Deck 14: Operations Scheduling and Sequencing

Question 1

The following five jobs, along with their processing time and due dates, are given below.
$\begin{array}{|l|l|l|}\hline & \text { Processing } & \text { Days Due } \\\hline \underline{\text { Job }} & \underline{\text { Time (days) }} & \text { From Today } \\\hline \text { A } & 8 & 12 \\\hline \text { B } & 4 & 9 \\\hline \text { C } & 3 & 6 \\\hline \text { D } & 7 & 7 \\\hline \text { E } & 5 & 20 \\\hline\end{array}$


-Using the earliest due date (EDD) rule, the average tardiness for the five jobs is _____.

A) less than or equal to 5 days
B) more than 5 but less than or equal to 10 days
C) more than 10 but less than or equal to 15 days
D) more than 15 but less than or equal to 20 days

Answer 1

less than or equal to 5 days

Question 2

A print shop has four jobs that have to be processed through their only five-color press. They usually use the first come, first served (FCFS) rule of scheduling jobs. However, the customers are waiting in the lobby for these jobs so the shop wants to minimize the average waiting time. They are going to use the shortest processing time rule to do so. Processing times for each job are as follows (assume this is the arrival order): Job A, 30 minutes; Job B, 17 minutes; Job C, 12 minutes; and Job D, 39 minutes.
Using the first come, first served (FCFS) rule to sequence these jobs, the average waiting (flow) time is _____.

A) more than 20 but less than or equal to 30 minutes
B) more than 30 but less than or equal to 40 minutes
C) more than 40 but less than or equal to 50 minutes
D) more than 50 minutes

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Triage by nurses in an emergency room would be an example of:

A) scheduling.
B) sequencing.
C) appointments.
D) work shifts.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A new surgical facility called Cut & Sew is opening in neighborhoods throughout the United States. They are job shops that handle a variety of outpatient surgical procedures. Their process is set up so that one doctor cuts and another sews. They have five patients to sequence for tomorrow. Since the weather forecast is for a warm and sunny day, they would also like to play golf tomorrow. They want to sequence their patients with the objective of minimizing the time from the beginning of the first job until the finish of the last job. The patients and estimated times are as follows:
$\begin{array}{|c|c|c|}\hline \text { Patient } & \text { Cut Time (hours) } & \text { Sew Time (hours) } \\\hline \text { A } & 2.3 & 2.8 \\\hline \text { B } & 2.5 & 3.0 \\\hline \text { C } & 2.0 & 1.5 \\\hline \text { D } & 0.6 & 1.0 \\\hline \text { E } & 3.6 & 2.6 \\\hline\end{array}$

-Using Johnson's rule to sequence the patients, and if your uncle is patient B, he will be finished with surgery in _____.

A) less than or equal to 5 hours
B) more than 5 but less than or equal to 10 hours
C) more than 10 but less than or equal to 15 hours
D) more than 15 but less than or equal to 20 hours

Question 5

The table below includes processing times and due dates for five jobs.
$\begin{array}{|l|l|l|}\hline & \text { Processing } & \text { Days Due } \\\hline \text { Job } & \text { Time (days) } & \text { From Today } \\\hline \text { A } & 16 & 24 \\\hline \text { B } & 23 & 30 \\\hline \text { C } & 22 & 40 \\\hline \text { D } & 8 & 28 \\\hline \text { E } & 10 & 18 \\\hline\end{array}$

-Using the earliest due date (EDD) rule, the average flow time for the five jobs is _____.

A) more than 10 but less than or equal to 20 days
B) more than 20 but less than or equal to 30 days
C) more than 30 but less than or equal to 40 days
D) more than 40 days

Question 6

A movie theater requires the following minimum number of employees, each of whom is required to have two consecutive days off.
$\begin{array}{|l|c|c|c|c|c|c|c|}\hline \text { Day: } & \text { M } & \text { Tu } & \text { W } & \text { Th } & \text { F } & \text { Sa } & \text { Su } \\\hline \text { Minimum Personnel Required: } & 1 & 1 & 3 & 2 & 5 & 4 & 3 \\\hline\end{array}$

-Using the staff scheduling method, the solution minimizes the number of employees required to meet this demand with _____ number of employees.

A) 3 employees
B) 4 employees
C) 5 employees
D) 6 employees

Question 7

The table below includes processing times and due dates for five jobs.
$\begin{array}{|l|l|l|}\hline & \text { Processing } & \text { Days Due } \\\hline \text { Job } & \text { Time (days) } & \text { From Today } \\\hline \text { A } & 16 & 24 \\\hline \text { B } & 23 & 30 \\\hline \text { C } & 22 & 40 \\\hline \text { D } & 8 & 28 \\\hline \text { E } & 10 & 18 \\\hline\end{array}$

-Using the earliest due date (EDD) rule, the average lateness for the five jobs is _____.

A) less than or equal to 10 days
B) more than 10 but less than or equal to 20 days
C) more than 20 but less than or equal to 30 days
D) more than 30 but less than or equal to 40 days

Question 8

A print shop has four jobs that have to be processed through their only five-color press. They usually use the first come, first served (FCFS) rule of scheduling jobs. However, the customers are waiting in the lobby for these jobs so the shop wants to minimize the average waiting time. They are going to use the shortest processing time rule to do so. Processing times for each job are as follows (assume this is the arrival order): Job A, 30 minutes; Job B, 17 minutes; Job C, 12 minutes; and Job D, 39 minutes.
Using the shortest processing time (SPT) rule to sequence these jobs, the final sequence is_____, if A is the first person to arrive and D is the last.

A) A, B, C, D
B) C, B, A, D
C) C, D, B, A
D) A, B, D, C

Question 9

Staff scheduling needs all of the following EXCEPT:

A) flow time estimates.
B) accurate forecasting.
C) staffing levels required by time period.
D) determining available personnel.

Question 10

The following five jobs, along with their processing time and due dates, are given below.
$\begin{array}{|l|l|l|}\hline & \text { Processing } & \text { Days Due } \\\hline \underline{\text { Job }} & \underline{\text { Time (days) }} & \text { From Today } \\\hline \text { A } & 8 & 12 \\\hline \text { B } & 4 & 9 \\\hline \text { C } & 3 & 6 \\\hline \text { D } & 7 & 7 \\\hline \text { E } & 5 & 20 \\\hline\end{array}$


-Using the earliest due date (EDD) rule, the average flow time for the five jobs is _____.

A) less than or equal to 5 days
B) more than 5 but less than or equal to 10 days
C) more than 10 but less than or equal to 15 days
D) more than 15 but less than or equal to 20 days

Question 11

Scheduling refers to specifying:

A) the sequence in which jobs must be completed.
B) the due date for each job.
C) the start and completion times of jobs.
D) the makespan of each job.

Question 12

A new surgical facility called Cut & Sew is opening in neighborhoods throughout the United States. They are job shops that handle a variety of outpatient surgical procedures. Their process is set up so that one doctor cuts and another sews. They have five patients to sequence for tomorrow. Since the weather forecast is for a warm and sunny day, they would also like to play golf tomorrow. They want to sequence their patients with the objective of minimizing the time from the beginning of the first job until the finish of the last job. The patients and estimated times are as follows:
$\begin{array}{|c|c|c|}\hline \text { Patient } & \text { Cut Time (hours) } & \text { Sew Time (hours) } \\\hline \text { A } & 2.3 & 2.8 \\\hline \text { B } & 2.5 & 3.0 \\\hline \text { C } & 2.0 & 1.5 \\\hline \text { D } & 0.6 & 1.0 \\\hline \text { E } & 3.6 & 2.6 \\\hline\end{array}$

-Using Johnson's rule to sequence these patients, the makespan is _____.

A) less than or equal to 5 hours
B) more than 5 but less than or equal to 10 hours
C) more than 10 but less than or equal to 15 hours
D) more than 15 but less than or equal to 20 hours

Question 13

A movie theater requires the following minimum number of employees, each of whom is required to have two consecutive days off.
$\begin{array}{|l|c|c|c|c|c|c|c|}\hline \text { Day: } & \text { M } & \text { Tu } & \text { W } & \text { Th } & \text { F } & \text { Sa } & \text { Su } \\\hline \text { Minimum Personnel Required: } & 1 & 1 & 3 & 2 & 5 & 4 & 3 \\\hline\end{array}$

-Using staff scheduling method, the most overstaffed day is _____.

A) Friday only
B) Monday only
C) Tuesday only
D) Thursday only

Question 14

A new surgical facility called Cut & Sew is opening in neighborhoods throughout the United States. They are job shops that handle a variety of outpatient surgical procedures. Their process is set up so that one doctor cuts and another sews. They have five patients to sequence for tomorrow. Since the weather forecast is for a warm and sunny day, they would also like to play golf tomorrow. They want to sequence their patients with the objective of minimizing the time from the beginning of the first job until the finish of the last job. The patients and estimated times are as follows:
$\begin{array}{|c|c|c|}\hline \text { Patient } & \text { Cut Time (hours) } & \text { Sew Time (hours) } \\\hline \text { A } & 2.3 & 2.8 \\\hline \text { B } & 2.5 & 3.0 \\\hline \text { C } & 2.0 & 1.5 \\\hline \text { D } & 0.6 & 1.0 \\\hline \text { E } & 3.6 & 2.6 \\\hline\end{array}$

-Using Johnson's rule to sequence these patients, the final patient sequence is _____ considering "A" as the first patient and "E" as the last.

A) A, B, C, D, E
B) B, E, A, C, D
C) C, A, B, E, D
D) D, A, B, E, C

Question 15

A movie theater requires the following minimum number of employees, each of whom is required to have two consecutive days off.
$\begin{array}{|l|c|c|c|c|c|c|c|}\hline \text { Day: } & \text { M } & \text { Tu } & \text { W } & \text { Th } & \text { F } & \text { Sa } & \text { Su } \\\hline \text { Minimum Personnel Required: } & 1 & 1 & 3 & 2 & 5 & 4 & 3 \\\hline\end{array}$

-Using staff scheduling method, the days on which demand equals staff capacity are _____.

A) Tuesday and Wednesday
B) Wednesday and Sunday
C) Thursday and Friday
D) Friday and Saturday

Question 16

The table below includes processing times and due dates for five jobs.
$\begin{array}{|l|l|l|}\hline & \text { Processing } & \text { Days Due } \\\hline \text { Job } & \text { Time (days) } & \text { From Today } \\\hline \text { A } & 16 & 24 \\\hline \text { B } & 23 & 30 \\\hline \text { C } & 22 & 40 \\\hline \text { D } & 8 & 28 \\\hline \text { E } & 10 & 18 \\\hline\end{array}$

-Using the earliest due date (EDD) rule, the average tardiness for the five jobs is _____.

A) less than or equal to 10 days
B) more than 10 but less than or equal to 20 days
C) more than 20 but less than or equal to 30 days
D) more than 30 but less than or equal to 40 days

Question 17

The following five jobs, along with their processing time and due dates, are given below.
$\begin{array}{|l|l|l|}\hline & \text { Processing } & \text { Days Due } \\\hline \underline{\text { Job }} & \underline{\text { Time (days) }} & \text { From Today } \\\hline \text { A } & 8 & 12 \\\hline \text { B } & 4 & 9 \\\hline \text { C } & 3 & 6 \\\hline \text { D } & 7 & 7 \\\hline \text { E } & 5 & 20 \\\hline\end{array}$


-Using the shortest processing time (SPT) rule, the average flow time for the five jobs is _____.

A) less than or equal to 5 days
B) more than 5 but less than or equal to 10 days
C) more than 10 but less than or equal to 15 days
D) more than 15 but less than or equal to 20 days

Question 18

A print shop has four jobs that have to be processed through their only five-color press. They usually use the first come, first served (FCFS) rule of scheduling jobs. However, the customers are waiting in the lobby for these jobs so the shop wants to minimize the average waiting time. They are going to use the shortest processing time rule to do so. Processing times for each job are as follows (assume this is the arrival order): Job A, 30 minutes; Job B, 17 minutes; Job C, 12 minutes; and Job D, 39 minutes.
Using the shortest processing time (SPT) rule to sequence these jobs, the average waiting (flow) time is _____.

A) less than or equal to 20 minutes
B) more than 20 but less than or equal to 30 minutes
C) more than 30 but less than or equal to 40 minutes
D) more than 40 but less than or equal to 50 minutes

Question 19

The following five jobs, along with their processing time and due dates, are given below.
$\begin{array}{|l|l|l|}\hline & \text { Processing } & \text { Days Due } \\\hline \underline{\text { Job }} & \underline{\text { Time (days) }} & \text { From Today } \\\hline \text { A } & 8 & 12 \\\hline \text { B } & 4 & 9 \\\hline \text { C } & 3 & 6 \\\hline \text { D } & 7 & 7 \\\hline \text { E } & 5 & 20 \\\hline\end{array}$


-Using the earliest due date (EDD) rule, the average lateness for the five jobs is _____.

A) less than or equal to 5 days
B) more than 5 but less than or equal to 10 days
C) more than 10 but less than or equal to 15 days
D) more than 15 but less than or equal to 20 days

Question 20

The table below includes processing times and due dates for five jobs.
$\begin{array}{|l|l|l|}\hline & \text { Processing } & \text { Days Due } \\\hline \text { Job } & \text { Time (days) } & \text { From Today } \\\hline \text { A } & 16 & 24 \\\hline \text { B } & 23 & 30 \\\hline \text { C } & 22 & 40 \\\hline \text { D } & 8 & 28 \\\hline \text { E } & 10 & 18 \\\hline\end{array}$

-Using the shortest processing time (SPT) rule, the average flow time for the five jobs is _____.

A) less than or equal to 10 days
B) more than 10 but less than or equal to 20 days
C) more than 20 but less than or equal to 30 days
D) more than 30 but less than or equal to 40 days

Question 21

Which of the following is an example of a situation for which a Gantt chart would be appropriate?

A) Developing a factory layout
B) Tracking inventory levels over time
C) Monitoring job schedules
D) Forecasting personnel requirements in a two-shift operation

Question 22

Scheduling refers to determining the order in which jobs or tasks are processed.

Question 23

Johnson's sequencing rule is used to sequence:

A) several jobs through five work centers.
B) several jobs through one work center.
C) two jobs through several work centers.
D) several jobs through two work centers.

Question 24

The numerical difference between the completion time and the due date is called:

A) flow time
B) lateness
C) makespan
D) tardiness

Question 25

The time to rest and travel between games for baseball umpire crews is an important factor in developing their schedule.

Question 26

A requirement of Johnson's two-resource sequencing rule is:

A) all jobs must begin at the same time.
B) jobs must be processed through each work center in the same job sequence.
C) only two jobs can be processed at a time through each work center.
D) total processing time must be minimized.

Question 27

Gantt charts can be used to:

A) determine the appointment time interval.
B) determine how to handle overbooking for each day of the week.
C) display the two-resource sequencing solution using Johnson's Rule.
D) display minimizing maximum tardiness.

Question 28

Scheduling and sequencing methods used in manufacturing are more beneficial in low-contact, than high-contact, service processes.

Question 29

If the highest priority is to minimize the average job lateness, then the job sequence should begin with those jobs requiring:

A) the shortest processing time.
B) the smallest critical ratio.
C) the least remaining operations.
D) the longest processing time.

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT a criterion for evaluating job sequencing rules?

A) Average flow time
B) Lateness
C) Tardiness
D) Sum of processing times

Question 31

Telling an umpire crew to work baseball games in Chicago, then Milwaukee, and then Cleveland is an example of a sequence.

Question 32

The shortest processing time (SPT) rule:

A) maximizes the number of jobs in the system.
B) maximizes average flow time.
C) minimizes resource utilization.
D) minimizes work-in-process inventory.

Question 33

Scheduling problems occur almost exclusively in manufacturing.

Question 34

In a two-resource sequencing problem:

A) the makespan is the same for any sequence of jobs.
B) flow time is maximized.
C) the goal is to minimize makespan.
D) each job can be processed by either resource first.

Question 35

ScheduleAnywhere.com, an online software, helps clients do all the following EXCEPT:

A) schedule employees from any computer with Internet access.
B) decide how much to overbook for each day of the week.
C) see who's scheduled and who's available.
D) avoid scheduling conflicts.

Question 36

Scheduling applies to all aspects of the value chain.

Question 37

The sequencing rule that minimizes the maximum number of jobs that are past due from a given set of jobs is:

A) shortest processing time (SPT).
B) earliest due date (EDD).
C) first come, first served (FCFS).
D) least amount of work at the next process queue (LWNQ).

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT a consideration when designing an appointment system?

A) Determining the appointment time interval
B) Determining the appropriate sequencing rule
C) Determining the length of each workday and the time off-duty
D) Deciding on an overbooking policy

Question 39

The time needed to process a given set of jobs is called:

A) flow time.
B) ready time.
C) makespan.
D) due date.

Question 40

The chief disadvantage of the shortest processing time (SPT) rule is:

A) it maximizes the average flow time.
B) it maximizes the number of jobs in the system.
C) long-duration jobs may have excessive completion times.
D) average job lateness and average job tardiness are excessive.

Question 41

Sequencing is not as much of a concern when several activities use a common resource.

Question 42

Two examples of process-focused performance measures for sequencing rules are tardiness and lateness.

Question 43

In sequencing a set of jobs on a single processor, different sequences will have different makespans but the same average flow times.

Question 44

A tardiness measure can be either zero (0) or a positive number.

Question 45

The earliest due date (EDD) rule minimizes the maximum of jobs past due but doesn't perform well on average flow time, work-in-process (WIP) inventory, or resource utilization.

Question 46

Since all jobs eventually get done, job sequencing has no effect on resource utilization.

Question 47

Appointments can be viewed as a reservation of service time and capacity.

Question 48

For a single processor, a first come, first served (FCFS) rule minimizes the average flow time because it considers both the job and customer criterion.

Question 49

Tardiness measures the amount of time by which the completion time exceeds the due date.

Question 50

Appointments systems usually overbook to maximize revenue when no-show percentage reaches 10 percent or more.

Question 51

High flow times reduce work-in-process (WIP) inventory.

Question 52

A lateness measure can only be zero (0) or a positive number.

Question 53

Indirectly, appointments reduce the cost of providing a service because the service provider is idle less each workday.

Question 54

UPS, the world's largest package delivery company, is highly dependent on scheduling but not sequencing.

Question 55

Like the shortest processing time (SPT) rule, the earliest due date (EDD) rule minimizes the average flow time.

Question 56

The shortest processing time (SPT) sequencing rule will maximize the average flow time.

Question 57

In practice, whenever processing times of a set of jobs are almost equal, managers typically use a first come, first served (FCFS) rule.

Question 58

The makespan is the sum of flow times of a given set of jobs.

Question 59

The shortest processing time (SPT) rule and the earliest due date (EDD) rule will always provide the same sequence.

Question 60

Flow time is the amount of time a job spends in a shop or factory.

Question 61

Explain the three categories of criteria used to evaluate job sequencing performance. For each category, provide two example measures.

Question 62

Which one of the following statements about the Balloons Aloha case study on scheduling and sequencing is TRUE?

A) The sequencing rule used did not impact average flow time but it did change tardiness.
B) The earliest due date (EDD) rule was the best sequencing rule to use for this case situation.
C) The shortest processing time (SPT) rule was the best sequencing rule to use for this case situation.
D) Johnson's rule was the best sequencing rule to use for this case situation.

Question 63

At the end of each month, a research and development team writes status reports for the projects worked on during the month. The team leaders, Andrew and Julie, submit the reports to the R&D director on the first Monday of each month. It is late Friday evening and to their surprise, they discover that the month ends on Sunday, and the reports are due on Monday morning. They decide to come to work early Saturday morning, so they can finish the reports before Monday morning. They split the work as follows: Andrew will write and edit the reports, while Julie collates data and draws all the necessary graphs. Assume that Julie starts her work on a report as soon as Andrew is finished with it and that Andrew works continuously. Times for the reports (in hours) are as follows:

a.What is the order of the projects using Johnson's rule?
b.How many hours will it take them to finish all the reports?
c.How many hours is Andrew idle?
d.How many hours is Julie idle?

Question 64

Give at least five examples of service organizations (and employee types) where, due to high variability in customer demand, staff-scheduling problems are prevalent.

Question 65

Describe the algorithm that defines Johnson's sequencing rule for the two-resource sequencing problem.

Question 66

Rescheduling rarely occurs unless customers change their requested due dates.

Question 67

A print shop has five large commercial printing jobs to finish. They are trying to decide whether to use the shortest processing time (SPT) or the first come, first served (FCFS) sequencing rule. Data on estimated processing time (in hours) and time to promised completion (in hours) is as follows (jobs shown in order of arrival):

a.What is the average flow time in hours using the FCFS rule?
b.What is the average job lateness in hours using the FCFS rule?
c.What is the average flow time in hours using the SPT rule?
d.What is the average job lateness in hours using the SPT rule?

Question 68

Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of the shortest processing time (SPT) and the earliest due date (EDD) sequencing rules.

Question 69

A company is faced with seven tasks that have to be processed through two work centers, work center I and then center II. Assume work center I works continuously and that they are using Johnson's rule. Work centers need not change over to new jobs at the same time. Data appears below in hours:

a.What is the sequence of tasks?
b.What is the time in hours to complete all the tasks in both work centers?
c.What is the total idle time (in hours) for work center I?
d.What is the total idle time (in hours) for work center II?

Question 70

What are the four steps involved in staff scheduling that attempt to match available personnel with the needs of the organization?

Question 71

In sequencing jobs in a flow shop with two resources, Johnson's rule finds a sequence that has the smallest makespan.

Question 72

When several products share common facilities, product sequencing affects cost.

Question 73

An airplane repair facility has a contract to repair cargo aircrafts for a regional airline. There are 62 planes in the airline company's fleet of planes. Because of the punishing workload, the planes require a considerable amount of maintenance. The repair facility is trying to determine how to schedule the needed repairs. They want to compare the shortest processing time (SPT) rule and the first come, first served (FCFS) rule. Currently, the following planes need repair and are in the repair facility (data given is in the order of plane arrival, only one plane is worked on at a time, and the shop is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

a.In what order should the planes be repaired using the shortest processing time rule (use first letter of plane)?
b.What is the average time (in hours) in the shop using the shortest processing time (SPT) rule?
c.What is the average time (in hours) in the shop using the first come, first served (FCFS) rule?

Question 74

Explain why any sequence chosen in the single-machine scheduling problem will not change makespan time.

Question 75

A restaurant needs the following number of wait staff to serve its evening guests. How many employees are needed so that each has two consecutive days off? Construct a work schedule for these employees.

Question 76

Differentiate between scheduling and sequencing.

Question 77

What are the four decisions that are considered in designing an appointment system?

Question 78

Short-term capacity fluctuations necessitate changes in schedules. List at least five factors affecting short-term capacity.

Question 79

Gantt charts can show what jobs are ahead of schedule, behind schedule, and on schedule.