SEQUENCE PLANNING OF TASKS WITH IDENTICAL WORK PROCESSES FOR ACHIEVING THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME OF REALIZATION

Abstract

It would be very difficult to list, and even to survey, where and when in practice the determination of optimum sequence can play a role. Operation research has already elaborated some (more or less specific) procedures for determining optimum sequences. In many cases, the production system itself does not allow the managers and organizers of production to adjust the optimum operation of their units to their inner nature (subcontractors, outside workers, transporters, energy. etc.). Even where a possibility would arise for a self-supporting, inner organization of work, it should be studied whether the sequence planning is a real or only an imaginary problem. That is how large an effect the production of products in different sequences may have on the parameters of production (time, money, energy, etc.). For cases where the determination of optimum sequences is a real demand, the following can be said: In performing sequence planning it is often expedient to estimate the optimum by some method, and the study itself may be a partial enumeration procedure by utilizing the large capacity of up to date computers. During tbis, such sequence (sequences) should be searched for. the target value of which is the supposed optimum, or the value less worse than that. (Though this can also require significant machine time, it brings the solution of the problem closer.) The procedure shown is constructed on the basis of this principle and by its aid we succeeded in solving sequence planning tasks of such dimension which could not be even tried to be solved until now due to the large number of possible solutions.