As scheduling software systems are beginning to advance companies are looking to combine them with capacity planning systems. Most scheduling systems will consider many aspects of the production process such as materials, machinery, tools, delivery dates and so on. The scheduling system holds the work load or production plan and has information on production times. The goal of capacity planning is to identify the right amount of resources required to meet service demands now and in the future. Because the scheduling system possesses the information pertinent to production and machine loading times they are the best place to look for capacity capability.

Systems that are available today can be web-based and allow for the flexibility and ability for employees to stay in contact from anywhere at anytime. For example the sales department can enter data and the customer service department can access it immediately. The system can then notify those relevant when the job can be delivered, the impact it may have on other jobs and the raw material that will be affected. These real-time updates can help a company with their over all scheduling needs in addition to helping them operate more efficiently.

Scheduling systems with capacity planning generally have their functionality integrated into “what-if” scenarios allowing the scheduler to add in “soft schedules” to test multiple levels of their process with out releasing the plan to the production floor. As these systems are becoming easier to produce companies are able to offer their programs a much less expensive cost. Over-all companies will become more agile and have the ability to forecast current and future needs easier.