Topic covered -

1. PPDS Training Curriculum Overview
2. S/4HANA System Features and Benefits
3. SAP MRP vs. PPDS Differences
4. Supply Chain Planning Process Differences
5. SAP PPDS vs. MRP Differences
6. Nikhil's Training Curriculum and App Demonstrations
7. Planning Time Fence and PPDS
8. PPDS Training Curriculum Overview
9. SAP PPDS Module Overview Training

PPDS Training Curriculum Overview

In the meeting, SAM facilitated a discussion about the Production Planning and Detail Scheduling (PPDS) training curriculum. The participants, mostly with SAP PP experience, were introduced to the PPDS application in SAP ECC and S/4. Nikhil, the trainer, explained the curriculum's focus on short-term planning, its differences from midterm and long-term planning, and the distinction between PPDS and Material Requirements Planning (MRP) functionalities. The participants were encouraged to ask questions throughout the session.

S4 Hana System Features and Benefits

Nikhil discussed the features and benefits of the S4 Hana system, emphasizing its faster performance and integration capabilities. He explained that the system now supports both material planning and capacity planning simultaneously, unlike the previous system where these were done separately. Nikhil also mentioned the new code written for the system and its cloud platform. He highlighted the system's ability to handle production planning in detail, especially for products with long lead times and bottleneck resources. Nikhil also mentioned the system's graphical representation of details and its support for setup matrix data. He clarified that the system can reschedule operations and adjust time granularity as needed. Nikhil also addressed a question about the system's compatibility with capacity planning, explaining that there are two options: constrained planning and unconstrained planning. He further explained the difference between the two algorithms, heuristics and optimizer, and how they handle capacity and material constraints.

SAP MRP vs PPDS Differences

Nikhil discussed the differences between the Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling (PPDS) in SAP. He explained that the MRP is a classic algorithm used in the PP world, while the PPDS is a newer algorithm in SAP 4 Hana. Nikhil highlighted that the PPDS supports advanced scenarios like resource networking, campaign planning, and subcontracting, which the MRP does not. He also mentioned that the PPDS can read setup times in transitions and optimize them. Nikhil concluded by stating that the PPDS is used for finance planning, while the MRP is used for material planning.

Supply Chain Planning Process Differences

Nikhil and SAM discussed the differences between supply chain planning processes, specifically focusing on demand planning and supply planning. SAM clarified that supply planning is a tactical process covering a midterm to long-term horizon, while production planning is a short-term process. They also discussed the role of PPDS in short-term production planning and how it fits into the overall supply chain planning process. Nikhil added that the PPDS horizon can be controlled by the planner, allowing them to focus on a specific short-term period.

SAP PPDS vs MRP Differences

Nikhil discussed the differences between Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling (PPDS) in SAP S/4 HANA. He explained that PPDS supports finite planning, detail scheduling, and automatic capacity leveling, while MRP supports infinite planning. Nikhil also highlighted that PPDS has a broader functionality, including self-life planning and maintenance orders, which are not available in MRP. He further explained that PPDS has multiple heuristics provided by SAP, which can be used by planners for specific scenarios, while MRP does not have these algorithms. Ranjan asked about the difference between MRP and PPDS in terms of infinite capacity, to which Nikhil clarified that while both support infinite capacity, PPDS has more functionality and allows for custom heuristics to be built.

Nikhil's Training Curriculum and App Demonstrations

In the meeting, Nikhil discussed the differences between various strategies and how they would be covered in the training curriculum. He clarified that they would not cover all strategies but would focus on a few. Nikhil also explained the functionality of the production planning and how it would be used. He mentioned that they would be covering four heuristics from the table in the curriculum. SAM agreed with Nikhil's points and suggested that they keep the training sessions simple for everyone to understand. Nikhil then showcased a few apps, including a monitoring capacity utilization app, and explained how it works. He also mentioned that they would see how the optimizer works in the upcoming session.

Planning Time Fence and PPDS

Sam and Nikhil discuss two key concepts in production planning: planning time fence and PPDS horizon. Nikhil explains that the time fence, defined in the material master, automatically fixes plan orders created within a specified number of days, preventing them from being deleted in subsequent MRP runs. The PPDS horizon, on the other hand, determines which demands are considered when running PPDS heuristics. Sam provides a practical example of how these concepts apply in a four-week production horizon, with the first week set as firm using the planning time fence. They also compare the new product view in S/4HANA to the older MD04 transaction in ECC, noting that the product view offers a more advanced visualization of demand versus supply situations.

PPDS Training Curriculum Overview

Nikhil presents the training curriculum for PPDS (Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling) to the participants. The curriculum covers topics such as production planning functions, advanced planning with PPDS, master data requirements, tools for evaluation and process planning, MRP runs, and finite optimization. Sam elaborates on the importance of understanding short-term production planning processes, master data parameters, data integration between S/4 and PPDS, and different planning strategies. Nikhil demonstrates the Advanced Scheduling Board, a Fiori app that allows planners to visualize and manage production orders, run heuristics, and perform capacity leveling. The team discusses the differences between scheduling and dispatching in the context of PPDS and traditional PP (Production Planning) terminology.

SAP PPDS Module Overview Training

The session provides an overview of the Production Planning and Detailed Scheduling (PPDS) module in SAP. Nikhil introduces advanced features and scenarios, including resource networking and capacity leveling. Sam emphasizes that the training will start with basics to accommodate participants with varying experience levels, and will cover configuration, use cases, integration with S/4, and troubleshooting. The curriculum aims to develop participants into PPDS consultants, super users, or business analysts, with a focus on practical, scenario-based learning.