Master Planning in Manufacturing using Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Operations or AX 2012 R3

Editor's Note:  This article summarizes the newly published book by Dr. Hamilton about master planning in different types of manufacturing. The book contents apply to those firms using Dynamics 365 for Operations or Dynamics AX 2012 R3.

The planning calculations for managing a manufacturing business can provide significant benefits by coordinating supply chain activities driven by S&OP (sales and operations planning) game plans. They help orchestrate success across the organization. However, these calculations often represent one of the more complex and misunderstood aspects of system usage, which leads to ineffective use and limits the ability to achieve the benefits. Businesses that fail to do effective planning within their ERP system commonly rely on informal or non-integrated systems for SCM coordination, and they need additional consulting assistance after go live to understand where their performance is falling short.

My new book about Master Planning in Manufacturing addresses these issues for companies using Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Operations. The book contents also apply to those using Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3 because the master planning capabilities are essentially the same -- although the two versions differ in technology foundations and user experience as well as slight changes in terminology.

The intended readers are SCM professionals that need to learn the master planning capabilities for running day-to-day operations in a manufacturing business, especially those trying to use standard software as much as possible. In many cases, these SCM professionals represent the key role in maintaining the S&OP ...