APICS APICS Master Scheduling & Capacity Planning 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a Master Production Schedule (MPS) in manufacturing?
- To track employee productivity
- To specify what end items are to be produced and when (Correct answer)
- To manage supplier contracts
- To forecast raw material prices
Correct answer: To specify what end items are to be produced and when
The MPS specifies what end items are to be produced and when, serving as the primary driver for MRP calculations.
Question 2: Which technique is used to simulate the impact of a potential order on the master schedule without committing resources?
- Rough-cut capacity planning
- Available-to-promise (ATP)
- Finite scheduling
- Capable-to-promise (CTP) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Capable-to-promise (CTP)
Capable-to-promise (CTP) checks both material availability and capacity before committing a delivery date to a customer.
Question 3: In master scheduling, the 'demand time fence' is the period during which:
- Only actual customer orders drive the schedule (Correct answer)
- Forecasts are given equal weight to orders
- No changes to the MPS are allowed
- Safety stock is replenished
Correct answer: Only actual customer orders drive the schedule
Within the demand time fence, actual customer orders replace forecasts as the primary demand input for the MPS.
Question 4: Rough-Cut Capacity Planning (RCCP) is primarily used to:
- Detail individual work center loads
- Validate the feasibility of the MPS against key resources (Correct answer)
- Replace finite capacity scheduling
- Calculate material requirements
Correct answer: Validate the feasibility of the MPS against key resources
RCCP quickly checks whether the MPS is achievable by comparing planned load against available capacity at key resources.
Question 5: What is the 'planning time fence' in a master schedule?
- The lead time for raw materials
- The period beyond which the MPS can be changed more freely (Correct answer)
- The cycle time for finished goods
- The safety lead time buffer
Correct answer: The period beyond which the MPS can be changed more freely
Beyond the planning time fence, the MPS can be revised more freely without disrupting current production commitments.
Question 6: Available-to-Promise (ATP) is calculated as:
- On-hand inventory minus backorders
- Supply minus demand not yet promised to customers (Correct answer)
- Safety stock plus reorder point
- Total forecast minus actual sales
Correct answer: Supply minus demand not yet promised to customers
ATP represents uncommitted inventory and planned supply that can be promised to new customer orders.
APICS APICS Master Scheduling & Capacity Planning 1
What is the primary purpose of a Master Production Schedule (MPS) in manufacturing?