Logic-Based Evaluation of Production Scheduling Rules Using Interpolative Boolean Algebra

This paper proposes a logic-based approach based on Interpolative Boolean Algebra (IBA) for multi-criteria evaluation of different priority and dispatching rules for production scheduling. Scheduling is crucial in optimizing operational activities, enabling efficient resource allocation within specific time constraints. While standard approaches to multi-criteria evaluation often use the weighted sum or weighted product method, they cannot capture logical and statistical relationships from the data. To address these limitations, we propose logical aggregation (LA) based on IBA, ensuring transparency and explainability in data aggregation. This paper evaluates the performance of six well-known priority and dispatching rules on 30 common benchmark instances of the job shop problem based on four scheduling criteria functions as input attributes. Analysis shows that the Critical Ratio rule performs the best, with Earliest Due Date also being a solid recommendation. This is a valuable insight for production managers unable to perform time-consuming simulations when facing tight deadlines.