Performance of Resource-Constrained Scheduling Heuristics

Abstract

Over the years, the study of resource-constrained scheduling heuristics has focused on testing different sets of priority rules without paying attention to the conditions under which each heuristic produces better results. Although some authors have recommended the use of specific heuristics over any other rule, these recommendations are general and do not encompass all possible project characteristics in terms of resources and network topology. Without a guidance system, schedulers must try several combinations of rules until they find one that compares favorably (shortest duration) with the results of the other priority rules. This study proposes a new tiebreaker (priority number) that enhances the performance of an existing heuristic and classifies the heuristics’ performance based on specific project characteristics. The results show that, as a tiebreaker of the late finish rule, the priority number leads to obtain schedules with lower deviations from the critical path method (CPM) duration and a higher number of shortest schedules than with traditional tiebreakers. The proposed classification system indicates the two heuristics with the best performance for specific resource network characteristics. This classification will help practitioners to decide which heuristic applies when mitigating the resource supply–demand problem given the project characteristics.