Deck 22: Workcenter Scheduling

Question 1

A system that "backward schedules" is designed to determine and report the earliest date an order can be completed.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Priority rules are the rules used to obtain a job sequence in production scheduling.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

In production scheduling, the process of determining which job to start first on some machine or in some workcenter is known as sequencing or priority sequencing.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Under the STR/OP sequencing priority rule, orders with the jobs with the longest STR/OP are run first.

Question 5

A shop-floor control system is a system that uses data from the shop floor as well as data processing files to maintain and communicate status information on shop orders and workcenters.

Question 6

The LCFS and Johnson's priority rules are basically the same except LCFS uses due dates as a major determiner of job sequence.

Question 7

Using the random order or "whim" priority rule to sequence production jobs means that supervisors or operators select whichever job they feel like running.

Question 8

Theoretically, all schedules are feasible when finite loading is used.

Question 9

In infinite loading, no consideration is given directly to whether there is sufficient capacity at the resources required to complete the work, nor is the actual sequence of the work as done by each resource in the workcenter considered.

Question 10

One of the principles of workcenter scheduling is to match workcenter input information to what the worker can actually do.

Question 11

The assignment method of job sequencing is a special case of the transportation method of linear programming.

Question 12

Initiating performance of scheduled work is commonly termed "dispatching" of orders.

Question 13

The objective of Johnson's rule for job sequencing is to minimize flow time from the beginning of the first job until the completion of the last job.

Question 14

Johnson's rule, a priority rule used in sequencing production jobs, is used only in production situations where we are dealing with one machine or one stage of production activity.

Question 15

Shop-floor control (or production activity control) can involve expediting late and critical orders.

Question 16

Shop-floor control (or production activity control) can involve reviewing the status and controlling the progress of orders as they are being worked on.

Question 17

A backward schedule tells when an order must be started in order to be done by a specific date.

Question 18

One of the principles of workcenter scheduling is that, while certainty of standards, routings, and so forth is not entirely possible in a shop, certainty should always be an objective to work toward.

Question 19

A workcenter is a physical area of the business in which productive resources are organized and work is completed.

Question 20

In finite loading, no consideration is given directly to whether there is sufficient capacity at the resources required to complete the work, nor is the actual sequence of the work as done by each resource in the workcenter considered.

Question 21

Most process are both labor- and machine-limited.

Question 22

The goal in developing a service staffing plan is to minimize overtime.

Question 23

One of the principles of workcenter scheduling is that once started, a job should not be interrupted.

Question 24

From an operations standpoint, one of the goals of the firm under the theory of constraints is to increase throughput while simultaneously reducing inventory and reducing operating expense.

Question 25

Mr. Goldratt's "theory of constraints" is useful only in manufacturing settings.

Question 26

According to the theory of constraints, capacity is the time available for production.

Question 27

According to the theory of constraints, the term "productivity" is defined as all those actions that bring a company closer to its goals.

Question 28

OPT stands for optimal purchasing technique.

Question 29

MES and SES are acronyms for "manufacturing environment scheduler" and "service environment scheduler" systems, respectively.

Question 30

When work is scheduled in detail using the setup and run time required for each order, then theoretically all schedules will be feasible.

Question 31

Most scheduling systems develop their schedules without consideration of capacity.

Question 32

Operations scheduling is at the heart of what is currently referred to as Manufacturing Scheduling System (MSS).

Question 33

According to the theory of constraints, a non-bottleneck is any resource where capacity is less than the demand placed on it.

Question 34

Scheduling hourly work times using the "first-hour principle" ensures that no excess labor will be used during the work shift.

Question 35

Synchronous manufacturing refers to the entire production process working together in harmony to achieve the goals of the firm.

Question 36

One of the principles of workcenter scheduling is that the effectiveness of any shop should be measured by speed of flow through the shop.

Question 37

According to the theory of constraints, it is wrong for manufacturers to try to match capacity with demand by attempting to balance capacity across a sequence of processes. Unbalanced capacity is better.

Question 38

Dr. Eli Goldratt feels that the goal of a firm is to make useful products efficiently.

Question 39

According to the theory of constraints, a bottleneck is any resource whose capacity is greater than the demand placed on it.

Question 40

The operational measure of throughput is "the rate at which money is generated by the system through production of goods and services that might be sold."

Question 41

On an assembly line, a process batch can be infinite.

Question 42

The "dollar days" inventory measurement results from a complex algorithm used to compute individual units of inventory and their respective ordering and holding costs.

Question 43

Buffer inventory in front of a bottleneck is called a time buffer.

Question 44

The synchronous manufacturing approach uses backward scheduling.

Question 45

A process batch should be no larger than the transfer batch.

Question 46

The "dollar days" inventory measurement can be used in purchasing to discourage large work-in-process and producing earlier than is needed.

Question 47

An MRP system can allow for product rejects by building a larger batch than is demanded, but a JIT system cannot tolerate poor quality.

Question 48

According to the theory of constraints, a capacity-constrained resource (CCR) is one whose utilization is close to capacity and could be a bottleneck if it is not scheduled carefully.

Question 49

On an assembly line, a transfer batch can be one unit.

Question 50

One way to find a bottleneck is to run a capacity resource profile.

Question 51

Smaller transfer batches give lower work-in-process inventory and faster product flow.

Question 52

JIT requires work-in-process when used with Kanban so there is inventory to pull. When compared to synchronous manufacturing, this is viewed as a negative aspect of JIT.

Question 53

According to the theory of constraints, throughput is the rate at which product is passed through the manufacturing system.

Question 54

A way to find a bottleneck is to use one's knowledge of a particular plant, look at the system in operation, and talk with supervisors and workers.

Question 55

The "dollar days" inventory measurement may be used to focus management's attention on where inventory is located.

Question 56

Rather than try to adjust the master production schedule to change resource loads, it is more practical to control the flow at each bottleneck or CCR to bring capacities in line.

Question 57

A synchronous manufacturing system does not have excess capacity throughout the system, except for the bottleneck.

Question 58

Larger transfer batches give shorter lead times and lower inventories, and there is more material handling than smaller transfer batches.

Question 59

Transfer batch is another term for process batch.

Question 60

According to the theory of constraints, throughput is the rate at which money is generated by the system through sales.

Question 61

In a process sequence where a product flows from process A to process B, process B is called the dependent process.

Question 62

The effects of statistical variations in processing times in a dependent sequence will eventually cancel themselves out due to the law of averages.

Question 63

MRP uses forward scheduling, beginning with the master production schedule.

Question 64

In this type of production, the typical scheduling approach is infinite forward scheduling typical: priority control; typically labor-limited, but often machine-limited; often responding to just-in-time orders from customers or MRP due dates.

A) Projects
B) Mid-volume manufacturing
C) Continuous processes
D) Low-volume workcenters
E) High-volume manufacturing

Question 65

Looking at the loads that are placed on each resource by the products that are scheduled through them is called process flow profiling.

Question 66

Labor cost and machine hours are ignored in valuing inventory in TOC.

Question 67

Because of statistical fluctuation (processing times vary around an average processing time), dependent sequences can operate without any inventory between workstations.

Question 68

In a process sequence where a product flows from process A to process B, process A is called the mother process.

Question 69

JIT requires vendors to be located nearby. When compared to synchronous manufacturing, this is viewed as an advantage of JIT.

Question 70

In this type of production, the typical scheduling approach is infinite, forward scheduling of jobs: usually labor-limited, but certain functions may be machine-limited (a heat-treating process or a precision machining center, for example); priorities determined by MRP due dates.

A) Projects
B) Mid-volume manufacturing
C) Continuous processes
D) Low-volume workcenters
E) High-volume manufacturing

Question 71

There is little to be gained by saving time on a bottleneck operation since it only increases the capacity of one operation.

Question 72

There is no problem with inventory as long as it is eventually used or sold.

Question 73

In synchronous manufacturing thinking, unbalanced capacity is best.

Question 74

The term "dependent events" refers to a process sequence.

Question 75

Statistical fluctuation refers to the normal variation about a mean or average.

Question 76

Departments within a firm often are at odds with each other because reward systems are often not synchronized with the basic goal of the firm: to make money.

Question 77

In a process sequence where a product flows from process A to process B, process B is called the contingent process.

Question 78

Throughput is all production. That is, everything that makes it to finished goods.

Question 79

Since there are so many nonbottleneck operations, an hour saved on them is very valuable.

Question 80

JIT requires a stable production level. When compared to synchronous manufacturing, this is viewed as a negative aspect of JIT.