Aggregate planning involves developing a preliminary schedule of operations for an organization over the next 6-18 months. This includes targeted sales, production levels, inventory levels, and backlogs. The goal is to satisfy demand at minimum cost while maximizing customer service and utilization of resources. Two main strategies are level, which maintains steady production and workforce, and chase, which matches demand and capacity period to period. Techniques for aggregate planning include linear programming, linear decision rules, and simulation models.