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Scheduling is a practical optimisiation problem which can be solved by means of integer or binary programming methods. This paper focuses on university scheduling, in particular the schedule of the University of Economics in Prague, it is however possible to apply the results to schedules of other universities. We begin with the basics of linear programming, focusing on integer and binary programming as well as selected methods used to solve these problems. We then construct an optimisation model for the schedule of a subset of subjects based on real requirements (data 2009) and we compare the results with the actual schedule of the University of Economics in Prague. In conclusion we discuss some of the assumptions made during model development. The model is then generalised to include the entire set of subjects of the university. For the conversion of the software results into a more legible format, we include two MS Excel macros as part of this paper.

Yes / Scheduling is an important element that has a major impact on the efficiency of all manufacturing processes. It plays an important role in optimising the manufacturing times and costs resulting in energy efficient processes. It has been estimated that more than 75% of manufacturing processes occur in small batches. In such environments, processes must be able to perform a variety of operations on a mix of different batches. Batch-job scheduling optimisation is the response to such low batch manufacturing problems. The optimisation of batch-job process scheduling problem is still a challenge to researchers and is far from being completely solved due to its combinatorial nature. In this paper, a novel hybrid heuristic (HybH) solution approach for batch-job scheduling problem is presented with the objective of optimising the overall Makespan (Cmax). The proposed HybH is the combination of Index Based Heuristic (IBH) and the Finished Batch-Job (FBJ) process schedule. The heuristic assigns the first operation to a batch-job using IBH and the remaining operations on the basis FBJ process schedule. The FBJ process schedule gives priority to the batch-job with early finished operations, without violating the constraints of process order. The proposed HybH is explained with the help of a detailed example. Several benchmark problems are solved from the literature to check the validity and effectiveness of the proposed heuristic. The presented HybH has achieved batch-job process schedules which have outperformed the traditional heuristics. The results are encouraging and show that the proposed heuristic is a valid methodology for batch process scheduling optimisation.