Blog
Insights on production scheduling, lean manufacturing, and manufacturing software from 35+ years of industry experience.
Everything we have published.
My MPS Firmed Quantity Did Not Become a Job
A master schedule quantity turns into a build order only when you firm it, and only a make-to-stock product qualifies. How to tell a saved row from a firmed one and fix it.
My Partial Holiday Reduced Too Much or Too Little Capacity
A partial-day holiday scales by instances and utilization and only counts the overlap with the shift. How to read the math and fix an over- or under-cut.
The Optimizer Will Not Improve a Job I Know Can Move
When the solver leaves one job exactly where it is, its routing usually carries a feature the solver does not model natively, so the job is locked on purpose. How to read the reason and act.
The Quote Promised Date Does Not Match the Real Schedule
A quote simulation runs in memory and reserves no capacity, so the real plan can differ once other jobs load, the routing changes, or assumptions diverge. How to reconcile them.
The Same Job Shows Different Hours in Two Places
Two screens disagreeing on a job's hours usually means one reads the estimate and the other the schedule, or two internal stores drifted. How to find the true number.
The Schedule Did Not Use My Second Shift: Where to Look
A second shift the scheduler ignores usually is not assigned to the work center, has no hours for the day, or was simply not needed. How to tell which and fix it.
A Completed Job Moved When I Rescheduled: Why It Almost Never Did
Completed work is never moved by a reschedule. When it looks like it did, the cause is a missing actual end date, a partial step's forward split, or a stale view. How to tell.
A Holiday Did Not Reduce Capacity: Causes and Fixes
When a holiday you added leaves capacity untouched, the cause is usually a holiday added after the last run, the wrong holiday level, or an override holding the day open. How to tell.
A Parallel Operation Did Not Mirror: Causes and Fixes
When a dependent parallel operation's partner machines do not show matching times, the cause is a shared-shift gap, a failed parent, or a miswired parallel setting. How to tell which.
A Work Center Group Scheduled the Wrong Machine: Causes and Fixes
When a machine-pool routing lands on a machine you did not expect, the cause is usually the group's selection strategy working as designed. How to read the choice and steer it.
Lot Streaming Did Not Overlap My Operations: Causes and Fixes
You set up lot streaming but the downstream step still waits for the full upstream lot. The four documented reasons a transfer batch or flow lag stops working, and how to fix each.
My Actual Hours Did Not Reduce the Remaining Work: Causes and Fixes
Logging hours records them, but the remaining balance only recalculates on the next reschedule. Why logged hours can look like they had no effect, and how to make them count.