Do you know why so many companies are failing to find planning and scheduling solutions that actually work? It comes down to one flawed assumption. Their current solutions treat production lead times as a fixed variable.
The truth, as I’ve seen across countless global manufacturers this year, is that lead times are anything but consistent. They are chaotic variables impacted by a multitude of risks—large demand spikes, supplier disruptions, machine breakdowns, and unexpected resource constraints. If the stability of your schedule relies on dates calculated using a lead time, you are doomed to fail.
This is why I am such a big fan of the Demand-Driven Operating Model (DDOM). By using lean principles to create a pull system and incorporating Control Point Scheduling inspired by the Theory of Constraints (TOC) to manage bottlenecks, a DDOM focuses on what is essential, not what is late.
This process enables planners and schedulers to build stable, reliable plans that don’t constantly change. It’s a proven way to navigate the chaos and create schedules that can handle the unpredictable nature of modern manufacturing.
Think flow,
Kevin Boake
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