Master Production Schedule

🎯 What is Master Production Schedule (MPS)?

The Master Production Schedule is a strategic production planning tool that creates a detailed week-by-week plan for the next 12 weeks. It tells you what to produce, when to produce it, and how much, while balancing customer demand with your production capacity.

Key Benefits:

• 12-week visibility into production needs
• Balanced capacity utilization (target: 80-90%)
• Timely material ordering through MRP integration
• Accurate delivery date promises to customers
• Reduced firefighting and rush orders

🔒 Understanding Time Fences

The MPS uses 4 time horizons with different rules:

1. Frozen (Weeks 1-2): Production is scheduled, materials ordered. Cannot change. Any changes require executive approval and may cause delays/waste.
2. Firm (Weeks 3-4): Materials being ordered. Only ±10% changes allowed with manager approval. Larger changes may incur rush fees.
3. Planned (Weeks 5-8): Fully adjustable. Best time to make changes. Materials not yet ordered.
4. Tentative (Weeks 9-12): Forecast-based, provides long-term visibility. Can be freely adjusted as forecasts improve.

📖 How to Read the Calendar

The calendar shows each product across 12 weeks:

• Product Rows: Each row represents one product
• Week Columns: 12 columns for weeks 1-12
• Cell Numbers: Planned production quantity for that week
• Cell Border Colors: Indicate time fence (Frozen=Red, Firm=Yellow, Planned=Green, Tentative=Purple)
• Capacity Bar: Shows % utilization (Green=optimal, Yellow=near-max, Red=overload)
• Status Dot: Quick visual of capacity status

Click any week cell to see detailed information about time fence rules for that period.

⚡ Generating MPS (4 Steps)

1. Gather Demand: System pulls confirmed sales orders and forecasts
2. Check Capacity: Verifies production lines can handle the load
3. Create Plan: Generates 12-week schedule using selected strategy
4. Validate & Freeze: Review and freeze weeks 1-2

Strategies:

• Chase Demand: Match production exactly to demand each week
• Level Loading: Smooth production across all weeks
• Hybrid (Recommended): Chase in frozen/firm, level in planned/tentative

📅 Weekly MPS Process

Monday Morning (8:00-8:30 AM):

1. Click "Refresh Data" to load current schedule
2. Review upcoming week (frozen zone) - confirm it's locked in
3. Check weeks 2-4 for any critical changes needed
4. Review weeks 5-12, adjust for new orders or forecast changes
5. Click "Optimize Schedule" to balance capacity
6. Click "Generate MPS" to update with latest demand
7. Review MRP dashboard for material requirements

Time Investment: 30 minutes/week vs 4-6 hours with manual planning

🎯 Optimization Strategies

Level Loading: Smooths production to avoid peaks and valleys. Best for reducing overtime and maintaining steady workflow.

When to Optimize:

• Overload weeks (>100% capacity) - red bars in capacity chart
• Underload weeks (<70% capacity) - wasted capacity
• Uneven distribution causing frequent changeovers
• After adding new sales orders

⚠️ Handling Overloads

When a week shows >100% capacity (red bar):

1. Move to Earlier Week: Pull production forward if capacity available
2. Move to Later Week: Push to future if customer can wait
3. Add Overtime Shift: Temporarily increase capacity (costs more)
4. Outsource: Use contract manufacturer (if time-sensitive)
5. Negotiate Delivery: Work with customer on new date

🔗 Integration with Other Systems

MPS → MRP: Your MPS automatically feeds the MRP system, which calculates material requirements for each planned production run.

MPS → Production Floor: Week 1 (frozen) becomes the production floor schedule. Shop floor managers execute against this plan.

Sales Orders → MPS: Confirmed sales orders automatically populate MPS demand calculations.

MPS → Feasibility Checker: When sales team enters new orders, feasibility checker uses MPS to promise accurate delivery dates.

📊 Success Metrics (KPIs)

• Schedule Adherence: Target >95% (actually produce what you planned)
• Capacity Utilization: Target 80-90% (not too high, not too low)
• Forecast Accuracy: Target >85% (how well forecasts match actuals)
• Changeover Time: Track time lost switching between products

❓ Common Questions

Q: What if I get an urgent order for a frozen week?
A: Escalate to manager. May require: (1) Overtime shift, (2) Displacing another order, (3) Rush material fees, or (4) Negotiating delivery date.

Q: How often should I update MPS?
A: Weekly minimum. More frequent updates (2-3x/week) recommended for fast-changing environments.

Q: What if capacity is consistently over 100%?
A: Long-term solutions: (1) Add production line/shift, (2) Hire more workers, (3) Invest in faster equipment, (4) Outsource overflow, or (5) Limit sales to capacity.

💡 Best Practices

• Never change frozen weeks without executive approval
• Freeze week 1 by Friday prior to start of that week
• Review MPS every Monday morning (30 minutes)
• Run "Optimize Schedule" after major changes
• Keep utilization between 80-90% (not 100%!)
• Coordinate with procurement on material lead times
• Use tentative weeks (9-12) for scenario planning
• Track schedule adherence weekly
• Hold weekly MPS review meeting with key stakeholders
• Document reasons for any changes to frozen/firm weeks

📧 Need Help?

For questions or issues with the MPS system, contact:
Production Planning Team
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (555) 123-4567