Time can be used to "pad" a schedule by taking into account dead time that typically occurs with steps associated with the work center. Examples for the use of Queue Time include:

• Allowing for dry time or cooling time
• Allowing for cleanup between steps
• Allowing for the movement of material

When used, Queue Time is added to every step routed to the work center.

Make sure to select the appropriate 'Queue Time Unit' value in relation to the amount of "down time" desired between each step.

Utilization Percentage

Utilization represents the work center's ability to perform the work assigned to it within a given time frame. When utilization is considered to be less than 100%, the amount of time the work center is considered to be truly available is decreased accordingly.

See 'Scheduling Fundamentals' in this topic for additional information about utilization and its relationship to other concepts such as capacity, load, and efficiency.

Capacity Factor

This value can be beneficial when dealing with equipment as it represents the number of machines that are physically available to perform assigned work and is used to determine the total amount of daily machine hours available to the work center. For example, if a shop has multiple lathes - say 3 of them - capable of doing the same kind and amount of work, there are two ways they could be set up:

• Each lathe could be set up as its own work center with a 'Capacity Factor' of 1, OR
• A single work center could be created that represented all the lathes that had a 'Capacity Factor' of 3

The amount of time available to the work center to do work - which is referred to as its capacity - is multiplied by its Capacity Factor to determine the total number of machine hours available for scheduling purposes. For example, if a work center has 10 hours of available time on a given day due to shift settings, a Capacity Factor of 3 would make 30 machine hours available for scheduling.

Before setting 'Capacity Factor' beyond 1, consider the following:

• Each machine represented must be able to perform the same type and amount of work.
• The system is not be able to distinguish which machine actually performed the work with regards to maintenance schedules.

Additional Considerations For Work Center Setup

If you are uncertain about how to set up work centers in your shop, the answer to these questions may help with the process.

• If there are multiple machines available of the same type and you are considering grouping them together as a single work center.
  • Are the machines interchangeable? (That is, can they do the same work in the same amount of time without any noticeable drop off in productivity?)
    • If the answer is "no", you should stop now and create each machine as its own work center. Having "mis-matched" equipment grouped together will lead to inaccurate scheduling assumptions.
    • If the answer is "yes", you may be able to group the machines together, but consider the remaining questions first.
  • Do you need to track hours worked or pieces completed by machine?
  • Do you need to route or schedule work by machine?
  • Do you charge or track costs by different rates per machine?
    • If the answer to any of these remaining questions is "yes", you should create each machine as its own work center.
    • If the answer to all of these questions is "no", grouping the machines together may be a viable option for you.
• If you are creating a work center that represents an area of the shop,
  • It will typically represent multiple machines of different types which are routed as a single unit.
  • Time is planned based on how long a job will be in the area as a whole as opposed to a single machine.

As you can see, there are many factors to consider when setting up work centers, and they are worth the time to discuss without rushing through them. If you are in process of setting up JobBOSS² for the first time, speak with your Implementation Specialist about options that may work best for you. Additional assistance is also available by scheduling time with one of ECI Software Solutions, Inc.'s on-site Consultants for a fee.

For details on availability and costs of an on-site visit, contact sales at 800-525-2143.

Every Job Needs To Be Entered

First and foremost, it is very important that every job that will require the use of one or more work centers and the time of any employees is entered into JobBOSS² and processed regardless of its size. It may be tempting to ignore "little" jobs that will only take an hour or so to complete; however, even short amounts of time add up and can lead to inaccurate schedules.

Every Job Needs Accurate Information

Second, entering each job is not enough on its own. Every job entered also needs to have accurate details, including:

• Specific quantity and Due Date

  In order to be able to allocate resources correctly, the Scheduling application needs to know how many pieces are being made and a reliable Due Date since this is the primary method of determining when work needs to be completed.

If you know extra pieces will be made during production, it is a good idea to include them in the 'Quantity To Make' value to the extent possible to help with scheduling accuracy.

• Routing information

  Whether it comes from an existing estimate or is entered "manually" at the order level, job routing is what drives scheduling. Each routed step needs to contain the following information:

  • Work Center (internal step) or Vendor (outside service step)
  • For internal steps, Setup and Cycle Times need to be present and provide a realistic time frame for the completion of the work to be performed
  • For outside steps, Lead Times need to indicate how long it will take for serviced parts to return to the shop

  In addition to these values, each step also contains the following details that can impact scheduling assumptions:

  • Machines job being run on: When greater than 1, scheduling assumes work for a job will be completed on multiple work centers at the same time, resulting in decreased scheduled time for cycle related work.
    • Setup time is increased due to the need to prepare multiple work centers.
  • Scrap percent: When greater than 1, system assumes additional parts need to be made to account for scrapped parts, leading to an increase in the Quantity To Make.
  • Efficiency percent: When less than 100, scheduled cycle time is increased.

  For additional information on these items, see the 'Scheduling Concepts' section below.

The 'Machines run by operator' and 'Team Size' values affect estimated costs, but not scheduling assumptions.

Bottom line, if jobs do not have reliable routing information, the schedule will not provide reliable estimates regarding start and end dates. As the saying goes, you get out what you put in.

For additional details about all values located in Work Center Details, see the Work Step Details section of the Order Entry topic.

Time tickets can be created in one of two ways - through the use of real time data collection devices or entered "manually" into JobBOSS² directly.

Real Time Data Collection

Using data collection devices is the recommended option for capturing labor details as it provides the most up to date information and provides the system with the best opportunity to provide accurate updates to scheduling scenarios. Additional advantages to using data collection devices include:

• Bar coded Job Travelers allow users to quickly scan onto jobs.
• Work is shifted away from a single data entry person and is able to be updated more quickly and efficiently.
• Time records can still be edited within JobBOSS² if needed.

For more information see Data Collection.

While the use of real time data collection devices is not a requirement for the use of scheduling, it certainly helps with the timely entry of time tickets and is a very useful tool.

Manual Entry Of Time Tickets

Time tickets can also be entered directly JobBOSS² under the Shop Floor Control area based on information provided by the employees performing the work. If "manual" time tickets are used, keep the following in mind:

• Time spent on jobs may not be as accurate as information captured on data collection devices.
• The schedule cannot update accurately without time / piece counts, so it is extremely important that time tickets are entered on a daily basis at least.

For more information see Time Tickets.

The Scheduling Whiteboard provides a visual representation of the systems assumptions regarding when jobs should be worked on based on work center setup, job routing details, and the various decisions that are made on the Whiteboard itself. In overview, the Whiteboard provides the following:

• The ability to view scheduling assumptions by Work Center, Department, Employee, or Job Number
• The ability to view information in different "time buckets"
• The ability to reschedule open, unlocked jobs using the Global Reschedule option
• The ability to move jobs to different work centers, departments, and / or employees
• The ability to lock and unlock jobs for scheduling purposes

For more information see Scheduling Whiteboard.

The Work Queue tab is available on PC Data Collection Terminals (also referred to as Touchscreen Terminals) and provides the ability to view scheduling details for a selected work center within a selected time frame. This tab also allows the user to start a job by simply clicking on the desired step and to print / reprint a Job Traveler.

Scheduling details are also visible in the Line Item Details of each processed job that has routing information associated with it. In addition to calculated Start and End Dates for each step, the user also has the ability to edit routing information such as Work Center and step details such as Efficiency Percentage, Machines Job Being Run On, and Scrap Percent.

Scheduling information is available for viewing in multiple reports, and the most commonly used ones are listed here.

Production Summary

Located under: Reports | Shop Floor Control

The Production Summary provides a list of open jobs that displays routing information and details related to the work that has been performed on each one. This report provides an excellent overview of scheduled jobs for those that may not have access to the Whiteboard.

Loading Summary

Located under: Reports | Shop Floor Control

The Loading Summary provides a list of jobs that are scheduled to be worked on that can be broken down by Work Center, Employee, Department, or Job Number.

Scheduling Summary

Located under: Data Entry | Scheduling | Generate Report

This report provides a hard copy version of the currently selected Whiteboard View.