Applying a heuristic-based scheduling framework in manufacturing, service, and communication domains

The work presented in this paper describes an intelligent scheduling software framework that utilizes domain-specific heuristics. The customizability of the framework and heuristics allows the software to develop a valid schedule that reflects each domain's specific preferences and constraints. Four distinct examples of this are presented in the areas of prototype vehicle testing, pharmaceutical packaging, mortgage audit scheduling, and satellite communication. In each example, the software solves a complex scheduling problem in less than five minutes and produces a schedule that is significantly better than those reached by previous methods. The primary contribution of this brief is describing how the customization of a general scheduling framework quickly generates solutions for specialized and highly constrained problems in a variety of domains.