Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) Practice Exam

Which of the following is NOT one of the four main objectives of production activity control (PAC)?

1. Maintain customer service

2. Execute the master production schedule

3. Increase backlog of orders

4. Minimize work in progress

The correct answer is: Increase backlog of orders

The primary objectives of production activity control (PAC) focus on optimizing production processes to meet customer demand, ensure efficient use of resources, and maintain quality throughout the production lifecycle. Among these objectives, the goal to maintain customer service underscores the importance of delivering products on time and meeting customer expectations. Executing the master production schedule is crucial to aligning production with demand forecasts, ensuring that production capacity is utilized effectively while minimizing idle time. Minimizing work in progress is also an essential goal as it contributes to a smoother flow of production and reduces waste, thereby enhancing overall efficiency. In contrast, increasing the backlog of orders does not align with the objectives of PAC. Excessive backlog can signify inefficiencies in production and may lead to longer lead times, which negatively affects customer satisfaction. Therefore, managing backlog is often about reducing or efficiently handling it rather than increasing it, making this option inconsistent with the key aims of PAC.