Exercises on operations scheduling

Question 1

Currently a consulting company has five jobs in its backlog. The time since the order was placed, processing time, and
promised due dates are given in the following table.

Determine the schedule by using the FCFS rule, and calculate the average days past due and flow time. How can the
schedule be improved, if average flow time is the most critical?

Determine the schedule by using the EDD rule, and calculate the average days past due and flow time. How can the
schedule be improved, if average flow time is the most critical?

Customer Time since order arrived Processing time (days) Due date (days from
(days ago) now)
A 15 25 29
B 12 16 27
C 5 14 68
D 10 10 48
E 0 12 80

Question 2

The Hickory Company manufactures wooden desks. Management schedules overtime every weekend to reduce the
backlog on the most popular models. The automatic routing machine is used to cut certain types of edges on the
desktops. The following orders need to be scheduled for the routing machine:

ORDER Time since order arrived Estimated machine time Due date (hours from
(hours ago) (hours) now)
1 6 10 12
2 5 3 8
3 3 15 18
4 1 9 20
5 0 7 21

The due dates reflect the need for the order to be at its next operation.

a. Develop separate schedules by using the FCFS and EDD rules. Compare the schedules on the basis of average flow
time and average past due hours.

b. Comment on the performance of the two rules relative to these measures.

Question 3
Currently a company that designs Web sites has five customers in its backlog. The day when the order arrived,
processing time, and promised due dates are given in the following table. The customers are listed in the order of
when they arrived. They are ready to be scheduled today, which is the start of day 190.

Customer Time since order arrived Processing time (days) Due date (days from
(days ago) now)
A 10 20 26
B 8 12 50
C 6 28 66
D 3 24 58
E 2 32 100

a. Develop separate schedules by using the FCFS and EDD rules. Compare the schedules on the basis of average flow
time and average days past due.

b. Comment on the performance of the two rules relative to these measures. Which one gives the best schedule?
Why?

Question 4

The Mowry Machine Shop still has five jobs to be processed as of 8 a.m. today (day 23) at its bottleneck operation.
The day when the order arrived, processing time, and promised due dates are given in the following table. The jobs
are listed in the order of arrival.

Job Time since order arrived Processing time (days) Due date (days from
(days ago) now)
A 11 10 22
B 10 8 13
C 8 4 19
D 6 4 16
E 1 3 30

a. Develop separate schedules by using the FCFS and EDD rules. Compare the schedules on the basis of average

flow time and average days past due.

b. Which rule gives the best schedule, in your judgment? Why?

Question 5

Johnson’s Fine Restorations has received a rush order to refinish five carousel animals—an alligator, a bear, a cat, a
deer, and an elephant. The restoration involves two major processes: sanding and painting. Mr. Johnson takes care of
the sanding; his son does the painting. The time required for each refinishing job differs by the state of disrepair and
degree of detail of each animal. Given the following processing times (in hours), determine the order in which the jobs
should be processed so that the rush order can be completed as soon as possible.

Job Process 1 Process 2

A 6 8
B 11 6
C 7 3
D 9 7
E 4 10

Question 6

Clean and Shine Car Service has five cars waiting to be washed and waxed. The time required (in minutes) for each
activity is given next. In what order should the cars be processed through the facility? When will the batch of cars be
completed?

Car Wash Wax

1 5 0
2 7 2
3 10 5
4 8 6
5 3 5

Question 7

Tracy has six chapters on her desk that must be typed and proofed as soon as possible. Tracy does the typing; the
author does the proofing. Some chapters are easy to type but more difficult to proof. The estimated time (in
minutes) for each activity is given here. In what order should Tracy type the chapters so that the entire batch can be
finished as soon as possible? When will the chapters be completed?

Chapter Typing Proofing

1 30 20
2 90 25
3 60 15
4 45 30
5 75 60
6 20 30
Question 8

Updike Upholstery cuts and sews fabric for custom ordered chairs, ottomans, and sofas. Often, the more complicated
patterns are for the smaller pieces, where cutting is more time consuming than sewing. Thus, cutting and sewing times
vary. Today’s list of jobs, shown below, are for an important customer who needs them shipped out (in one shipment)
as soon as possible. Determine the sequence of jobs that will complete the customer’s order as quickly as possible.
Chart the schedule on a Gantt chart and notify the customer when the order is expected to ship.

Jobs Cutting Sewing

A 4 2
B 6 3
C 1 3
D 2 4
E 3 1

Question 9

Restore is a small repair shop that makes customized parts for old equipment. All customer orders must be

machined first, then polished. Determine a sequence that will minimize the time required to process all six jobs.
Chart the schedule on a Gantt chart and indicate the makespan.