Les travaux de cette thèse réalisée sous contrat CIFRE portent sur des problématiques d’ordonnancement de projets mufti-compétences. Définis en collaboration avec des experts de gestion de projet au sein de la société Néréide, deux modèles d’ordonnancement de projet font l’objet de cette étude. Dans le premier modèle, une tâche est définie par l’ensemble des compétences dont elle a besoin, la charge nécessaire de chaque compétence ainsi que la possibilité d’être interrompue ou non. Pour l’élaboration d’un planning prédictif respectant toutes les contraintes et minimisant la date de fin du projet, nous proposons des heuristiques de liste et métaheuristiques. Un modèle mathématique linéaire en nombres entiers ainsi que des bornes inférieures sont également développés. Dans un second temps, nous proposons, à partir d’un planning prédéfini, des méthodes pour ajuster le planning et répondre aux aléas survenus lors du déroulement du projet. Pour résoudre ce problème réactif, nous proposons une approche exacte itérative basée sur une formulation linéaire en nombres entiers ainsi qu’un algorithme génétique de type NSGA-II. Il s’agit donc d’une approche réactive bicritère où les solutions calculées doivent minimiser à la fois la date d’achèvement du projet et le nombre maximum de changements d’affectation de tâches aux employés. Dans le deuxième modèle, un cas particulier du modèle préemptif précédent est étudié. Nous nous intéressons au cas où une tâche nécessite une seule compétence avec possibilité de préemption seulement si les ressources ne sont pas disponibles (absence, congés, etc.). Dans ce modèle, une tâche est définie également par sa date de disponibilité et une date de fin souhaitée. Un coût d’utilisation personne/compétence est introduit. Pour ce dernier modèle, il s’agit d’un problème d’ordonnancement de projet bicritère, pour lequel les solutions calculées doivent minimiser le retard maximum et le coût global d’affectation des personnes aux tâches. Des heuristiques et métaheuristiques sont proposées pour ce modèle. Certaines méthodes de résolution proposées ont été implémentées sous forme d’add-ons intégrables au framework OFBiz. / The work presented in this thesis deals with multi-skill project scheduling problems. We have studied two models of project scheduling which are defined in collaboration with project management experts in Néréide company. In the first model, a task is defined by a set of required skills, the load needed for each skill as welI as the possibility of preemption. To build a predictive planning which respects aIl problem constraints and minimize the project completion time (makespan), we propose heuristics and meta-heuristics methods. A mixed integer mathematical linear programming model and lower bounds are also proposed. From a predefined planning, we propose an exact method based on a mathematical program as weIl as a genetic algorithm of type NSGA-II allowing to deal with disruptions occurred during the project realization. It is, therefore, a reactive approach in which we look for feasible solutions minimizing both the project completion date and the maximum number of resources assignment changes. In the second studied model, we focus on a case where a task exactly requires one skill with preemption possibility only in case of resources unavailability. In this model, a task is also characterized by its release and due date. A cost per person/skill is given. It is, therefore, a bi-objective problem in which the computed solutions must minimize both the maximum tardiness and the project global cost. Heuristics and meta-heuristics are proposed for solving this problem. Some proposed methods are integrated in the framework OFBiz as add-ons.

O processo de produção, no ambiente da Construção Civil, é abordado segundo certos princípios gerenciais que absorvem conceitos vindo da Engenharia de Produção. Para obter a qualidade na produção, pelo critério competitivo que envolve prazos e confiabilidade de entrega, é fundamental a integração entre o projeto do produto e a produção através do projeto da produção. O processo de planejamento, no contexto do projeto da produção, requer o uso de ferramentas de suporte à tomada de decisão, fazendo da programação uma etapa essencial para o ganho de consistência deste processo decisório. A pesquisa trata da programação de projetos com limitação de recursos, a fim de encontrar uma boa solução para o problema de programação de forma simples e satisfatória. O método utiliza como ferramenta de apoio o software Microsoft Project para manipular os projetos com mais agilidade e flexibilidade, considerando as regras de prioridades que são usadas a depender dos critérios gerenciais adotados pelas empresas. O método é baseado na classe de procedimentos heurísticos: Job Oriented Heuristic Scheduling, já que o grau de prioridade dos projetos orienta o desenvolvimento da programação conjunta, denominada Programação multi-projetos. / The production process in the Civil Construction environment is approached according to some management principles that reinforce concepts from Production Engineering. To obtain Quality in production through the competitive criterion, which comprehends fast delivery time and on-time delivery, it is fundamental the integration between Product Design and production through Production Design. The planning process requires the use of procedures to support the decision-making process concerning global production systems in construction companies. Thus scheduling would be an essential stage for the acquisition of decision consistence. This dissertation deals with the resource-constrained Project Scheduling Problem using a heuristic method based on priority rules. Heuristic procedures are used to obtain a good solution to the problem in a practical and satisfactory way. The method uses Microsoft Project as a supporting tool to deal with the projects with more agility and flexibility. The priority rules are based on management criteria adopted by the companies. The method is based on the category of heuristic procedures known as Job Oriented Heuristic Scheduling, since the project priority degrees orient the steps of the multi-project scheduling.

Este trabalho propõe uma heurística construtiva determinística e uma heurística construtiva probabilística para resolver o problema de programação de projetos com custo de disponibilidade de recursos e custo de penalidade por atraso no término do projeto (RACPT - Resource Availability Cost Problem with Tardiness). Os algoritmos combinam a flexibilidade da atividade com a flexibilidade do recurso para selecionar a próxima atividade a ser programada. A data de início de uma atividade é a data mais cedo em que sua execução não gera o maior pico de utilização dos recursos ou a data mais cedo na qual o custo total do projeto for menor. A melhor versão das heurísticas foi obtida após o teste de várias regras de prioridade, conforme a revisão bibliográfica realizada. As heurísticas propostas foram testadas em 360 instâncias de testes e seus resultados foram comparados aos obtidos pela formulação matemática baseada em strip packing e restrições disjuntivas implementada no programa CPLEX. A heurística construtiva determinística gera uma solução viável rapidamente, porém de baixa qualidade. Já a heurística construtiva probabilística gera soluções ótimas ou próximas da ótima para problemas pequenos ou para problemas fáceis e gera soluções muito melhores do que o CPLEX na metade do tempo computacional para os problemas médios e grandes ou para problemas difíceis. Dado os bons resultados obtidos e à implementação no programa VBA for Microsoft Excel, a heurística construtiva probabilística proposta é um método bom e prático para resolução do RACPT. / This work proposes a deterministic constructive heuristic and a probabilistic constructive heuristic for solving the resource availability cost problem with tardiness (RACPT). The algorithms combine the flexibility of an activity with the flexibility of a resource to select the next activity to be scheduled. The start time of the activity is the earliest date in which the activity\'s execution does not create resources usage peak or the earliest date with the lowest total project cost. We tested several priority rules according to the literature review and determined the best version of the heuristics. Afterwards, we tested the proposed heuristics in 360 instances and compared its results with the solutions obtained by the optimization software CPLEX. The RACPT implementation on CPLEX utilized a mathematical formulation based on strip packing concepts and disjunctive constraints. The computational results showed that the deterministic constructive heuristic generates feasible solutions of poor quality in low computational time. The probabilistic constructive heuristic achieved better results. For small instances or easy problems, it found optimal or near-optimal solutions. For medium and large instances or hard problems, it obtained better results than CPLEX in half-computational time. We believe that the probabilistic constructive heuristic is a good and practical method for solving the RACPT. The proposed algorithm produced good results in reasonable computational time and was implemented on the popular software VBA for Microsoft Excel.

The area of focus for this research is the Stochastic Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (SRCPSP) with Stochastic Task Insertion (STI). The STI problem is a specific form of the SRCPSP, which may be considered to be a cross between two types of problems in the general form: the Stochastic Project Scheduling Problem, and the Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem. The stochastic nature of this problem is in the occurrence/non-occurrence of tasks with deterministic duration. Researchers Selim (2002) and Grey (2007) laid the groundwork for the research on this problem. Selim (2002) developed a set of robustness metrics and used these to evaluate two initial baseline (predictive) scheduling techniques, optimistic (0% buffer) and pessimistic (100% buffer), where none or all of the stochastic tasks were scheduled, respectively. Grey (2007) expanded the research by developing a new partial buffering strategy for the initial baseline predictive schedule for this problem and found the partial buffering strategy to be superior to Selim s extreme buffering approach. The current research continues this work by focusing on resource aspects of the problem, new buffering approaches, and a new rescheduling method. If resource usage is important to project managers, then a set of metrics that describes changes to the resource flow would be important to measure between the initial baseline predictive schedule and the final as-run schedule. Two new sets of resource metrics were constructed regarding resource utilization and resource flow. Using these new metrics, as well as the Selim/Grey metrics, a new buffering approach was developed that used resource information to size the buffers. The resource-sized buffers did not show to have significant improvement over Grey s 50% buffer used as a benchmark. The new resource metrics were used to validate that the 50% buffering strategy is superior to the 0% or 100% buffering by Selim. Recognizing that partial buffers appear to be the most promising initial baseline development approach for STI problems, and understanding that experienced project managers may be able to predict stochastic probabilities based on prior projects, the next phase of the research developed a new set of buffering strategies where buffers are inserted that are proportional to the probability of occurrence. The results of this proportional buffering strategy were very positive, with the majority of the metrics (both robustness and resource), except for stability metrics, improved by using the proportional buffer. Finally, it was recognized that all research thus far for the SRCPSP with STI focused solely on the development of predictive schedules. Therefore, the final phase of this research developed a new reactive strategy that tested three different rescheduling points during schedule eventuation when a complete rescheduling of the latter portion of the schedule would occur. The results of this new reactive technique indicate that rescheduling improves the schedule performance in only a few metrics under very specific network characteristics (those networks with the least restrictive parameters). This research was conducted with extensive use of Base SAS v9.2 combined with SAS/OR procedures to solve project networks, solve resource flow problems, and implement reactive scheduling heuristics. Additionally, Base SAS code was paired with Visual Basic for Applications in Excel 2003 to implement an automated Gantt chart generator that provided visual inspection for validation of the repair heuristics. The results of this research when combined with the results of Selim and Grey provide strong guidance for project managers regarding how to develop baseline predictive schedules and how to reschedule the project as stochastic tasks (e.g. unplanned work) do or do not occur. Specifically, the results and recommendations are provided in a summary tabular format that describes the recommended initial baseline development approach if a project manager has a good idea of the level and location of the stochasticity for the network, highlights two cases where rescheduling during schedule eventuation may be beneficial, and shows when buffering proportional to the probability of occurrence is recommended, or not recommended, or the cases where the evidence is inconclusive.

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Yes / An Improved Discrete Cuckoo Search (IDCS) is proposed in this paper to solve resource-constrained project scheduling problems (RCPSPs). The original Cuckoo Search (CS) was inspired by the breeding behaviour of some cuckoo species and was designed specifically for application in continuous optimisation problems, in which the algorithm had been demonstrated to be effective. The proposed IDCS aims to improve the original CS for solving discrete scheduling problems by reinterpreting its key elements: solution representation scheme, Lévy flight and solution improvement operators. An event list solution representation scheme has been used to present projects and a novel event movement and an event recombination operator has been developed to ensure better quality of received results and improve the efficiency of the algorithm. Numerical results have demonstrated that the proposed IDCS can achieve a competitive level of performance compared to other state-of-the-art metaheuristics in solving a set of benchmark instances from a well-known PSPLIB library, especially in solving complex benchmark instances. / Partially funded by the Innovate UK project HARNET – Harmonised Antennas, Radios and Networks under contract no. 100004607.

In this paper we investigate and compare multi-objective and weighted single objective approaches to a real world workforce scheduling problem. For this difficult problem we consider the trade off in solution quality versus population diversity, for different sets of fixed objective weights. Our real-world workforce scheduling problem consists of assigning resources with the appropriate skills to geographically dispersed task locations while satisfying time window constraints. The problem is NP-Hard and contains the Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (RCPSP) as a sub problem. We investigate a genetic algorithm and serial schedule generation scheme together with various multi-objective approaches. We show that multi-objective genetic algorithms can create solutions whose fitness is within 2% of genetic algorithms using weighted sum objectives even though the multi-objective approaches know nothing of the weights. The result is highly significant for complex real-world problems where objective weights are seldom known in advance since it suggests that a multi-objective approach can generate a solution close to the user preferred one without having knowledge of user preferences.

Yes / In this paper, a new population-based and nature-inspired metaheuristic algorithm, Discrete Flower Pollination Algorithm (DFPA), is presented to solve the Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (RCPSP). The DFPA is a modification of existing Flower Pollination Algorithm adapted for solving combinatorial optimization problems by changing some of the algorithm's core concepts, such as flower, global pollination, Lévy flight, local pollination. The proposed DFPA is then tested on sets of benchmark instances and its performance is compared against other existing metaheuristic algorithms. The numerical results have shown that the proposed algorithm is efficient and outperforms several other popular metaheuristic algorithms, both in terms of quality of the results and execution time. Being discrete, the proposed algorithm can be used to solve any other combinatorial optimization problems. / Innovate UK / Awarded 'Best paper of the Month'

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / We optimize long-term project schedules subject to annual budget constraints, where the duration and cost of each task may increase as the project progresses. Initially, tasks are scheduled without regard to budgets and the project completion time is minimized. Treating the task durations as random variables, we then use simulation to describe the distribution of the project completion time. Next, we minimize the completion time under budget constraints with fixed task durations, where budget violations are tolerated albeit with penalties. Annual reviews are then introduced, which allow underway tasks to be delayed or monthly budgets to be increased. We obtain estimates of the completion time of the project and its final cost under each of these scenarios. The U.S. Army Future Combat Systems (FCS) is used for illustration. FCS is a suite of information technologies, sensors, and command systems with an estimated acquisition cost of over $90 billion. The U.S. General Accounting Office found that FCS is at risk of substantial cost overrun and delay. We analyze three schedule plans for FCS to identify which can be expected to deliver the earliest completion time and the least cost. / Major, Australian Army

Der Planungsprozess des Produktionsablaufes ist insbesondere in personalintensiven Bereichen durch einen hohen Komplexitätsgrad gekennzeichnet. Dies gilt nicht allein für die Domäne der Fertigung von Industriegütern, sondern ist überall dort charakteristisch, wo projektähnliche Aufgaben und Tätigkeiten im Kurzfristbereich hinsichtlich Ressourcenzuteilung determiniert werden müssen. Personal ist hierbei weitaus weniger homogen, als dies auf andere Ressourcentypen zutrifft. Daher gilt es der Heterogenität der Prozesse und Strukturen unter Beachtung individuell ausgeprägter Eigenschaften und Fähigkeiten des Personals einen quantitativ beschreibbaren und damit operationali-sierbaren Rahmen zu geben. Die Komplexität einer personalbezogenen, zielfunktionsorientierten Zuteilungsentscheidung kann im Kontext der Kapazitätsplanung damit signifikant reduziert werden.