Book Reviews

Master Scheduling:
A Practical Guide to Competitive Manufacturing

By John F. Proud

Reviewed by Steve Buchwald, CIRM

At long last, we have a complete treatment of master scheduling in one volume. This is the book that old-timers will wish they'd had when they took the CPIM exam, and the book that planners will reach for as a reality check.

The author starts off by explaining what happens when the master schedule goes bad, the stuff that drives all our nightmares. We learn how a master schedule works, and how we can make it work for us in various environments: make-to-stock, make-to-order, and custom-product. We examine planning bills, two-level MPS, option overplanning, and other techniques.

Then Proud takes on the interrelationships and mutual responsibilities in an organization. His chapter on demand management illustrates how intelligent marketing, skillful purchasing, and effective distribution can contribute to customer satisfaction if (or when) abnormal demand patterns threaten to derail even the best of plans.

The final chapter covers material that could be expanded to a whole book in its own right: exploring the implementation of a master scheduling system.

The book has a glossary and a good index, but what really makes it shine are the practical examples, the common sense, the anecdotes drawn from places that sound suspiciously like where many of us work and the undertone of assurance that no matter how chaotic things are now, the author has seen worse and can help get you back on track. This is a clear, organized explanation of scheduling, and a good read besides. Two thumbs up.

Good reading!