van Wouter Wezel

Coordination activities of human planners during rescheduling : case analysis and event handling procedure

This paper addresses the process of event handling and rescheduling in manufacturing practice. Firms are confronted with many diverse events, such as new or changed orders, machine breakdowns, and material shortages. These events influence the feasibility and optimality of schedules, and thus induce rescheduling. In many manufacturing firms, schedules are created by several human planners. Coordination between them is needed to respond to events adequately. In this paper, the practice of coordination during event handling is analysed by an extensive case study. The study shows that human planners spend much time in communicating events and in negotiating rescheduling solutions. Because many events demand a quick response, the possibilities for coordination are restricted by time constraints. The paper proposes a procedure to structure the event handling process. This procedure helps a scheduler to select an appropriate response to an event by evaluating its influence on schedule feasibility and the time available for coordination and rescheduling. The use of the procedure in the case company has led to improved rescheduling performance through a reduction of scheduler interactions and increasing coordination efficiency. The procedure contributes to traditional planning frameworks and paradigms, and supports the conscious selection and use of rescheduling methods in manufacturing practice.

Does location matter for a scheduling department?: A longitudinal case study on the effects of relocating the schedulers

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of physical proximity between schedulers and operators within manufacturing firms. In literature, a small distance between interdependent employees is assumed to be a prerequisite for a high level of coordination. This study investigates this assumption empirically for the relationship between scheduling and manufacturing and shows effects of proximity that are only partly in line with literature.Design/methodology/approach – Consequences of relocating the scheduling department within a production firm are studied using a longitudinal case study approach. Data have been collected within three phases: before, three months after, and one year after the relocation.Findings – Findings show that schedulers and operators communicate more face‐to‐face and less by phone after the relocation, especially during rescheduling. Furthermore, schedulers and operators perceived positive changes in ease of coordination and performance due to the relocation.R...