The use of enhanced positional weight method for constrained resources project scheduling

Scheduling of construction projects is normally performed with the critical path method (CPM). The popular CPM/PERT network techniques are based on the assumption that sufficient resources will be available when needed to complete all project activities on schedule. This unrealistic assumption can lead to ineffective resource usage and project delays. For scheduling of the project activities with resource constraints, other algorithms have to be used. This technical note first outlines the suitability of ranked positional weight method (RPWM), a heuristic resource scheduling method, to construction project scheduling. It then focuses on a new heuristic technique, the enhanced positional weight method (EPWM), which is an improved version of the RPWM. Some interesting comparisons between the results given by Primavera, Microsoft Project, RPWM, and EPWM are also presented.Key words: ranked positional weight method, enhanced positional weight method, and critical path method.