Solving a novel multi-skilled project scheduling model by scatter search

Abstract

A multi-skilled project scheduling problem (MSPSP) has generally been presented to schedule information technology projects in deterministic conditions. The contribution of this model is to consider the resources, called 'staff members'. These members are regarded as valuable, renewable, and discrete resources with different multiple skills. The different skills of staff members, as well as the project network's activity requirement of different skills, cause this problem to become a special type of multi-mode resourceconstrained project scheduling problem (MM-RCPSP), with a huge number of modes. Taking into account the importance of this issue and the few studies performed on this problem, a novel mathematical model for the MSPSP is presented. Since the complexity of this problem is NP-hard, an efficient scatter search (SS) algorithm is developed to solve such a difficult problem. This proposed SS is capable of generating optimised solutions in small sizes, and the excellent solutions in large sizes are compared with the solutions reported by a proposed Tabu search (TS) algorithm. OPSOMMING'n Veeldoel projekskeduleringsvraagstuk (MSPSP) word voorgehou vir skedulering onder deterministiese toestande van inligtingstegnologieprojekte. Die model word aangewend vir hulpbronne genaamd "personeellede". Die bronne is waardevol, hernubaar, diskreet en beskik oor uiteenlopende vaardighede. Die eienskappe van die vraagstuk berus by uiteenlopendheid. Vir die voorafgaande omstandighede word 'n nuwe model geskep vir die hantering van eienaardighede. Aangesien die problem NP-moeilik is, word 'n doeltreffende spreisoek-algoritme gebruik met groot sukses.

A fuzzy ant colony optimization to solve an open shop scheduling problem with multi-skills resource constraints

“…According to Kazemipoor et al (2013) that solved a multi-skilled scheduling model by a scatter search; some reasonable instances are generated likewise: the number of human resources (workers) were defined by the number of machines (we assume 1 resource/machine); the number of skills: 3, 5 or 7 and the matrices that define the demanded abilities for each activity and the worker's mastered abilities are generated in a random way (0 or 1) where 1 implies that the activity demands that skill or that the worker masters that ability.…”

“…In this research work, we manage human resources (workers) where each one can master different skills to carry out one activity, so that, the problem implies a multiskilled personnel assignment that has been studied by Kazemipoor et al (2013) in the project scheduling. The inclusion of resources increases the complexity of this NP -hard problem.…”

A multiobjective integrated multiproject scheduling and multiskilled workforce assignment model considering learning effect under uncertainty

“…The completion time of last activity in each project is calculated by Equation (17). Equation (18) preserves that workforce can perform activity only if he/she can do it. Equation (19) shows precedence relationships.…”

“…Kazemipoor et al presented a new approach in solving a multiskill project‐scheduling problem. A novel mathematical model is presented for a small scale.…”

Modeling and solving multi-skilled resource-constrained project scheduling problem with calendars in fuzzy condition

“…In these methods, instead of the whole space of problem solving, a part of it is searched so they do not guarantee the optimal results and try to achieve a good approximate answer, but they are quick methods and at the right time they achieve a good answer for large problems. Kazemipoor et al (2013) proposed an efficient scatter search and Tabu search algorithms for multi-mode multi-skilled resource-constrained scheduling problem. In Ciro et al (2015), a fuzzy ant colony optimization method was proposed due to the difficulty to fix the different parameters of a MILP model.…”