Sequencing of inspection operations subject to errors

Abstract The problem of sequencing inspection operations subject to errors in order to minimize the expected sum of inspection and penalty costs is formulated. Three basically different types of sequences (complete, fixed and variable) are defined. The paper presents methods for computing the optimal solution for each type, and a family of heuristics for the variable sequence problem. These methods are based on a branch and bound approach and involve recursive calls to a sequence evaluation function.