Which of the following statements is true regarding the master production schedule

A master production schedule (MPS) is the overall plan to assess the production of your finished goods.

Your master schedule details how much needs to be produced within a certain period. Essentially, if your master production scheduling is done properly, it will be the backbone to a manufacturing business that will help you:

• Make adjustments to fluctuation in demand
• Prevent stockouts
• Improve your efficiency
• Perform effective cost control

That’s why, in this article, we’re going to look into the master production schedule, its benefits, and the tools you can use to piece your master schedule together.

What is master production schedule?

Master production schedule (MPS) is a term used to describe a centralized document telling you what you need to produce, how much you need to produce, and when you need to produce it.

In short, everything related to production in your business, including time frames, such as your manufacturing lead time. Here is a quick overview of the master production schedule process steps you’ll need to follow when putting this together:

1. Map your demand and make a Demand Plan
2. Work out the raw materials you need and get your supply chain up and running with production planning processes
3. Now you’re ready to develop a master production schedule proposal. This is like a rough draft to see if your production schedule is workable
4. Use a rough-cut capacity planning technique to calculate if you can meet your proposed MPS manufacturing. Continue using this technique to continuously assess if your capacity can meet demand when your master production schedule is in action
5. If your master production schedule proposal is workable, you then evaluate it with regards to customer service, effective use of resources, and inventory investment

Once your master schedule is implemented, every employee on your shop floor is clear about what needs to be produced each week.

Your master production schedule makes sure everyone in your business is working towards the same goal. The master scheduler — the MPS architect — can then forecast relationships between demand and your supply, so you know when you need to increase or decrease production. The master production schedule is a crucial input into the aggregate operations plan, giving an overview of everything your business needs to do for 100% order fulfillment.

This is producing sales orders and having them delivered on time, without any problems or defects. This is known as a perfect order — and it’s what every business should strive for on all their sales channels.

The main functions of a master production  schedule

The purpose of a master production schedule is to save you time by making the hours you spend managing your production flow much more efficiently, giving you more space to scale your manufacturing business.

Once you understand the ultimate goal of the master schedule, you can realize that the other master production schedule objectives are all aligned towards achieving this goal. The other functions of a master production schedule are:

Translating Production Plans

How will you manage operations to strike a balance between demand, labor requirements, and equipment capability? The master production schedule will help you determine how many items you need to produce within a specific period.

Evaluating Alternative Schedules

A master production schedule should consider multiple manufacturing routes, to see which is the most efficient and take into account any problems which might occur along a production line.

Produce Capacity Requirements

Rough cut capacity planning with your master production schedule helps you figure out the realistic capacity you need to meet demand, increase profits, and minimize your costs.

Facilitating Information Processing

The master schedule helps you set your reorder points to make deliveries that need to be placed. You can do this by coordinating different management information systems such as marketing, finance, etc.

Utilization of Capacity

Finally, a master production schedule will help you establish the loads and utilization requirements for machines and equipment.

The other master production schedule objectives are:

1. Makes your demand flow smoother
2. Keeps your lead-time low
3. Standardizes communication across your business
4. Helps you to prioritize requirements
5. Help keep production stable
6. Generates workable plans for your manufacturing orders
7. Assists in making accurate purchases and transfer orders

Those are the desired outcomes of your master schedule. Now let’s look at the ingredients of the ideal master production schedule.

Parts of a master production schedule

The trick is to find master production scheduling software that doesn’t make you shudder with dread when you open it. Seriously — the better you feel about your software, the more motivated you will feel to learn it thoroughly, and the more likely you are to use it effectively.

Now it’s time to implement your master production schedule

And there you have it, everything you need to know about the master production schedule and how you can put yours together.

However, it’s one thing to know, but without using cloud manufacturing software to manage your master production schedule, you’re going to be stuck with a system like using inefficient Excel spreadsheets. This is why manufacturers turn to online ERP software to help them automate the process of making their master production schedule automated and easy to understand. Why not try out an automated master production schedule within your business with a 14-day free trial to see how much it can improve your production lines efficiency.

We hope you found this article useful, and if you have any questions, feel free to send us a message here or over at social media channels, and until next time, happy manufacturing.

Which of the following best describes the master production schedule?

Which of the following is true of a master production schedule MPS )?

What is master production schedule?

What are main functions of a master production schedule?