Manufacturing resource planning (MRP II) is a method for the effective planning of all resources of a manufacturing company. Ideally, it addresses operational planning in units, financial planning, and has a simulation capability to answer "what-if" questions and is an extension of closed-loop MRP (Material Requirements Planning). This is not exclusively a software function, but the management of people skills, requiring a dedication to database accuracy, and sufficient computer resources. It is a total company management concept for using human and company resources more productively. Key functions and features MRP II is not a single specific proprietary software system and can thus take many forms. It is almost impossible to visualize an MRP II system that does not use a computer, but an MRP II system can be based on either purchased–licensed or in-house software. Almost every MRP II system is modular in construction. Characteristic basic modules in an MRP II system are: Master production schedule (MPS) Item master data (technical data) Bill of materials (BOM) (technical data) Production resources data (manufacturing technical data) Inventories and orders (inventory control) Purchasing management Material requirements planning (MRP) Shop floor control (SFC) Capacity planning or capacity requirements planning (CRP) Standard costing (cost control) and frequently also Actual or FIFO costing, and Weighted Average costing. Cost reporting / management (cost control) together with auxiliary systems such as: and related systems such as: The MRP II system integrates these modules together so that they use common data and freely exchange information, in a model of how a manufacturing enterprise should and can operate. The MRP II approach is therefore very different from the "point solution" approach, where individual systems are deployed to help a company plan, control or manage a specific activity. MRP II is by definition fully integrated or at least fully interfaced. MRP and MRPII History and evolution Material requirements planning (MRP) and manufacturing resource planning (MRPII) are predecessors of enterprise resource planning (ERP), a business information integration system. The development of these manufacturing coordination and integration methods and tools made today's ERP systems possible. Both MRP and MRPII are still widely used, independently and as modules of more comprehensive ERP systems, but the original vision of integrated information systems as we know them today began with the development of MRP and MRPII in manufacturing. MRP (and MRPII) evolved from the earliest commercial database management package developed by Gene Thomas at IBM in