Multi-Objective Simultaneous Optimization for Linear Projects Scheduling

Scheduling linear projects requires an optimization tool that does not only minimizes project duration and cost, but also maximizes the utilization of crews, accounts for travelling distance between units, and meets the delivery dates of the project's units. This paper presents a multi-objective optimization model for scheduling linear projects through developing set of non-dominated optimal schedules. The proposed model consists of: (1) a resource driven scheduling module accounting for heterogeneity among construction crews, and (2) an evolutionary optimization module via genetics algorithms (GAs) and Pareto front sorting (PFS) that searches the solution space for optimal schedules. The model is tested on a case study drawn from the literature and provided significantly better results compared to some of the well-recognized scheduling models. The proposed model is coded using Visual Basics for Applications on a commercial scheduling tool and can be easily adopted by practitioners to provide a broad-spectrum of optimal schedules.