A Microcomputer Based Solution to a Practical Scheduling Problem

This paper presents a scheduling problem with constraints imposed on the waiting time between stages. The process in which it occurs involves the preparation, cooking and chilling of meals. A maximum of 30 min is permitted for waiting between the completion of the cooking stage and the start of chilling down to temperature of <3°C. If this is not achieved, then the food has to be discarded. Clearly the scheduling of the final cooking stage and chilling facilities is crucial in this context. The development of a procedure to do this scheduling, using a microcomputer, is described and some typical results presented. Further uses of the model are briefly outlined.