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Is the scheduling task context-dependent? A survey investigating the presence of constraints in different manufacturing contexts

2016 , Romero-Silva, Rodrigo , Hurtado-Hernandez, Margarita , Santos, Javier

Most studies regarding real scheduling constraints only consider the constraints related to the specific manufacturing environment studied, limiting the possibility of drawing general conclusions. A survey of 50 companies was conducted in order to discover which constraints were present and what their relationship was with the scheduling context. This paper investigates which practical scheduling constraints are present in the manufacturing industry and whether the scheduling task is context-dependent. Results of this study show that some practical production constraints are context-dependent. © 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

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A conceptual framework of the applicability of production scheduling from a contingency theory approach: addressing the theory-practice gap

2022 , Romero-Silva, Rodrigo , Santos, Javier , Hurtado-Hernandez, Margarita

In the last century, there was a general perception that scheduling theory was highly irrelevant to scheduling practice. Many recent studies, however, have suggested that the applicability of scheduling approaches is highly intertwined with the manufacturing environment in which the scheduling task is carried out. In this paper we used the constructs of Contingency Theory to suggest specific fits between scheduling approaches and manufacturing environments, after suggesting that the theory-practice gap in production scheduling research has been caused by three issues: (a) simplification of scheduling problems, (b) simplification of the practical scheduling task as a decision process, and (c) lack of relevance of the traditional scheduling approach to all manufacturing environments. Furthermore, we suggest that the dynamism of the state of the system and the complexity of the scheduling problem are the two constituting vectors that define the complexity of the scheduling task. We use both vectors to identify different types of manufacturing environments and propose specific fits with scheduling approaches. Finally, we hypothesize that the fit between scheduling approaches and manufacturing environments is only relevant in environments with high resource utilization where the scheduling task could have a bigger impact on a firm’s performance, and present three case studies to better exemplify the relevance of the conceptual framework. ©2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

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A note on defining organisational systems for contingency theory in OM

2018 , Romero-Silva, Rodrigo , Santos, Javier , Hurtado-Hernandez, Margarita

This paper aims to improve the applicability and relevance of contingency theory research in the field of Operations Management. Based on the results of previous studies, we have identified a systems-based single definition of organisation types that could describe the fit between organisational environment and organisational structure. This definition of organisation type, which we call an ‘organisational system’, regards the organisation as an integrated whole instead of as a sum of its parts and can help to better classify organisations in order to identify fits between organisation types and emerging practices in Operations Management. © 2019, © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

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A framework for studying practical production scheduling

2014 , Romero-Silva, Rodrigo , Santos, Javier , Hurtado-Hernandez, Margarita

The aim of this paper is to present what we believe are the most relevant findings and results regarding practical scheduling in order to define practical production scheduling and create a framework that helps researchers to study the various topics that fall under the umbrella of practical production scheduling and to identify the current state of knowledge for each topic. Studies from different fields were analysed and included in this paper, contributing significant knowledge to build a definition of practical production scheduling. Finally, we discuss the applicability that scheduling, as a task, could have in real companies.