| Abstract: | We describe an experimental study of a single-machine scheduling model for a system that assigns due-dates to arriving jobs. The average lightness of the due-dates is assumed to be governed by a policy constraint, which we link analytically to the parameters of the decision rules for due-date assignment. We examine the use of different kinds of information in setting due-dates, and we investigate the relationship between the due-date assignment rule and the priority dispatching rule. On the basis of our results we identify situations in which the dispatching rule is critical to effective scheduling, others in which the due-date assignment rule is critical, and still others in which the combination of the two rules is a critical design issue. |
