Teaching MRP Experientially Through the use of LOTUS 1-2-3

Abstract

The use of spreadsheets as a supplemental planning tool with simulation games is becoming relatively common [1, 3, 11]. This paper will discuss one such application. The approach discussed is unique in that the spreadsheet usage deals with the Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) problem embedded in a logistics simulation game. While most of the students had been exposed previously to MRP and some of them to spreadsheet usage, this application presented an opportunity for them to work with MRP systematically and efficiently rather than just “muddling through.”