Dynamic Scheduling and Real-time Assignment

Abstract

The beginning of this chapter analyzes the progress of scheduling methods over time and explains why dynamic scheduling is superior to static scheduling in modern production systems. This is why the rest of the text is exclusively devoted to dynamic scheduling. First, the well-known priority rules are presented and analyzed. Then, repair-based approaches are introduced. They are used to adjust a given schedule when an unexpected event arises. The remainder of the chapter concerns some novel approaches developed by the authors of this book. The first one is proposed to assign a new job to resources in real time, without disturbing previous assignments. This approach is applied to linear and assembly production systems and is highlighted with numerical examples. How this approach can be used to control WIP is demonstrated. Secondly, another technique that permits some slight modifications to previous assignments is suggested. Interestingly, this approach has also been successfully applied to multifunction battle-field radars.