Simple cumulative model for Due Date Setting

In make to order environments, due date setting (DDS) is a challenging problem (capacity constraints, large product range). We propose a DDS model for a job shop which considers the variation of processing times, the capacities already assigned to customer orders, and a targeted service level. Within the model an earliest possible due date is calculated based on stochastic processing times and available capacities. The proposed method can be intuitively visualized. It uses only information which is available in common IT-systems, is fast and does not require time-consuming optimization runs. The simple model for DDS which is applicable for practitioners is presented as advancement of available scientific work. A numerical example for the model is presented where the service level to reach is predefined and the differences between stochastic and deterministic processing times are discussed.