Expert systems and job shop scheduling

Job shop scheduling has been the focus of much research. Heuristic rules to assist in this endeavour abound in the literature. However, rules leading to the optimum schedule have been elusive. The predominant scheduling methods now used are specifically tailored to the type of job shop. Generally, various rules are tried and those giving the best result are used as a starting point. The human expert sifts the schedule through his experience filter, negotiates with affected parties, and finalizes a schedule. Expert systems are beginning to impact in this area. By assuming some of the filtering and negotiating roles of the human expert, they can allow schedulers to look at more alternatives and/or produce more timely schedules. The paper contains an extensive review of the literature pertaining to expert systems and job shop scheduling. Conclusions are drawn in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of these applications. Finally, recommendations for future directions are given.