Study and application of theory of constraints to sales and operations planning

• Grant number: 17/06728-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2017
• End date: April 30, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Production Engineering - Production Management
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Bernardi de Souza
• Grantee: Isabela Silva Rota
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

There are many methods and tools based on Theory of Constraints (TOC) that have been recognized for the academy and practitioners as relevant for achieving better results in terms of operational and financial performance. Despite of this recognition, TOC has been currently criticized by being limited to support long-term planning, as the Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process. In this sense, further studies about the application of the TOC philosophy to a long-term production planning, assessing its results, contributions and limitations, are needed. Thereby, the objective of this Project is to understand how TOC's philosophy can support long-term decisions, in special, the S&OP process. For this, this theoretical and exploratory project, from the state of art of the contributions and limitations of TOC to support the elaboration of a long-term production planning, intends to develop a conceptual framework to support S&OP decisions. Based on this conceptual framework, we pretend to develop a tool which supports S&OP decision making. In addition, with the purpose of illustrating and comparing the tool proposed with other identified in the literature, it will be developed a case aimed to simulate some long-term decisions. At the end of the research,, is expected to identify what are the potentialities and limitations of the TOC to execute long-term production planning, which should contribute both to the fields of study in TOC and in long-term production planning. (AU)