Scheduling Rules Based on Gene Expression Programming for Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling Problem

In order to minimize the project duration of resourceconstrained project scheduling problem( RCPSP), a gene expression programming-based scheduling rule( GEP-SR) method is proposed to automatically discover and select the effective scheduling rules( SRs) which are constructed using the project status and attributes of the activities. SRs are represented by the chromosomes of GEP, and an improved parallel schedule generation scheme( IPSGS) is used to transform the SRs into explicit schedules. The framework of GEP-SR for RCPSP is designed,and the effectiveness of the GEP-SR approach is demonstrated by comparing with other methods on the same instances.

Hybrid ant colony optimization for the resource-constrained project scheduling problem

To solve the resource-constrained project scheduling problem （RCPSP）, a hybrid ant colony optimization （HACO） approach is presented. To improve the quality of the schedules, the HACO is incorporated with an extended double justification in which the activity splitting is applied to predict whether the schedule could be improved. The HACO is tested on the set of large benchmark problems from the project scheduling problem library （PSPLIB）. The computational result shows that the proposed algo- rithm can improve the quality of the schedules efficiently.

Improved differential evolution algorithm for resource-constrained project scheduling problem

An improved differential evolution（IDE）algorithm that adopts a novel mutation strategy to speed up the convergence rate is introduced to solve the resource-constrained project scheduling problem（RCPSP）with the objective of minimizing project duration Activities priorities for scheduling are represented by individual vectors and a senal scheme is utilized to transform the individual-represented priorities to a feasible schedule according to the precedence and resource constraints so as to be evaluated.To investigate the performance of the IDE-based approach for the RCPSP,it is compared against the meta-heuristic methods of hybrid genetic algorithm（HGA）,particle swarm optimization（PSO） and several well selected heuristics.The results show that the proposed scheduling method is better than general heuristic rules and is able to obtain the same optimal result as the HGA and PSO approaches but more efficient than the two algorithms.

Memetic algorithm for multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling problems

A memetic algorithm （MA） for a multi-mode resourceconstrained project scheduling problem （MRCPSP） is proposed. We use a new fitness function and two very effective local search procedures in the proposed MA. The fitness function makes use of a mechanism called ＂strategic oscillation＂ to make the search process have a higher probability to visit solutions around a ＂feasible boundary＂. One of the local search procedures aims at improving the lower bound of project makespan to be less than a known upper bound, and another aims at improving a solution of an MRCPSP instance accepting infeasible solutions based on the new fitness function in the search process. A detailed computational experiment is set up using instances from the problem instance library PSPLIB. Computational results show that the proposed MA is very competitive with the state-of-the-art algorithms. The MA obtains improved solutions for one instance of set J30.

An Evolutionary Algorithm with Multi-Local Search for the Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling Problem

This paper introduces a hybrid evolutionary algorithm for the resource-constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP). Given an RCPSP instance, the algorithm identifies the problem structure and selects a suitable decoding scheme. Then a multi-pass biased sampling method followed up by a multi-local search is used to generate a diverse and good quality initial population. The population then evolves through modified order-based recombination and mutation operators to perform exploration for promising solutions within the entire region. Mutation is performed only if the current population has converged or the produced offspring by recombination operator is too similar to one of his parents. Finally the algorithm performs an intensified local search on the best solution found in the evolutionary stage. Computational experiments using standard instances indicate that the proposed algorithm works well in both computational time and solution quality.

Efficient Genetic Algorithm for Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling Problem

This paper presents a new genetic algorithm for the resource-constrained project scheduling problem(RCPSP).The algorithm employs a standardized random key(SRK) vector representation with an additional gene that determines whether the serial or parallel schedule generation scheme(SGS) is to be used as the decoding procedure.The iterative forward-backward improvement as the local search procedure is applied upon all generated solutions to schedule the project three times and obtain an SRK vector,which is rese...

Optimization of Multi-Execution Modes and Multi-Resource-Constrained Offshore Equipment Project Scheduling Based on a Hybrid Genetic Algorithm

Offshore engineering construction projects are large and complex,having the characteristics of multiple execution modes andmultiple resource constraints.Their complex internal scheduling processes can be regarded as resourceconstrained project scheduling problems(RCPSPs).To solve RCPSP problems in offshore engineering construction more rapidly,a hybrid genetic algorithmwas established.To solve the defects of genetic algorithms,which easily fall into the local optimal solution,a local search operation was added to a genetic algorithm to defend the offspring after crossover/mutation.Then,an elitist strategy and adaptive operators were adopted to protect the generated optimal solutions,reduce the computation time and avoid premature convergence.A calibrated function method was used to cater to the roulette rules,and appropriate rules for encoding,decoding and crossover/mutation were designed.Finally,a simple network was designed and validated using the case study of a real offshore project.The performance of the genetic algorithmand a simulated annealing algorithmwas compared to validate the feasibility and effectiveness of the approach.

SOLVING RESOURCE-CONSTRAINED PROJECT SCHEDULING PROBLEMS WITH BI-CRITERIA HEURISTIC SEARCH TECHNIQUES

In this paper we formulate a bi-criteria search strategy of a heuristic learning algorithm for solving multiple resource-constrained project scheduling problems. The heuristic solves problems in two phases. In the pre-processing phase, the algorithm estimates distance between a state and the goal state and measures complexity of problem instances. In the search phase, the algorithm uses estimates of the pre-processing phase to further estimate distances to the goal state. The search continues in a stepwise generation of a series of intermediate states through search path evaluation process with backtracking. Developments of intermediate states are exclusively based on a bi-criteria new state selection technique where we consider resource utilization and duration estimate to the goal state. We also propose a variable weighting technique based on initial problem complexity measures. Introducing this technique allows the algorithm to efficiently solve complex project scheduling problems. A numerical example illustrates the algorithm and performance is evaluated by extensive experimentation with various problem parameters. Computational results indicate significance of the algorithm in terms of solution quality and computational performance.

Fuzzy Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling Problem for Software Development

This paper presents a new method to solve the resource-constrained project scheduling problem for software development. In this method,activity duration times are described as fuzzy variables and resource-constrained software project scheduling problems are described as fuzzy programming models. First,how to model the software project scheduling problem under the fuzzy environment conditions is proposed. Second,in order to satisfy the different requirements of decision-making,two novel fuzzy project scheduling models,expected cost model and credibility maximization model,are suggested. Third,a hybrid intelligent algorithm integrated by genetic algorithm and fuzzy simulation is designed to solve the above two fuzzy programming models. Numerical experiments illustrate the effectiveness of the hybrid intelligent algorithm.

Economic optimization of resource-constrained project scheduling:a two-phase metaheuristic approach

This paper deals with the problem of project scheduling subject to multiple execution modes with non-renewable resources, and a model that handles some of monetary issues in real world applications.The objective is to schedule the activities to maximize the expected net present value(NPV) of the project, taking into account the activity costs, the activity durations, and the cash flows generated by successfully completing an activity.Owing to the combinatorial nature of this problem, the current study develops a hybrid of branch-and-bound procedure and memetic algorithm to enhance both mode assignment and activity scheduling.Modifications for the makespan minimization problem have been made through a set of benchmark problem instances.Algorithmic performance is rated on the maximization of the project NPV and computational results show that the two-phase hybrid metaheuristic performs competitively for all instances of different problem sizes.

Multi-objective optimization in highway pavement maintenance and rehabilitation project selection and scheduling:A state-of-the-art review

The motivation for cost-effective management of highway pavements is evidenced not only by the massive expenditures associated with these activities at a national level but also by the consequences of poor pavement condition on road users.This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of multi-objective optimization(MOO)problems that have been formulated and solution techniques that have been used in selecting and scheduling highway pavement rehabilitation and maintenance activities.First,the paper presents a taxonomy and hierarchy for these activities,the role of funding sources,and levels of jurisdiction.The paper then describes how three different decision mechanisms have been used in past research and practice for project selection and scheduling(historical practices,expert opinion,and explicit mathematical optimization)and identifies the pros and cons of each mechanism.The paper then focuses on the optimization mechanism and presents the types of optimization problems,formulations,and objectives that have been used in the literature.Next,the paper examines various solution algorithms and discusses issues related to their implementation.Finally,the paper identifies some barriers to implementing multi-objective optimization in selecting and scheduling highway pavement rehabilitation and maintenance activities,and makes recommendations to overcome some of these barriers.

Rules Mining-Based Gene Expression Programming for the Multi-Skill Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem

Themulti-skill resource-constrained project scheduling problem(MS-RCPSP)is a significantmanagement science problem that extends from the resource-constrained project scheduling problem(RCPSP)and is integrated with a real project and production environment.To solve MS-RCPSP,it is an efficient method to use dispatching rules combined with a parallel scheduling mechanism to generate a scheduling scheme.This paper proposes an improved gene expression programming(IGEP)approach to explore newly dispatching rules that can broadly solve MS-RCPSP.A new backward traversal decoding mechanism,and several neighborhood operators are applied in IGEP.The backward traversal decoding mechanism dramatically reduces the space complexity in the decoding process,and improves the algorithm’s performance.Several neighborhood operators improve the exploration of the potential search space.The experiment takes the intelligent multi-objective project scheduling environment(iMOPSE)benchmark dataset as the training set and testing set of IGEP.Ten newly dispatching rules are discovered and extracted by IGEP,and eight out of ten are superior to other typical dispatching rules.

Joint optimization scheduling for water conservancy projects incomplex river networks

In this study, we simulated water flow in a water conservancy project consisting of various hydraulic structures, such as sluices, pumping stations, hydropower stations, ship locks, and culverts, and developed a multi-period and multi-variable joint optimization scheduling model for flood control, drainage, and irrigation. In this model, the number of sluice holes, pump units, and hydropower station units to be opened were used as decision variables, and different optimization objectives and constraints were considered. This model was solved with improved genetic algorithms and verified using the Huaian Water Conservancy Project as an example. The results show that the use of the joint optimization scheduling led to a 10% increase in the power generation capacity and a 15% reduction in the total energy consumption. The change in the water level was reduced by 0.25 m upstream of the Yundong Sluice, and by 50% downstream of pumping stations No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4. It is clear that the joint optimization scheduling proposed in this study can effectively improve power generation capacity of the project, minimize operating costs and energy consumption, and enable more stable operation of various hydraulic structures. The results may provide references for the management of water conservancy projects in complex river networks.

Solving resource availability cost problem in project scheduling by pseudo particle swarm optimization

This paper considers a project scheduling problem with the objective of minimizing resource availability costs appealed to finish al activities before the deadline. There are finish-start type precedence relations among the activities which require some kinds of renewable resources. We predigest the process of sol-ving the resource availability cost problem （RACP） by using start time of each activity to code the schedule. Then, a novel heuris-tic algorithm is proposed to make the process of looking for the best solution efficiently. And then pseudo particle swarm optimiza-tion （PPSO） combined with PSO and path relinking procedure is presented to solve the RACP. Final y, comparative computational experiments are designed and the computational results show that the proposed method is very effective to solve RACP.

Project Scheduling问题和Job-Shop问题的神经网络解

Project Scheduling问题和Job-Shop问题是著名的NP难题。本文用神经网络方法去解这两个问题,软件模拟结果是令人满意的。这种方法也为解一大类组合优化问题提供了一个新的途径。

Fuzzy Flexible Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Based on Genetic Algorithm

Both fuzzy temporal constraint and flexible resource constraint are considered in project scheduling. In order to obtain an optimal schedule, we propose a genetic algorithm integrated with concepts on fuzzy set theory as well as specialized coding and decoding mechanism. An example demonstrates that the proposed approach can assist the project managers to obtain the optimal schedule effectively and make the correct decision on skill training before a project begins.

Hybrid algorithm for project scheduling with capacity constraint

Motivated by the projects constrained by space capacity and resource transporting time, a project scheduling probIem with capacity constraint was modeled. A hybrid algorithm is proposed, which uses the ideas of bi-level scheduling and project decomposition technology, and the genetic algorithm and tabu search is combined. Topological reordering technology is used to improve the efficiency of evaluation. Simulation results show the proposed algorithm can obtain satisfied scheduling results in acceptable time.

A New Algorithm for Resource Constraint Project Scheduling Problem Based on Multi-Agent Systems

The resource constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP) and a decision-making model based on multi-agent systems (MAS) and general equilibrium marketing are proposed. An algorithm leading to the resource allocation decision involved in RCPSP has also been developed. And this algorithm can be used in the multi-project scheduling field as well.Finally, an illustration is given.

Project Scheduling Problem with Uncertain Variables

Project scheduling problem is mainly to determine the schedule of allocating resources in order to balance the total cost and the completion time. This paper chiefly uses chance theory to introduce project scheduling problem with uncertain variables. First, two types of single-objective programming models with uncertain variables as uncertain chance-constrained model and uncertain maximization chance-constrained model are established to meet different management requirements, then they are extended to multi-objective programming model with uncertain variables.

Weighted Multi-Skill Resources Project Scheduling

In this paper, we present an extension of the classical Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (RCPSP). We present a new type of resource constraints in which staff members are involved. We present a new model where staff members can have several skills with different proficiency, i.e., a staff member is able to perform more than one kind of activity as well as the time need is complete the task assign depends on the staff individual skill. We call this model the Weighted-Multi-Skill Project Scheduling Problem (WMSPSP). In our model, an activity has specific skill requirements that must be satisfied. To solve this problem, we propose a lower bound that uses a linear programming scheme for the RCPSP.