A weighted modified due date rule for sequencing to minimize weighted tardiness

Priority dispatching for minimizing job tardiness has been the subject of research investigation for several decades. Minimizing weighted tardiness however has considerably more practical relevance, but for this objective only a few dispatching rules have been advanced and scientifically compared. We introduce here a new rule, which we call ‘Weighted Modified Due Date’ (WMDD) and test its effectiveness against other competing rules that have been developed for weighted tardiness. The test is accomplished via a simulation study of a simple queueing system and by static problem analysis. The WMDD rule is found to compare favorably to all the rules tested.