Mine planning is the process of predesigning a mine in order to have a broad overview of the different areas of the mine. Mine planning deals with the overall mine design (e.g., the size and shape of pits, or underground excavations; the general sequence of excavations, etc.) Mine planning ultimately tries to optimize the overall mining project, while taking into account as many obstacles and uncertainties as possible. Long range mine planning is done for periods of years to decades; short range planing is done for periods of months to years.

Production scheduling refers to scheduling and sequencing the “day-to-day” processes of mining. This process details the location of equipment and specific working areas, and changes constantly to account for unexpected situations in terms of changes in costs, advance rates, equipment availabilities, etc. Production scheduling focuses more on days to months time frames for mine operations.

The difference between these two is that the production schedule fits within the context of the mine plan because the mine plan is the most optimal path. Therefore, the production schedule allocates the available resources at any given time for the efficient extraction of the ore or coal.