ABSTRACT
Production variables such as changes in customers’ decisions, suppliers not delivering on time, machine breakdowns or staff shortages can cause things to happen differently from the plan. Effective control will allow the planned objectives to be met, even when the assumptions on which the plan was based are no longer applicable. The sequencing rules aim to improve the performance objectives of dependability, speed and cost. Forward and backward scheduling is then used to develop the timing of individual activities. In forward scheduling, tasks are completed as early as possible. Production management strategies are concerned with deciding the manner in which signals are given to workstations in a production system for starting and stopping work. An important principle in Lean is that improvement towards the ideal state of ‘instantly meeting demand with perfect quality and no waste’ is a never-ending process.
