Methodology

Using tactics from operations planning and scheduling would be the most efficient and cost effective way to help alleviate the payroll problem Choppers is experiencing. Operations planning and scheduling is the process of balancing supply with demand, from the aggregate level down to the short-term scheduling level. 

The first level of operations planning and scheduling is aggregation. Choppers can aggregate its workforce to complete jobs in a timely and cost saving manner. Level two of operations planning and scheduling is resource planning. The resource plan specifies daily or weekly facility capacity for labor requirements.  

The third level of operations planning and scheduling is creating a workforce schedule. Workforce scheduling entails establishing the schedule of your current hourly workforce to manage the predicted amount of work in your business. The creation of the workforce schedule itself can help validate results. The productivity predicted from the schedule can later be used to determine where cuts should be made regarding labor.