Resource-constrained Scheduling at Different Project Sizes

The resource constrained scheduling problem (RCSP) constitutes one of the most challenging problems in Project Management, as it combines multiple parameters, contradicting objectives (project completion within certain deadlines, resource allocation within resource availability margins and with reduced fluctuations), strict constraints (precedence constraints between activities), while its complexity grows with the increase in the number of activities being executed. Due to the large solution space size, this work investigates the application of Genetic Algorithms to approximate the optimal resource alolocation and obtain optimal trade-offs between different project goals. This analysis uses the cost of exceeding the daily resource availability, the cost from the day-by-day resource movement in and out of the site and the cost for using resources day-by-day, to form the objective cost function. The model is applied in different case studies: 1 project consisting of 10 activities, 4 repetitive projects consisting of 40 activities in total and 16 repetitive projects consisting of 160 activities in total, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the algorithm in different-size solution spaces and under alternative optimization criteria by examining the quality of the solution and the required computational time. The case studies 2 & 3 have been developed by building upon the recurrence of the unit/sub-project (10 activities), meaning that the initial problem is multiplied four and sixteen times respectively. The evaluation results indicate that the proposed model can efficiently provide reliable solutions with respect to the individual goals assigned in every case study regardless of the project scale.