Disorder considerations in resource-constrained scheduling

Abstract

A method is presented for allocating resources to construction activities and for scheduling construction projects under resource constraints by considering the effects that such resource limitations may have on the tendency of the activities (and the project in general) to fall into disarray and behind schedule. Resource-constrained scheduling problems (RCSP) are very common in real-life construction projects and because of their nature their numerical solution is computationally intensive. The method utilizes a measure of each activity's perceived level of disorder stemming from resource limitations. The proposed technique aims to optimize the number of resources assigned to the activities and to schedule the project so as to minimize the overall project's tendency to fall into disorder. The entropy-like metric used in the scheduling optimization is related to the ratio of required over-assigned resource units per activity, and its utilization allows a planner to take into consideration project disorder when planning a project. A case study and its mathematical framework help demonstrate the 'duration vs. disorder'trade-off analysis that planners should perform when considering possible activity resource assignments and the feasibility of these assignments in terms of induced disorder. The entropy optimization method proves to be a powerful project-planning metric.