Sequencing and scheduling : algorithms and complexity

Abstract

Sequencing and scheduling as a research area is motivated by questions that arise in production planning, in computer control, and generally in all situations in which scarce resources have to be allocated to activities over time. In this survey, we concentrate on the area of deterministic machine scheduling. We review complexity results and optimization and approximation algorithms for problems involving a single machine, parallel machines, open shops, flow shops and job shops. We also pay attention to two extensions of this area: resource-constrained project scheduling and stochastic machine scheduling.