This paper addresses the development of a system which will enable the optimization of an entire processing sequence for a forged part. Typically such a sequence may involve several stages and alternative routes of manufacturing a given part. It is important that such a system be optimized globally, (rather than locally, as is the current practice) in order to achieve improvements in affordability, producibility, and performance. This paper demonstrates the development of a simplified forging model, discussion techniques for searching and reducing a very large design space, and an objective function to evaluate the cost of a design sequence.