Constructing a job-shop scheduling model based on imprecise data

Job-shop scheduling is a difficult problem, both theoretically and practically. This problem is a combinatorial optimization of considerable industrial importance for many years. Although the job-shop scheduling problem has often been investigated, very little of this research is concerned with the uncertainty characterized by the imprecision in problem variables. In this paper, we investigate the job-shop scheduling problem with imprecise processing times. We use triangular fuzzy numbers to represent imprecise processing times, and then construct a fuzzy job-shop scheduling model. Our work intends to extend the original job-shop scheduling problem into a more generalized problem that would be useful in practical situations.