Scheduling involves planning the sequence and timing of work operations to complete all products by their due dates. It aims to systematically arrange production for efficiency. Key principles include using optimum task sizes, equally loading all plants, and normally using work hours in the same sequence. Scheduling methods include forward and backward scheduling, and depend on the industry type. Techniques involve Gantt charts, priority rules, and mathematical programming models like linear programming and PERT/CPM networks. Scheduling is used across all organizational activities to allocate resources and maximize objectives like profit or meeting demand cost-effectively.