Key takeaways
- Infinite scheduling assigns dates without checking whether capacity exists.
- Finite scheduling only books work where a resource is actually free.
- Finite schedules expose real bottlenecks and give reliable promise dates.
The two approaches
Infinite capacity scheduling works backwards from the due date using standard lead times and assumes every work centre can absorb any load. Finite capacity scheduling places each operation only into time the resource actually has available.
A worked example
Imagine a CNC cell with 16 hours of capacity per day and three orders that each need 8 hours, all due Thursday.
- Infinite: all three are scheduled Wednesday — a 24-hour load on a 16-hour resource. One order will be late, but the plan will not tell you which.
- Finite: two orders run Wednesday, the third is moved to Tuesday (if material is available) or flagged as late, with the exact impact shown.
The finite plan is less comfortable but far more useful: it surfaces the problem days earlier, while there is still time to add a shift or renegotiate.
When to use each
Infinite loading is still useful for long-range, rough-cut capacity planning, where you want to see total demand against total capacity. For the next days and weeks of execution, finite scheduling is the only way to produce a sequence operators can actually follow.
SteadyFloor uses both: rough-cut views for the horizon and a finite-capacity AI scheduler for execution.
Frequently asked questions
Is finite capacity scheduling the same as APS?
Finite capacity scheduling is the core of APS. APS adds optimisation, material constraints, scenarios and integration with ERP and the shop floor.
New to the topic? Start with our complete guide to advanced planning & scheduling.