Plan, Manage, and Execute Detailed Schedules

Production activity control, scheduling methods, dispatching, lean and pull systems, theory of constraints, and shop floor management.

5 minutes 5 Questions

Plan, Manage, and Execute Detailed Schedules is a critical component within the Certified in Planning and Inventory Management (CPIM) framework that focuses on translating higher-level production plans into actionable, shop-floor-level schedules. This process bridges the gap between strategic plann…

Concepts covered
Priority and Capacity Scheduling FundamentalsProduction Activity Control (PAC)Forward and Backward Scheduling MethodsDispatching Rules and Job SequencingInput/Output ControlLean Production and Pull SystemsKanban Systems and Visual ControlsTheory of Constraints (TOC) and Drum-Buffer-RopeShop Floor Control and ReportingService Operations SchedulingFinite and Infinite Capacity LoadingLead Time Management and Queue Analysis
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CPIM - Plan, Manage, and Execute Detailed Schedules Example Questions

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Question 1

In a lean pull system, what is the primary function of a kanban card?

Correct Answer: It serves as a signal to authorize production or movement of materials

In a lean pull system, a kanban card functions as a visual signal that authorizes either the production of more items or the movement of materials from one workstation to the next, ensuring that work is performed only when there is actual downstream demand.

Tracking cumulative output is a function of production reporting systems, not kanban. Defining sequence and timing of production runs describes a production schedule, which is characteristic of a push system rather than a pull system. Forecasting future demand is a planning activity that operates independently of the kanban mechanism, which responds to actual consumption rather than projections.

The key concept tested is the role of kanban as a pull-based authorization signal in lean manufacturing.

Question 2

A planner notices that a product's total manufacturing lead time is 10 days. The planner knows that queue time makes up 80% of total lead time in most manufacturing environments. The planner wants to reduce overall lead time. Which component of lead time should the planner focus on first to achieve the greatest reduction?

Correct Answer: Queue time, since it typically represents the largest portion of manufacturing lead time

Queue time, the time a job waits at a work center before processing begins, typically accounts for approximately 80% or more of total manufacturing lead time, making it the most impactful component to target for reduction.

Run time is usually a relatively small percentage of total lead time compared to queue time. Move time between work centers, while worth reducing, represents a much smaller fraction of total lead time than queue time. Setup time, although it affects capacity and is important to reduce, does not represent the largest portion of manufacturing lead time.

The key concept tested is understanding the components of manufacturing lead time and recognizing that queue time dominates total lead time in most production environments.

Question 3

A company's production manager is reviewing two proposed scheduling approaches for the upcoming quarter. Approach A focuses on sequencing jobs based on due dates and order priorities. Approach B focuses on ensuring sufficient machine hours and labor are available at each work center. The manager must recommend which combination of approaches will best support on-time delivery. Which recommendation is most justified?

Correct Answer: Both approaches are needed together because priority scheduling determines what and when to produce, while capacity scheduling ensures the resources exist to execute the plan

Both approaches are needed together because priority scheduling (Approach A) determines what to produce and in what order, while capacity scheduling (Approach B) ensures adequate resources such as machine hours and labor are available to execute that plan, and on-time delivery depends on aligning both demand priorities with resource availability.

Priority scheduling alone is insufficient because capacity does not naturally align with requirements without active management. Capacity constraints alone do not determine sequence since customer due dates and order priorities drive scheduling logic. Requiring capacity to be fully confirmed before any priority decisions implies a rigid sequential process, when in practice both are developed iteratively and interdependently.

The key concept tested is the complementary relationship between priority and capacity scheduling in production activity control.

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