In the quest for data-driven optimization, knowing where to start is just as critical as understanding the destination. With an array of unique scheduling puzzles and the pressure to foresee a significant Return on Investment (ROI) before implementing a comprehensive scheduling solution, the starting point may seem daunting. That's where the More Optimal approach comes in—a meticulously designed four-step methodology to identify and capitalize on your improvement potential.
Step 1: Deep Dive into Your Data
The More Optimal journey begins with an insightful exploration of your existing data—the plans and actuals. We don't merely glance; we dive deep, immersing ourselves in the specifics of your production process and the scheduling solution currently being used. Whether you're working with ERP, MES, or even Excel, our consultants or partners from our implementation team perform a 'quick scan', providing a detailed benchmark of your operations.
A typical quick scan takes about half a day to a day, offering us an overview of your production process's complexity and the level of support your current tool provides. The involvement of key personnel who can offer granular insights about the system, the production process, and planning activities is essential at this stage. A suitable test case is a real-life scenario that encapsulates your production process's complexities and planning challenges.
Step 2: Illuminate Your Data through Visualization
After comprehending your data, the next step is to illuminate it through visualization. This transformative process is more than just translating numbers into graphs—it's about shining a light on the depths of your data, revealing patterns, trends, potential bottlenecks, and anomalies that are often overlooked in a traditional spreadsheet format.
Data visualization also provides an efficient and effective means of ensuring data correctness. It makes inconsistencies, errors, or outliers visibly striking, allowing for prompt detection and correction.
Step 3: Defining the Right KPIs
With a firm understanding of your data, the More Optimal approach takes you through the process of defining the right Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for your specific needs. The 'right' KPIs are those that are not only aligned with your business goals but also can be accurately measured and provide actionable insights.
Defining the right KPIs is crucial because it enables you to measure real business impact. It provides a clear target to aim for and a reliable measure of progress, ensuring that your optimization efforts are always on the right track.
Step 4: Applying Mathematical Algorithms and Optimization Techniques
In this stage of the More Optimal journey, we turn to the power of mathematical algorithms and optimization techniques. Having reconstructed and visualized your current schedule, and having agreed on KPIs to measure its quality, the stage is set for optimization.
With a firm understanding of your operations, we now deploy our optimization algorithms to the data, optimizing the schedule based on the KPIs and planning rules identified in the previous stages. The algorithms do more than just interpret your data - they investigate it, delve into it, and unveil hidden optimization potential.
Post optimization, we align the new schedule against the agreed KPIs, creating a comparison between the initial and optimized schedule. This crucial step quantifies the value that an advanced planning and optimization tool, like More Optimal, brings to your operations, offering metrics of improved efficiency and productivity. This transparent process underscores the transformative potential a comprehensive data-driven optimization approach can have on your business.
Conclusion
With the More Optimal four-step approach, you're guided on a path from data collection and visualization to defining KPIs and applying sophisticated algorithms. This pathway doesn't just lead to the realization of your production scheduling's potential—it also empowers you with the tools and insights to harness it for future growth.
Starting your journey isn't merely about taking the first step—it's about understanding the path ahead. With the More Optimal approach, you're not just moving forward; you're charting a course towards your organization's true potential.
