Project useful for production scheduling?

[Burchjk]

Is anyone using Project for manufacturing production scheduling, resource
allocation, et cetera? I'm trying to decide whether this product is suitable
as both a scheduling and costing tool when producing batches (jobs, job lots,
whatever) of widgets (on a per batch basis) using machinery staffed by
multiple workers per machine. Thanks!

 

[Gerard Ducouret]

Hello,
Yes, Project can be used for that, while it's not its first vocation ! But I
know several companies which use Project as a manufacturing production
scheduling tool. The question is : what are your management rules you need
to apply.

Gérard Ducouret

 

[davegb]

I've seen Project used as a production scheduling tool, but only when
the production was done in batches, which is what you're talking about.
One of the main limitations of Project is that it requires a start
date, then creates an end date automatically (unless you use "Schedule
from Finish" which is another issue entirely), and tries to determine
the critical path between these 2 dates. In ongoing production, where
there is no known end date, there are problems.
Keep this limitation in mind, and you'll do fine.

 

[Burchjk]

Merci, Gérard!

What do you mean by "management rules", exactly? Please excuse my ignorance
about project management methodology, if it is a term of art you are using.

I tried to include constraints in my question, but probably too briefly.

We are manufacturing widgets of various sizes and shapes. Individual
production jobs would be a widget of a particular size, shape, material and
quanity. At each process stage, the material for that job is handled by
multiple people using a single machine; the limiting factor is the time it
takes the machine to process the material, but multiple labor resources are
being used. It would be most useful to use specific individual production
jobs as the underlying tasks. So far, I can't see a way to do that, but
there may be other methods I could use instead.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance!

Jim

 

[Burchjk]

Thanks, Dave!