Increasing the acceptability of plans in manufacturing by transparent search

Most planning problems in manufacturing have large solution spaces and require the consideration of various different objectives. Using insights from industry, this paper shows that planning therefore often goes along with a negotiation process about the acceptability of solutions. The paper investigates how this negotiation can be supported by providing additional data during the planning process. It discusses a pilot system for sequencing and scheduling in the automotive industry equipped with a large graphical interface which allows the planners to observe the progress, analyze the consideration of different objectives and interfere with the setting of weights and references wherever necessary.