A survey on the resource-constrained project scheduling problem

Abstract

In this paper, research on the resource-constrained project scheduling problem is classified according to specified objectives and constraints. Each classified area is extensively surveyed, and special emphasis is given to trends in recent research. Specific papers involving nonrenewable resource constraints and time/cost-based objectives are discussed in detail because they present models that are close representations of real-world problems. The difficulty of solving such complex models by optimization techniques is noted. For the purposes of this survey, a set of 78 optimally solved test problems from the literature and a second set of 110 benchmark problems have been subjected to analysis with some well-known dispatching rules and a scheduling algorithm that consists of a decision-making process utilizing the problem constraints as a base of selection. The computational results are reported and discussed in the text. Constructive scheduling algorithms that are directly based on the problem constraints and whose performances are independent of problem characteristics are identified as a promising area for future research.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

LINET ÖZDAMAR

Linet Özdamar is an Associate Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey. Her research interests lie in the fields of project and machine scheduling, production planning and control. She has published in Journal of the Operational Research Society, International Journal of Production Research, European Journal of Operational Research. She received her BS in 1982, her MS in 1988 and her Ph.D. in 1991, all from Boğaziçi University, Department of Industrial Engineering, Istanbul, Turkey.

GÜNDÜZ ULUSOY

Gündüz Ulusoy is Professor of Industrial Engineering in the Department of Industrial Engineering at Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey. He received his BSME from Robert College, Istanbul, Turkey, in 1970, his MSME the from University of Rochester in 1972 and his Ph.D. from VPl&SU in 1975. His recent research focuses on advanced manufacturing systems and project and machine scheduling. He is currently an Associate Editor of European Journal of Operational Research and served as a Contributing Editor to International Abstracts in OR. He has published research articles in Interfaces, Journal of the Operational Research Society, European Journal of Operational Research, International Journal of Production Economics, International Journal of Production Research and International Journal of Production and Operations Management. He is a member of IIE, INFORMS, and the Turkish Operational Research Society.