“Unlocking Success: 10 Key Questions to guide your Planning & Scheduling Optimisation Investments.”
By Esenthren Govender at Technodyn International
Effective planning and scheduling have always been crucial for businesses, but in today’s fast-paced environment, they are more important than ever. This is especially true in industries like manufacturing, services, and asset-intensive sectors, where achieving operational excellence is crucial.
To simplify and streamline their planning and scheduling processes, many organisations are now turning to technology solutions. However, with so many options available, selecting the right technology investment can be a daunting task. To remain competitive, businesses must identify efficiencies and cost savings in their operations.
Unlocking the Potential of Planning and Scheduling Optimisation:
Planning and scheduling play pivotal roles in optimising operations and driving productivity across any organisation. A recent white paper by IFS emphasises how technology can substantially empower enterprises to increase their business value through planning and scheduling optimisation. By embracing advanced techniques and harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI), organisations have the potential to revolutionise their planning and scheduling practices.
Embracing Automation
Transitioning from manual to automated scheduling involves a cultural shift that organisations must recognise and address. This shift fundamentally changes the roles of planners and dispatchers, requiring a focus on managing exceptions rather than day-to-day scheduling tasks. Comprehensive training and support are essential for successful adoption. Building trust in automated decision-making through transparency and collaboration allows teams to confidently override recommendations when necessary, ultimately leading to improved decision-making over time.
Choosing the Right Partners
Organisations must seek specialists who understand both scheduling intricacies and the broader operational context to optimise planning and scheduling. Industry-specific knowledge is crucial for tailoring solutions to meet unique requirements. Partnering with scheduling experts who are familiar with industry regulations and operational nuances ensures optimal results and successful implementation.
Technology Adoption
To achieve operational excellence, organisations can leverage advanced techniques offered by IFS:
AI-driven Clustering: Automates scheduling by breaking it into manageable chunks based on geography or time, resulting in improved scheduling outcomes.
Optimal Shared Recurring Schedules: Determines the best days for recurring maintenance tasks, minimising travel time and efficiently distributing work among the workforces.
Flexible Roster Planning: Ensures the right resources are available based on predicted requirements, divisions, areas, and skills, optimising shift planning for enhanced efficiency.
What-if Scenario Planning: Utilises AI algorithms to simulate alternative scenarios, allowing organisations to test changes in resource allocation and make proactive adjustments to meet service level agreements (SLAs).
The Real Questions:
Identifying Challenges: Understanding current planning and scheduling challenges is the initial step in addressing them effectively.
Continuous AI Optimisation: Does the solution continuously optimise the schedule using AI?
Flexibility in Scheduling Engine: Does the solution offer the ability to choose how to use the scheduling engine?
Predictive Analytics for Maintenance: Can it perform predictive analytics using asset condition data for preventive maintenance?
Data-driven Planning and Forecasting: Can you use it to perform data-driven planning and forecasting?
Cross-functional Deployment: Can the technology be deployed across different business functions?
Future-proof and Innovative: Is the solution future-proof and backed by an innovative company committed to improvement?
Scalability for Real-time Scheduling: Is it scalable to handle scheduling tens of thousands of resources in real-time?
KPI-driven Scheduling: Does it support scheduling based on business value and meeting KPIs?
Industry Validation: Has the solution proven its value in your industry?
Point of It All
In today’s fast-paced business world, planning and scheduling optimisation investments are not just about staying competitive – they are the key to unlocking success. When selecting a planning and scheduling optimisation solution, aligning it with your organisation’s specific requirements is crucial. Consider factors like scalability, integration capabilities, intelligence, visibility, analytics, user-friendliness, customisation options, reputation, and total cost of ownership.
Asking these key questions lets you evaluate different solutions thoroughly and make an informed decision that propels your organisation toward operational excellence.