Abstract
In this paper we propose two application methods of the Genetic Algorithm (GA) to the total tardiness minimization problem on identical parallel machines. The one is to determine the processing order of jobs by the GA, and jobs are assigned, in accordance with the order, to the earliest available machines in rotation. The other is to determine assignment of jobs to machines by the GA, and the processing order of jobs on each machine is determined by solving the single machine total tardiness problem. We compare the efficiency of these two methods through numerical examples.
