Objective Function 

Definition

A function of planning-relevant variables, which is minimized during optimization.

Use

Based on the objective function, the system evaluates scheduling during optimization in the optimization range, that is, the dates, the resource allocation and the sequence of activities. The objective function for PP/DS optimization is the sum of the following weighted time and costs that reflect the central scheduling problems for production planning:

·        Makespan (SCM-APO-OPT)

·        Setup Times

·        Setup Costs

·        Delay Costs

·        Mode Costs

·        Deallocation Costs

The weightings that you apply to the various times or costs in the optimization profile when defining the objective function reflect the importance of each problem for your schedule. For example, if low setup costs are a very important scheduling objective for you, you weight the setup costs in the objective function particularly highly. During optimization, the system tries to minimize the objective function; that is, it tries to find a schedule in which the various times and costs - according to their weighting - are as low as possible. Due to the fact that the various scheduling objectives generally conflict with one another, it is often not possible to achieve all of the objectives to the same extent. For example, a reduction in the setup time could lead to an increase in the makespan.