<P> Aggregate planning is a marketing activity that does an aggregate plan for the production process, in advance of 6 to 18 months, to give an idea to management as to what quantity of materials and other resources are to be procured and when, so that the total cost of operations of the organization is kept to the minimum over that period . </P> <P> The quantity of outsourcing, subcontracting of items, overtime of labour, numbers to be hired and fired in each period and the amount of inventory to be held in stock and to be backlogged for each period are decided . All of these activities are done within the framework of the company ethics, policies, and long term commitment to the society, community and the country of operation . </P> <P> Aggregate planning has certain pre-required inputs which are inevitable . They include: </P>

(tco 6) inputs to the aggregate plan include