Ant colony optimization for resource-constrained project scheduling

An ant colony optimization approach (ACO) for the resource-constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP) is presented. Combinations of two pheromone evaluation methods are used by the ants to find new solutions. We tested our ACO algorithm on a set of large benchmark problems from the PSPLIB. Compared to several other heuristics for the RCPSP including genetic algorithms, simulated annealing, tabu search, and different sampling methods our algorithm performed best on the average. For some test instances the algorithm was able to find new best solutions.

[1]  Gündüz Ulusoy,et al.  Heuristic Performance and Network/Resource Characteristics in Resource-constrained Project Scheduling , 1989 .

[2]  Daniel Merkle,et al.  An Ant Algorithm with a New Pheromone Evaluation Rule for Total Tardiness Problems , 2000, EvoWorkshops.

[3]  Robert Klein,et al.  Bidirectional planning: improving priority rule-based heuristics for scheduling resource-constrained projects , 2000, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[4]  Luca Maria Gambardella,et al.  Ant colony system: a cooperative learning approach to the traveling salesman problem , 1997, IEEE Trans. Evol. Comput..

[5]  Sönke Hartmann,et al.  Self-adapting genetic algorithms with an application to project scheduling , 1999 .

[6]  Marco Dorigo,et al.  The ant colony optimization meta-heuristic , 1999 .

[7]  Daniel Merkle,et al.  Bi-Criterion Optimization with Multi Colony Ant Algorithms , 2001, EMO.

[8]  Toshihide Ibaraki,et al.  Formulation and Tabu Search Algorithm for the Resource Constrained Project Scheduling Problem , 2002 .

[9]  Erik Demeulemeester,et al.  Resource-constrained project scheduling: A survey of recent developments , 1998, Comput. Oper. Res..

[10]  Marco Dorigo,et al.  Ant system: optimization by a colony of cooperating agents , 1996, IEEE Trans. Syst. Man Cybern. Part B.

[11]  E. W. Davis,et al.  Multiple Resource–Constrained Scheduling Using Branch and Bound , 1978 .

[12]  Rainer Kolisch,et al.  Project Scheduling under Resource Constraints , 1995 .

[13]  Marco Dorigo,et al.  Optimization, Learning and Natural Algorithms , 1992 .

[14]  Edward W. Davis,et al.  A Comparison of Heuristic and Optimum Solutions in Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling , 1975 .

[15]  Rainer Kolisch.  Serial and parallel resource-constrained project scheduling methods revisited: Theory and computation , 1994 .

[16]  Rainer Kolisch,et al.  Efficient priority rules for the resource-constrained project scheduling problem , 1996 .

[17]  M. J. Bissett.  Activity Networks , 1979 .

[18]  K. Bouleimen,et al.  A new efficient simulated annealing algorithm for the resource-constrained project scheduling problem and its multiple mode version , 2003, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[19]  Marco Dorigo,et al.  Ant system for Job-shop Scheduling , 1994 .

[20]  G. Di Caro,et al.  Ant colony optimization: a new meta-heuristic , 1999, Proceedings of the 1999 Congress on Evolutionary Computation-CEC99 (Cat. No. 99TH8406).

[21]  Eric Bonabeau,et al.  Evolving Ant Colony Optimization , 1998, Adv. Complex Syst..

[22]  Rolf H. Möhring,et al.  Resource-constrained project scheduling: Notation, classification, models, and methods , 1999, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[23]  Matthijs den Besten,et al.  Ant Colony Optimization for the Total Weighted Tardiness Problem , 2000, PPSN.

[24]  Rainer Kolisch,et al.  Adaptive search for solving hard project scheduling problems , 1996 .

[25]  Francisco Ballestín,et al.  Resource-constrained project scheduling: A critical activity reordering heuristic , 2003, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[26]  E. D. Taillard,et al.  Ant Systems , 1999 .

[27]  Thomas Stützle,et al.  An Ant Approach to the Flow Shop Problem , 1998 .

[28]  Thomas Stützle,et al.  MAX-MIN Ant System , 2000, Future Gener. Comput. Syst..

[29]  Richard F. Hartl,et al.  An ant colony optimization approach for the single machine total tardiness problem , 1999, Proceedings of the 1999 Congress on Evolutionary Computation-CEC99 (Cat. No. 99TH8406).

[30]  R. Kolisch,et al.  Heuristic algorithms for the resource-constrained project scheduling problem: classification and computational analysis , 1999 .

[31]  V. Jorge Leon,et al.  Strength and adaptability of problem-space based neighborhoods for resource-constrained scheduling , 1995 .

[32]  Rainer Kolisch,et al.  Benchmark instances for project scheduling problems , 1999 .

[33]  Andreas Schirmer,et al.  Case‐based reasoning and improved adaptive search for project scheduling , 2000 .

[34]  Rainer Kolisch,et al.  PSPLIB - A project scheduling problem library: OR Software - ORSEP Operations Research Software Exchange Program , 1997 .

[35]  S V Zwaan,et al.  ANT COLONY OPTIMISATION FOR JOB SHOP SCHEDULING , 1998 .

[36]  Rainer Kolisch,et al.  Experimental evaluation of state-of-the-art heuristics for the resource-constrained project scheduling problem , 2000, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[37]  Rainer Kolisch,et al.  PSPLIB - a project scheduling problem library , 1996 .

[38]  Peter Brucker,et al.  A branch and bound algorithm for the resource-constrained project scheduling problem , 1998, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[39]  Rolf H. Möhring,et al.  Solving Project Scheduling Problems by Minimum Cut Computations , 2002, Manag. Sci..

[40]  Sönke Hartmann,et al.  A competitive genetic algorithm for resource-constrained project scheduling , 1998 .

[41]  Daniel Merkle,et al.  A New Approach to Solve Permutation Scheduling Problems with Ant Colony Optimization , 2001, EvoWorkshops.