A
accounts payable (AP): The value of goods and services acquired for which payment has not yet been made.
accounts receivable (AR): The value of goods shipped or services rendered to a customer on which payment has not yet been received. Usually includes an allowance for bad debts.
advanced planning and scheduling (APS): Techniques that deal with analysis and planning of logistics and manufacturing over the short, intermediate, and long-term time periods. APS describes any computer program that uses advanced mathematical algorithms or logic to perform optimization or simulation on finite capacity scheduling, sourcing, capital planning, resource planning, forecasting, demand management, and others. These techniques simultaneously consider a range of constraints and business rules to provide real-time planning and scheduling, decision support, available-to-promise, and capable-to-promise capabilities. APS often generates and evaluates multiple scenarios. Management then selects one scenario to use as the "official plan." The five main components of APS systems are demand planning, production planning, production scheduling, distribution planning, and transportation planning.
APICS: A nonprofit educational organization consisting of over 70,000 members in the production and operations, materials, and integrated resource management areas.
application Software: A program that performs a task or process specific to a particular end-user’s needs, or solves a particular problem. Enterprise applications are typically large-scale business systems that organizations use to manage their operations.
application programming interface (API): A set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications or for communicating with programs or other systems. A good API makes it easier to develop a program by providing all the building blocks that a programmer needs Although APIs are designed for programmers, they are ultimately good for users because they guarantee that all programs using a common API will have similar interfaces, which makes it easier for users to learn new programs. On the other hand, many enterprise applications vendors provide APIs for integrating other applications with their systems.
application service provider (ASP): A third-party entity that manages and distributes software-based leased services and solutions to customers across a wide area network from a central data center. In essence, ASPs are a way for companies to outsource some or almost all aspects of their information technology needs.
architecture: A structured set of protocols that implements a system’s functions.
available-to-promise (ATP): The uncommitted portion of a company’s inventory and planned production, maintained in the master schedule to support customer order promising.