Sales needs to know whether next month’s demand can be covered, but the family-level plan gives you one total for products with different lead times and components. A master production schedule (MPS) states which items you plan to make, how many, and by when. Start with item-level demand and inventory, propose dated builds to cover the gaps, then check the plan against the resources it needs.
Oracle’s master scheduling documentation describes the MPS as the link between an aggregate production plan and planned supply for specific items, quantities, and dates. Start with finished goods and add a critical subassembly when your planning policy requires its own schedule. A planned completion can then drive component requirements without prescribing the shop’s job sequence.
Build demand by item, site, and due period
Have the demand planner reconcile open customer orders and any forecast that remains after applying the business’s forecast consumption rule (which determines when an order uses up part of the forecast). If a weekly forecast is 75 units and booked orders for 50 consume it within the same bucket, the remaining forecast is 25 and the demand plan is 75. Adding all 75 forecast units to all 50 booked units would create a build requirement for 50 units counted twice.
Choose the period size and horizon before assigning dates. Use a bucket that can surface the due-date decisions you need to make. If a weekly total covers Friday demand but a large order ships on Tuesday, check that week at a finer level. Use the same item and site keys in order, forecast, and stock records so demand at one plant does not consume supply assigned to another. The SIOP process handles the upstream family-level demand and supply decisions.
Calculate projected stock and planned builds
The master scheduler rolls forward projected available balance, the stock expected to remain at the end of each period. Start with usable stock carried from the prior bucket, add existing firm receipts and proposed new builds due in the bucket, and subtract demand. Add builds where the balance would fall below the item’s agreed buffer. Check the item’s order multiple and its completion lead time before you commit the proposed date.
Consider a hypothetical single item starting with 70 usable units, a 15-unit end-of-week buffer, builds in multiples of 40, and no firm receipts. The example assumes weekly demand can be met from completions in the same week and that the operation and completion fall in that week. The first proposal allows two batches in week two.
| Week | Opening balance | Demand | Proposed builds due | Closing balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 70 | 50 | 0 | 20 |
| Week 2 | 20 | 75 | 80 | 25 |
| Week 3 | 25 | 40 | 40 | 25 |
One 40-unit batch in week two would leave a balance of −15. An 80-unit build raises the projected balance to 25, so the item clears its buffer on paper. Keep the order multiple visible with the proposed receipt so another planner can see why the build exceeds the minimum quantity needed.
Check the critical resource and approve near-term changes
Have the capacity owner translate planned builds into load on key resources. Oracle calls this rough-cut capacity planning. It tests the prospective master plan against the resources likely to limit it. For a broader load calculation that includes existing work, shifts, and work center calendars, see manufacturing capacity planning.
Suppose the critical work center has room for only 60 units of this item in week two and can fit an extra 40 units in week one. Moving one batch forward leaves week one at 60 units of stock and week two at 25. If week one is inside the planning time fence, the master scheduler needs the approval required for changes in that period. SAP’s master production scheduling procedure shows how near-term planning proposals depend on time-fence settings. If the earlier batch cannot move, flag the projected gap and keep the unapproved move visible as a scenario.
Record the decision with the version, the quantity moved, the affected dates, and the reason. If the change moves inventory forward into week one, have the planner check the earlier material availability and storage requirements. Protecting week two’s buffer can still create a conflict in week one. For the next schedule review, preserve the version you firmed alongside new scenarios so the shop and materials team can identify which dated builds changed.
Pass the approved item quantities and dates to materials planning
The materials planner uses the approved dates and the bill of materials to determine when components are needed. A plan that fits critical capacity can still uncover a part shortage once material requirements planning (MRP) compares those needs with inventory, receipts, and lead times. Return that exception to the master scheduler with the affected item and date so the owner can adjust supply or confirm the commitment. The ERP and MRP comparison covers where that calculation runs.
Keep the master plan at the item and date level when you hand it to the production scheduler. For example, the approval to complete a 40-unit batch in week one still leaves a choice of which shift to run it on. The shift scheduler can fit the work around other jobs and setup constraints. If that choice changes the promised completion date, send the change back to the master scheduler so component and customer decisions reflect the same commitment.
Inspect the source behind one item’s projected stock
Connect a supported source and identify which item and site fields can be carried into a reusable planning view.
Where Permute fits in master schedule review
Permute is the context layer we sell between business records and the AI tools people use. We can connect supported sources and relate the orders, stock positions, planning exports, and item identifiers you provide.
We can apply your approved demand and projected balance rules in a shared view, with the source records behind each exception. A master scheduler can ask which item and week loses its buffer when a receipt moves and see the permitted inputs behind the answer.
Keep build decisions and releases in the planning system
We supply governed data for forecasts and do not run the forecasting engine. We read connected systems and do not write back into the system of record. Your planning owners run the MRP process, resolve capacity conflicts, and approve releases.
Firm only the quantities and dates the plant can support
A master production schedule converts item demand into dated supply with inventory, batch sizes, and available capacity taken into account. In the example, moving one batch earlier preserves the stock buffer and fits the critical resource, subject to approval. Keep the applicable forecast, receipts, and approved version visible so the materials planner can rerun requirements when the schedule changes.
Review a master schedule handoff with Permute
Bring one item’s demand, stock, and approved plan so you can trace the material requirement to its build date.
Questions about firming and using the master schedule
Is the master schedule date a start date or a completion date?
The discrete example schedules the date on which finished supply becomes available. Work backward using your item lead time and calendars to check when production and component supply must start.
Can a planned completion support a customer promise?
Apply the business’s order-promising rules to decide which supply is firm enough to include. A proposed build awaiting approval or a capacity exception has a different status from confirmed supply.