Multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling using RCPSP and SAT solvers

José Coelho and Mario Vanhoucke

European Journal of Operational Research, 2011, vol. 213, issue 1, 73-82

Abstract: This paper reports on a new solution approach for the well-known multi-mode resource-constrained project scheduling problem (MRCPSP). This problem type aims at the selection of a single activity mode from a set of available modes in order to construct a precedence and a (renewable and non-renewable) resource feasible project schedule with a minimal makespan. The problem type is known to be NP-hard and has been solved using various exact as well as (meta-)heuristic procedures. The new algorithm splits the problem type into a mode assignment and a single mode project scheduling step. The mode assignment step is solved by a satisfiability (SAT) problem solver and returns a feasible mode selection to the project scheduling step. The project scheduling step is solved using an efficient meta-heuristic procedure from literature to solve the resource-constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP). However, unlike many traditional meta-heuristic methods in literature to solve the MRCPSP, the new approach executes these two steps in one run, relying on a single priority list. Straightforward adaptations to the pure SAT solver by using pseudo boolean non-renewable resource constraints has led to a high quality solution approach in a reasonable computational time. Computational results show that the procedure can report similar or sometimes even better solutions than found by other procedures in literature, although it often requires a higher CPU time.

Keywords: Project; scheduling; SAT; Multi-mode; RCPSP (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (20)

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Working Paper: Multi-mode resource constrained pro ject scheduling using RCPSP and SAT solvers (2009)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ejores:v:213:y:2011:i:1:p:73-82

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