Abstract
A production planning method for planning the production of a variety of products is implemented by a processing unit. Each product may perform a plurality of operations in the production process. Each operation may utilize at least one resource. The production planning method includes: (A) for each resource, collecting a plurality of data points respectively during a plurality of previous periods which cooperatively constitute a curved surface, and each of the data points being associated with a sum of arrival workloads to various operations of various products that use the same resource in a respective one of the previous periods, a sum of initial WIP workloads of various operations of various products that use the same resource in a respective one of the previous periods, and a sum of input workloads to various operations of various products that use the same resource in a respective one of the previous periods; and (B) for each resource, dividing the curved surface corresponding to the resource to obtain an empirical capacity constraint model which represents the relationship between a variable indicating the sum of arrival workload, a variable indicating the sum of initial WIP workload, and a sum of input workload expected value.