A select screen allows jobs not already loaded into the schedule to be selected from all those valid jobs on the customer master database. Where the customer database contains a large number of valid jobs, a search screen is available what allows a more detailed selection of valid jobs based on Customer, Job Title, and date ranges. From the shortlist of jobs located individual jobs may be selected for loading into the plan.
Each job selected can have additional linking information added to it before being loaded into the plan. This allows additional constraints, in addition to those built into the system, to be added to the job, requiring certain parts of the job to be completed before others can begin.
The selected job is split into its component steps (each step representing the operation on one machine or at one workstation). Each step can have a make ready and a main component should your operational steps have this type of structure. These steps are all linked together so that they maintain their proper order when loaded into the plan. All the steps and their links, including any specified by the operator during the selection states are transferred into the plan.
A basic first fit algorithm is applied as jobs are loaded into the plan. This fits the new jobs into the existing plan in due date order. Pushing jobs due later back down the plan as necessary. Jobs planed against Generic work centres are placed on the generic work centre within the plan, ready for dragging onto the appropriate actual work centre by the planner.
A planner then manipulates the loaded jobs to achieve the desired schedule. The planning board software helps by preventing the operator from generating an illegal plan, either by moving steps of a job such that they are not completed in operational order, or by moving stages onto machines/work centres that are not capable of performing that operation.
There is a wealth of information available from the plan, allowing the planner access to full information about any stage or job. A double click on any step will pop-up a screen containing full information on that step, together with the ability to change it, using a form style data entry, if so desired.
Instantly visible on the planning board are the shifts and other shuts that apply to the work centres. As a step is placed onto a work centre it is automatically stretched across evenings and weekends. Also should a step be moved to a faster of slower machine, the size of the step will immediately be changed to reflect the speed of the newly selected machine.
Once the operator is happy with the plan, he can save it, and then run reports from it to generate daily work to lists for the individual work centres or for the whole plant.
He can also refresh the plan causing it to pick up the latest information from the main database on the status of the planned jobs. Where the jobs in the plan are now being worked on the steps on the plan will be marked to indicate this. A customer configurable colour-coding scheme is employed to mark the job as various key stages within it are completed; a second coding of the steps themselves indicates their completion. This can be driven off either time expended on the task or quantity produced.