A practical application of a multi-project scheduling heuristic

This article is a review of the development and application of a multi-project scheduling model for Tanner Companies, Inc., a leading manufacturer of ladies' clothing. When tested in one of Tanner's production departments, the model yielded significant improvements. When compared with the results of the actual schedule, productivity rose 5.1%, which led directly to the completion of two additional projects or garment styles in the one-week period studied. In essence, a practical approach to the very complex multi-project scheduling problem resulted in considerable improvements in a real-world setting in the apparel industry.