Line of Balance (LOB)

Line of Balance also known as LOB is one of the management control process used for collecting, measuring and presenting facts relating to time, cost and accomplishment where all are measured against a specific plan. LOB helps in determining the process, status, background, timing and phasing of the project activities.

How is LOB helpful measuring tools for the management?

1. Helps in comparing actual progress with a formal objective plan
2. Helps to examine only the deviations from established plans
3. Helps to gauge the degree of severity with respect to the remainder of the project.
4. Assists in receiving timely information concerning trouble areas and indicating areas where appropriate corrective action is required
5. Assits in forecasting future performance

LOB is a graphic device that assists the manager to analyse whether the activities of an operation are in balance that is whether those which should have been completed at the time of the review actually are completed and whether any activities scheduled for future completion are lagging behind schedule.

Pre-requisites to perform LOB

1. Contract schedule, or objective chart
2. Production plan or lead-time chart for the production process itself
3. Control points cumulative inventories
4. Program status chart on which to plot LOB and the cumulative quantities of units that have passed through the control points of the assembly/production process