Skip to main content
Log in

Minimizing total flow time for the worker assignment scheduling problem in the identical parallel-machine models

  • Original Article
  • Published:
The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The worker assignment scheduling problem consists of two basic questions of job scheduling and worker assignment. In this study, only the performance measure of total flow time is investigated in the model of identical parallel-machine with nonpreemptive jobs. Because the worker assignment scheduling problem in this specific model can be shown as NP-complete, heuristics have been developed for minimizing the total flow time. This selected worker assignment scheduling problem is solved in two stages of job scheduling and worker assignment. The shortest processing time for Ai part (SPT-A) heuristic is used for the stage of job scheduling. For the stage of worker assignment, the largest marginal contribution (LMC) procedure is used to minimize the total flow time. Two 100 I/P/n/m/W problems were simulated; results obtained by the heuristics are either optimal or near optimal. In conclusion, the heuristics developed have shown very impressive results quite efficiently.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Alon N, Azar Y, Woeginger GJ, Yadid T (1998) Approximation schemes for scheduling on parallel machines. J Schedul 1:55–66

    Google Scholar 

  2. Baker KR (1974) Introduction to sequencing and scheduling. Wiley, pp 10–11

  3. Barnes JW, Brennan JJ (1977) An improved algorithm for scheduling jobs on identical machines. AIIE Trans 9

  4. Bruno J, Coffman EG Jr, Sethi R (1974) Scheduling independent tasks to reduce mean finishing time. Comm ACM 17:382–387

    Google Scholar 

  5. Cheng TCE, Kovalyov M (2000) Parallel machine batching and scheduling with deadlines. J Schedul 3:109–123

    Google Scholar 

  6. Dogramaci A, Surkis J (1979) Evaluation of a heuristic for scheduling independent jobs on parallel identical processors. Manage Sci 25:1208–1216

    Google Scholar 

  7. Du J, Leung JY-H (1989) Complexity of scheduling parallel task systems. SIAM J Discret Math 2:473–487

    Google Scholar 

  8. Feitelson DG, Rudolph L, Schwiegelshohn U, Sevcik KC, Wong P (1997) Theory and practice in parallel job scheduling. Third workshop on job scheduling strategies for parallel processing, in conjunction with IPPS 1997. University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland, 5 April 1997, pp 1–25

  9. French S (1982) Sequencing and scheduling: an introduction to the mathematics of the job shop. Ellis Horwood Limited, Chichester, pp 8–9, 27, 37

    Google Scholar 

  10. Garey MR, Johnson DS (1979) Computers and intractability, a guide to the theory of NP-completeness. Freeman, New York, p 245

  11. Ghosal D, Serazzi G, Tripathi SK (1991) The processor working set and its use in scheduling multiprocessor systems. IEEE Trans Softw Eng 17:443–453

    Google Scholar 

  12. Gupta JND, Maykut AR (1973) Scheduling jobs on parallel processors with dynamic programming. Decision Sci 4:447–457

    Google Scholar 

  13. Hu P (1993) An efficient heuristic for the worker assignment problem in the identical and nonidentical parallel-machine models. Dissertation, Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, pp 2, 30–32, 41–42, 57

  14. Hurink J, Knust S (2001) List scheduling in a parallel machine environment with precedence constraints and setup times. Oper Res Lett 29:231–239

    Google Scholar 

  15. Iwamoto S (2001) Fuzzy decision-making through three dynamic programming approaches. Int J Fuzzy Syst 3:520–526

    Google Scholar 

  16. Jain AS, Meeran S (1998) Job-shop scheduling using neural Networks. Int J Prod Res 36:1249–1272

    Google Scholar 

  17. Jansen K, Solis-Oba R, Sviridenko M (1999) Makespan minimization in job shops: a polynomial time approximation scheme. Proceedings of the 31st annual ACM symposium on theory of computing (STOC’ 1999), pp 394–399

    Google Scholar 

  18. Jones A, Rabelo, LC (1998) Survey of job shop scheduling Techniques. NISTIR, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD

  19. Rajaraman MK (1975) An algorithm for scheduling parallel processors. Int J Prod Res 13:479–486

    Google Scholar 

  20. Rothkopf MH (1966) Scheduling independent tasks on parallel processors. Manage Sci 12:437–447

    Google Scholar 

  21. Sule DR, Vijayasundaram K (1998) A heuristic procedure for makespan minimization in job shops with multiple identical processors. Comput Industr Eng 35:399–402

    Google Scholar 

  22. Wand Q, Cheng KH (1992) A heuristic of scheduling parallel tasks and its analysis. SIAM J Comput 21:281–294

    Google Scholar 

  23. Yamada T, Nakeno R (1990) Job-shop scheduling by simulated annealing combined with deterministic local search. Kruwei Academic, MA, pp 237–246

  24. Yamada T, Nakano R (1997) Genetic algorithms for job-shop scheduling problems. Proceedings of Modern Heuristic for Decision Support, UNICOM seminar, 18–19 March 1997, London, pp 67–81

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hu, PC. Minimizing total flow time for the worker assignment scheduling problem in the identical parallel-machine models. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 25, 1046–1052 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-003-1989-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-003-1989-z

Keywords

Navigation