VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY

GRADO DEPARTMENT OF INDUSTRIAL AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

TR
TR

PRODUCTION PLANNING AND INVENTORY CONTROL

ISE 4204 FALL 2015

9:30-10:45
12:30-1:45

SURGE 107
SURGE 104A

CRN 84164
CRN 84163

FINAL EXAM 09T - DEC 11, 7:45AM

FINAL EXAM 12T - DEC 17, 1:05PM

INSTRUCTOR AND GTAS

Dr. Natalie Cherbaka, Durham 117, cherbaka@vt.edu, TH 11-12

Leily Farrokhvar, Durham 216, leily@vt.edu, W 12-2 or check course calendar
Jia Liu, Durham 106, jliu@vt.edu, Thursday 2-4 or check course calendar
COURSE OBJECTIVES

Planning and control of operations, in various industries, is critical to the following:

The effective management and utilization of resources, and
The production of cost effective products and services.
The design of production planning and inventory control systems also affects an
organization's ability to rapidly respond to changes in the marketplace and satisfy
customer requirements.
This course covers the principles, models, and techniques for planning, analyzing,
and designing integrated production planning and control systems. Specifically,
upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Implement different strategies to plan production and control inventory;

2. Identify the major components of a production management system and
describe the relationships between the components;
3. Construct models for production planning and inventory control problems;
4. Analyze appropriate techniques and approaches for solving production planning
and inventory control problems;
5. Design a comprehensive production plan including an aggregate production
plan, master production schedule, and a material requirements plan for a given
forecast and set of products; and apply appropriate techniques for solving
representative production planning and inventory control problems.

COURSE TOPICS:

Course Topic

Reading

Introduction and Strategy

Chapter 1

Aggregate Planning

Chapter 3

Inventory Planning - Uncertain Demand

Chapter 5

The Goal

Synchronous Manufacturing Systems

Inventory Planning - Known Demand

MIDTERM EXAM 1

Material Requirements Planning

Operations Scheduling
MIDTERM EXAM 2

Forecasting Systems

The Manufacturing Game (Group Project)

Chapter 4
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 2
6-10p

TEXTBOOKS

(8/27-9/3)

(9/8-9/17)

(9/17-9/29)
10/1

10/6-10/15

10/15-10/27
10/27-11/5
11/10

11/12-11/19

12/1-12/8 (1 night)

Nahmias, S. and T. Olsen, Production and Operations Analysis, 7th Edition, Waveland
Press, Inc., 2015.
Goldratt, E., The Goal, 3rd Revised Edition, North River Press, Inc., 2004.

Exam 1

22%

Assignments
(Homework and ICE)

22%

Exam 2

Manufacturing Game
Final Exam

22%
13%
21%

GRADING

Thursday, October 1, in class period

Tuesday, November 10, in class period

Evening event required, dates TBA

University scheduled time in classroom

Range
93 -100
90 92
87 89
83 86
80 82
77 79
73 76
70 72
67 69
63 66
60 62

A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
D-

Letter
Grade

The final course grade is based on the

total weighted points and the adjacent
scale.
Requests for end of semester extra
credit, curves, points, etc. will NOT be
considered with the exception of
obvious recording errors.

Exam Re-grade requests are due

within a week of exams, not the end of
the semester.
ASSIGNMENT DETAILS

Homework is an opportunity to execute concepts covered in class, and serves as a

gauge for your comprehension of course material. The exchange of opinions and
discussion with your peers is valuable and encouraged. However, it is expected that
each student completes their homework on their own and shows independent work.
The Assignment category score will be calculated based on total points of
homework and any other graded work (quizzes, in-class work, etc). A 5% curve
will be added; that is, 5% of the total possible assignment points will be added to
your homework total, with the total assignment score not to exceed 100%.

Unless otherwise stated, all homework will be electronically in Canvas. You may
scan in handwritten work when appropriate and neat. Please confirm, doublecheck, and leave time for errors with submissions in Canvas. If Canvas is causing
you to be late with an assignment, immediately document the problem via email
with a GTA.

Late homework will be accepted (for most assignments unless noted otherwise) for
up to 48 hours after the due date with a 10% deduction per 24 hours. You do not
need permission, simply submit it late.

EXAMS

Exams are closed book, notes, etc. with the exception of a calculator (no phones or
other similar devices). Necessary formulas will be provided on the exam.
Requests for re-grading exams must be submitted in writing with explanation on a
cover sheet, within one week of when the exams are first returned. End of semester
requests will not be considered.

For approved absences from an exam, the instructor needs to be notified before the
exam. It is your responsibility to receive permission from the instructor and schedule
a timely make-up exam. If this cannot be accomplished, the final exam score will
replace a missed mid-term.
THE MANUFACTURING GAME

The course project involves planning and executing a schedule for The Manufacturing
Planning Game. The Game is played with a team of 8-14 students, depending on total
class sizes. Each student takes a role in the business: CEO, CFO, Inventory Manager,
Production Planner, Production Worker, etc.
The Game involves developing production plans for three products over a specified
time horizon. Plans are implemented by purchasing inventory, producing products,
while attempting to meet sales demands that are randomly generated at the end of
each time period. Cost and revenues are recorded for each time period and the team
that generates the highest profit wins the game. Additional information on The
Manufacturing Planning Game will be provided as the semester progresses.
ABSENCES AND MISSED WORK

To be eligible for make-up work, notify the instructor prior to the absence, or as
timely as possible in cases of emergencies and sickness. Make-up work will be
accommodated for university-approved documented absences and must be initiated
by the student and completed in a timely manner.
COURSEPAGE

The Canvas calendar will hold information on office hours, due dates, etc. Select
course material will be available on Canvas; material will be covered in class that is
not posted on Canvas and vice versa. Students are responsible for changes to the
syllabus and announcements in class or in Canvas.
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ACCOMMODATIONS

Please address any special needs or special accommodations with me during the first
two weeks of the semester, or as soon as a need is identified. Those seeking
accommodations based on disabilities should obtain a Faculty Letter from the
Services for Students with Disabilities office, http://www.ssd.vt.edu/, located at 310
Lavery Hall. Exam accommodations need to be student-initiated at least one week in
advance for scheduling.
COMMUNICATION

Students are expected to act professionally in communication with the Instructor,

GTAs, and other students. All emails should contain the class and section you
attend. Additionally, please check the syllabus, announcements, emails, messages,
calendar, etc. before emailing questions. Grades must be discussed in person not via
email.
HONOR CODE

All students must adhere to the Honor Code Policies of Virginia Tech. The Honor Code
will be strictly enforced in this course. All work for the course shall be considered
graded individual work, unless otherwise noted. All aspects of your coursework are
covered by the honor system. Any suspected violations of the Honor Code will be
reported to the honor system.

Honesty in your academic work will develop into professional integrity. The faculty
and students of Virginia Tech will not tolerate any form of academic dishonesty. The
Honor System Constitution is posted on the Virginia Tech web pages
www.honorsystem.vt.edu.
PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY

Virginia Tech is a public land-grant university, committed to teaching and learning,

research, and outreach to the Commonwealth of Virginia, the nation, and the world
community. Learning from the experiences that shape Virginia Tech as an institution,
we acknowledge those aspects of our legacy that reflected bias and exclusion.
Therefore, we adopt and practice the following principles as fundamental to our ongoing efforts to increase access and inclusion and to create a community that nurtures
learning and growth for all of its members:
We affirm the inherent dignity and value of every person and strive to maintain
a climate for work and learning based on mutual respect and understanding.
We affirm the right of each person to express thoughts and opinions freely. We
encourage open expression within a climate of civility, sensitivity, and mutual
respect.
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 We affirm the value of human diversity because it enriches our lives and the
University. We acknowledge and respect our differences while affirming our
common humanity.
We reject all forms of prejudice and discrimination, including those based on
age, color, disability, gender, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion,
sexual orientation, and veteran status. We take individual and collective
responsibility for helping to eliminate bias and discrimination and for
increasing our own understanding of these issues through education, training,
and interaction with others.
We pledge our collective commitment to these principles in the spirit of the
Virginia Tech motto of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).
FAMILY EDUCATION RIGHTS AND PRIVACY ACT (FERPA)

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) relates to privacy of student
information. A summary of the federal guidelines governing disclosure of the academic
record is provided: http://www.registrar.vt.edu/privacy/index.html.
When communicating with students and/or with the department or GTAs about
students, some specific tips from the above web site are:
Do not include personally identifiable FERPA data in totality in an email: no
full name and full generated student ID.
Do not list name and ID in the subject line.
Communicate using either the student ID with the full initials of the student
[999999999 (ANW)] or use the full name with the last four of the ID [Alice N.
Wonderland (1234)].
Do not attach files with full identifiers or non-directory information via
email.
Do not send via email any grade information to a student or about students
(even if in response to an individual student asking for an exam or project
grade).
If a student, another faculty, or anyone at VT has emailed you and that email
does not comply with the above guidelines, faculty should edit the email to
meet the guidelines above prior to forwarding to anyone else or replying to
the student.