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European Journal of Operational Research
Volume 175, Issue 1, 16 November 2006, Pages 279-295
 
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doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2005.04.030    How to Cite or Link Using DOI (Opens New Window)
Copyright © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Discrete Optimization

Properties of multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling problems with resource vacations and activity splitting

Jirachai Buddhakulsomsiria, Corresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author and David S. Kimb, E-mail The Corresponding Author

aSchool of Manufacturing Systems and Mechanical Engineering, Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, 12121 Thailand bDepartment of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA

Received 17 October 2003; 
accepted 14 April 2005. 
Available online 27 June 2005.

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Abstract

This paper presents results from an extensive computational study of the multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling problem when activities can be split during scheduling under situations where resources may be temporarily not available. All resources considered are renewable and each resource unit may not be available at all times due to resource vacations, which are known in advance, and assignment to other finite duration activities. A designed experiment is conducted that investigates project makespan improvement when activity splitting is permitted in various project scenarios, where different project scenarios are defined by parameters that have been used in the research literature. A branch-and-bound procedure is applied to solve a number of small project scheduling problems with and without activity splitting. The results show that, in the presence of resource vacations and temporary resource unavailability, activity splitting can significantly improve the optimal project makespan in many scenarios, and that the makespan improvement is primarily dependent on those parameters that impact resource utilization.

Keywords: Multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling; Activity splitting; Time-varying resource capacities; Branch-and-bound

Article Outline

1. Introduction
2. Problem description
3. Relevant literature review
4. Approach
5. Experimental results
5.1. Experiment 1: Initial factor screening
5.2. Experiment 2: Magnitude of solution improvement
6. Conclusions
Acknowledgements
Appendix A. Project generator
Appendix B. Branch-and-bound algorithm
B.1. Algorithm 1: Precedence tree algorithm without activity splitting
B.2. Algorithm 2: Precedence tree algorithm with activity splitting
B.3. Bounding rules
B.3.1. Bounding rule 1: Start backtracking level
B.3.2. Bounding rule 2: Extended time window rule
B.3.3. Bounding rule 3: Good initial solution
References


 
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