Factors Affecting Scheduling - External Factors

The following factors govern the scheduling and are to be considered before establishing scheduling plan:

External Factors: The external factors are the factors that are not in the control of the management. They are dictated through the outside forces for which the management tries to adjust. The important external factors are like as below:

a. Customer Demand: It is estimated by the sales forecasting. In the continuous production scheduling is based on the forecast of the supposed sales of the specific items. In the intermittent production the forecast is made on the basis of the expected volume of business in rupee terms.

b. Customers Delivery Dates: In a carries on production with seasonal demand the scheduling should be made in such type of a way that it may maintain a balanced production throughout the year reducing the stock of inventories with a constant level of production. In the intermittent production the seasonal demand may be adjusted through providing delivery on agreeable delivery dales to the customer order. Generally the additional orders are not accepted if they are not fitting into the planned production.

c. Stock of Goods already lying with Dealers and retailers: This situation arises in cases of continuous production of standardized items. Usually the dealers and retailer are maintaining certain stock levels with them. The scheduling should be made in the light of the stock position with the dealers and retailers.