Computing super-schedules

Abstract

RobustScheduler is a graphical tool for computing and visualising robust schedules. It allows to compare optimal schedules (shortest overall duration) with schedules that are robust, although not necessarily optimal. Both the optimal and robust schedule are computed and displayed as Gantt charts. Moreover, the consequences of delaying a task on the rest of the schedule can be checked interactively. The robust schedules are more robust than the optimal since a small pertubation (e.g. a machine breaks) gives a proportionally small disturbance to the future, in line with the Super-solution/Super-model framework ([2,3]). The underlying constraint solver1 implements the job-shop scheduling problem using standard constraint programming methods such as shaving [1], specialised variable orderings [5] and specialised constraint propagators. The Swper-solutions are found using an algorithm introduced in [4]. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005 References.