Interactive Scheduling of a Generalized Flowshop. Part III: Quantifying User Objectives to Create Better Schedules

Parts I and II of this series introduced the concept of evolutionary development to increase the probability of success for the final version of an interactive production scheduling system. The series is a case history which describes the development of an interactive computer system which is being used to schedule the starting dates for aircraft being inducted into overhaul at a Naval Aircraft Rework Facility. This article in the series will emphasize the problems of quantifying the users' desired objective for the creation of “better” schedules, and that of choosing a viable method for the creation of schedules when the objective involves the reduction of day-to-day swings in resource requirements.