Critical Path Identification and Load Balancing Strategy for Concurrent Projects

Abstract

Several orders are processed simultaneously while sharing limited resources in the job shop production floor. If an order is viewed as a project, each order can be regarded as the scheduling of a concurrent project. When many orders are handled, several specific resources tend to receive concentrated load; thus, conflicts are always generated. For this reason, scheduling optimization becomes an extremely difficult task. Furthermore, even if a schedule has been obtained, load balancing actions may not be found when a delay in the due date is generated. We solved this problem by studying critical paths contained in schedules of concurrent projects. A novel approach is proposed in this paper for planning load balancing actions by detecting and analyzing critical paths based on Linear Programming. By this approach, a scheduling manager can determine efficient load balancing actions with computer support.