Case Study
Learning Curves Redux: A New Use for a Familiar Tool
(The content of this paper is the opinion of Evin Stump, Sr. Systems Engineer at Galorath Incorporated) This paper proposes another use for learning curves, namely the scheduling of production operations. This is not entirely a new idea, but it is usually not formally implemented in the planning of production operations. Learning curves alone can’t do this planning job effectively, but when combined with other appropriate, relatively simple logic, the result can be an automated scheduling process that predicts not only the cost of each produced item, but also the dates when production of each item will start and finish, plus a spread of labor hours and material costs by month, or even by week, if desired.
