Solving Battalion Rescheduling Problem Using Multi-objective Genetic Algorithms

In this paper, we consider the problem of rescheduling human resources in a battalion where new activities are assigned to the battalion by higher headquarters, requiring modification of an existing original schedule. The problem is modeled as a multi-criteria optimization problem with three objectives: (i) maximizing the number of tasks that are performed, (ii) minimizing the number of high-priority tasks that are missed, and (iii) minimizing the differences between the original schedule and the modified one. In order to solve the optimization model, we adopt Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II (NSGA-II). The accuracy of NSGA-II in this context is verified by considering a small-sized problem where it is easy to verify solutions. Furthermore, we consider a realistic problem instance for a battalion with 400 agents and 66 tasks in the initial schedule. We present the computational results of rescheduling when unpredictable activities emerge.

[1]  David E. Goldberg,et al.  Genetic Algorithms in Search Optimization and Machine Learning , 1988 .

[2]  Melanie Mitchell,et al.  An introduction to genetic algorithms , 1996 .

[3]  Dorothea Heiss-Czedik,et al.  An Introduction to Genetic Algorithms. , 1997, Artificial Life.

[4]  Kalyanmoy Deb,et al.  A fast and elitist multiobjective genetic algorithm: NSGA-II , 2002, IEEE Trans. Evol. Comput..

[5]  Goldberg,et al.  Genetic algorithms , 1993, Robust Control Systems with Genetic Algorithms.

[6]  S. N. Sivanandam,et al.  Introduction to genetic algorithms , 2007 .

[7]  Margarida Moz,et al.  A genetic algorithm approach to a nurse rerostering problem , 2007, Comput. Oper. Res..

[8]  Enrique Alba,et al.  Software project management with GAs , 2007, Inf. Sci..

[9]  Mauricio G. C. Resende,et al.  A genetic algorithm for the resource constrained multi-project scheduling problem , 2008, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[10]  Xinchang Hao,et al.  Job shop rescheduling by using multi-objective genetic algorithm , 2010, The 40th International Conference on Computers & Indutrial Engineering.

[11]  Antonio J. Nebro,et al.  jMetal: A Java framework for multi-objective optimization , 2011, Adv. Eng. Softw..

[12]  Mario Vanhoucke,et al.  An evolutionary approach for the nurse rerostering problem , 2011, Comput. Oper. Res..

[13]  Rassul Ayani,et al.  Optimization of task assignment to collaborating agents , 2011, 2011 IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence in Scheduling (SCIS).

[14]  Enrique Alba,et al.  Using multi-objective metaheuristics to solve the software project scheduling problem , 2011, GECCO '11.

[15]  Alistair M. Clark,et al.  Nurse rescheduling with shift preferences and minimal disruption , 2011 .