Manufacturing scheduling process with improved modeling, scheduling and editing capabilities for solving finite capacity planning problems

Abstract

A method for solving finite capacity problems such as how to satisfy a customer's request for a manufactured product, by describing the environment in which the problem exists in the form of a demand (e.g., customer order), including the available resources for satisfying the demand, defining the demand, selecting a plan for achieving the various objectives of the demand in an optimal order, and evaluating whether the plan will work. Also disclosed is a computer program product implementing the invention, and a system for coordinating multiple sources of input into a system implementing the disclosed invention.

The invention claimed is:  
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for deriving at least one plan for scheduling a use of available resources to satisfy one or more demands for goods or services comprising the steps of: 
 describing an environment which models the available resources;    defining each of the demands as one or more orders where each of the orders has one or more line items;    selecting a plan for scheduling the demands based upon the environment; and    evaluating the plan for the purpose of either (a) accepting the plan, or (b) rejecting the plan and initiating steps for creating a new plan.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said step of describing an environment further comprises: 
 describing each of the available resources and a capacity of each of the available resources; and  
 describing a utilization structure which describes the use and limitations on use of substantially all of the available resources.  
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the step of describing an environment further comprises describing one or more customers associated with the demands.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the step of describing a utilization structure further comprises describing the utilization structure in terms of an objective having one or more sequences having one or more operations having one or more steps, where each step may be associated with relationships and with requirements.  
     
     
         5 . A method according to  claim 1  wherein the step of scheduling demand further comprises the steps of: 
 associating the plan with the environment and the demand;  
 selecting which of the one or more orders to schedule; and  
 scheduling the selected orders.  
 
     
     
         6 . A method according to  claim 5  wherein the step of scheduling demand further comprises, for each selected order, the steps of: 
 creating activity lists for one or more sequences, each sequence having one or more operations and each operation having one or more steps, where each step may be associated with one or more relationships and with one or more requirements;  
 creating opportunities for each line item of the selected orders, each opportunity having associated with it one or more activities;  
 selecting opportunities;  
 scheduling the activities associated with the selected opportunities;  
 verifying each selected opportunity for which the associated activities were successfully scheduled; and  
 correlating each of the activities of the verified selected opportunities to the selected order.  
 
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 6  wherein the step of creating activity lists further comprises: 
 selecting a sequence from the one or more sequences;  
 selecting one or more of the operations of the selected sequence;  
 selecting one or more of the steps of the selected operations;  
 creating an activity based upon the selected steps, the activity having one or more requirements associated therewith and the one or more requirements each having a resource associated therewith;  
 selecting relevant requirements from said associated requirements;  
 adding the selected requirements to the created activity;  
 selecting one or more relationships; and  
 adding the selected relationships to the created activity.  
 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6  wherein the step of creating opportunities comprises: 
 selecting one of the activity lists;  
 selecting an activity from the selected activity list;  
 creating an opportunity for the selected activity; and  
 adding the created opportunity to the line item.  
 
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 6  wherein the step of scheduling activities comprises: 
 selecting a requirement from the one or more requirements associated with one of the activities associated with the selected opportunities;  
 creating the resource associated with the selected requirement, said resource having an availability state;  
 determining how to allocate the created resource to an activity associated with the selected opportunities;  
 updating the availability state of the created resource; and  
 adding the created resource to the determined activity.  
 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the step of defining demands comprises: 
 selecting a demand where the demand may be chosen from a one or more default plans or a new demand may be created and selected; and  
 creating one or more orders specifying the selected demand, each of the one or more orders having one or more line items.  
 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1  wherein the step of evaluating the plan comprises: 
 inspecting the relationship between the selected plan and each of the demand and the resources, including what resources will be used in executing the plan;  
 determining whether the demand is adequately satisfied;  
 comparing the demand to the resources which will be used in executing the plan; and  
 determining whether the plan is satisfactory based in part on results of one or more of said steps of inspecting the relationships, determining whether demand is satisfied, and comparing the demand to the resources.  
 
     
     
         12 . A computer program product having a computer readable medium having computer readable code recorded thereon for solving finite capacity problems in a variety of different environments comprising: 
 first receiving means for receiving information about available resources;    second receiving means for receiving information about demands;    modeling means for modeling an environment based upon (a) said information about said available resources and (b) said information about said demands;    defining means for defining said demands as one or more orders where each of said orders has one or more line items;    selecting means for selecting a plan for scheduling the demands based upon said environment; and    evaluating means for evaluating said plan for the purpose of either (a) accepting said plan, or (b) rejecting said plan and initiating steps for creating a new plan.    
     
     
         13 . The computer program product of  claim 12  further comprising: 
 object centers having (a) means for updating and storing said information about available resources and (b) means for updating and storing said information about demands; and  
 means for updating said plan responsive to updating said information about available resources and said information about demands.  
 
     
     
         14 . The computer program product of  claim 13  wherein: 
 said means for updating and storing said information about available resources comprises one or more schema, each schema having one or more tables where each table comprises one or more rows and one or more columns, and wherein the intersection of one of said one or more rows and one of said one or more columns forms a data cell capable of storing some of said information about available resources; and  
 said means for updating and storing said information about demand comprises one or more schema, each schema having one or more tables where each table comprises one or more rows and one or more columns, and wherein an intersection of one of said one or more rows and one of said one or more columns forms a data cell capable of storing some of said information about demand.  
 
     
     
         15 . The computer program product of  claim 12  further comprising: 
 a framework having plural class libraries hierarchically arranged with respect to each of said other plural class libraries such that a first class library hierarchically adjacent to a second class library is with respect to said second class library one of the group of a parent, a sibling, or an offspring;  
 wherein each class library comprises one or more routines, each routine having a functionality; and  
 wherein each class library inherits said functionalities of each offspring class library.  
 
     
     
         16 . A system for monitoring and coordinating contemporaneous data inputs from multiple sources in a system for planning or managing the manufacture of a product, said monitoring and coordinating system comprising: 
 (a) means for providing desired data responsive to a change in said desired data;    (b) plural object centers with each of said plural object centers having (i) means for receiving said desired data, (ii) means for sending said desired data, (iii) means for storing said desired data, and (iv) stored data regarding other object centers of said plural object centers;    (c) at least one data processor; and    (d) a communication medium linking said means for generating and sending desired data, said plural object centers, and said at least one data processors.    
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16  wherein said means for storing said desired data comprises one or more schema, each schema having one or more tables where each table comprises one or more rows and one or more columns, and wherein an intersection of one of said one or more rows and one of said one or more columns forms a data cell capable of storing some of said desired data.  
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16  wherein at least one of said multiple sources is a monitor which monitors a status of a resource, said status comprising part of said desired data, and said monitor having means for providing said status to at least one of said plural object centers.  
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 16  wherein at least one of said multiple sources comprises a customer interface linked to said communication medium for allowing a customer to send desired data to at least one of said plural object centers.