Processing Time Generation Schemes for Parallel Machine Scheduling Problems with Various Correlation Structures

This research considers the generation of random processing times for parallel machine scheduling problems. We present several processing time generation schemes that consider different levels and combinations of machine correlation and job correlation. Also, metrics to evaluate the amounts of machine relatedness and job uniformity for the randomly generated processing times of a given problem instance are presented. The proposed schemes generate desirable problem instances that can be used to test different solution approaches (such as heuristics, dynamic programming, and branch-and-bound). Computational results indicate that the schemes provide problem instances with many desirable properties.