Anshu hopes to develop a system that provides effective and efficient production planning for complex manufacturing companies. The planning process consists of six things that must be accomplished in order for it to be successful. A strategic plan must be completed so the overall picture can be examined. The organization needs to then do a business plan, a demand forecast, an overall schedule and resource plan, a master schedule, and a materials requirement plan. These required steps don't happen one at a time.
Many departments work together in order to have a reasonable aggregate plan.
This web site mentions the trade offs that occur when preparing the plan and gives examples of different options to choose from. The calculations for production and inventory are given, and also the steps in different aggregate planning strategies. The primary focus is on identifying and describing the steps in the aggregate planning process. The cite discusses the traditional aggregate plans of level capacity and of matching capacity with aggregate demand. The chapter learning objectives also outline the topics related to aggregate planning.