Tabu search algorithm for single resource-constrained project scheduling

In this study, the Single Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (SRCPSP) is considered. This problem involves scheduling the project activities by leveling resource utilization with constraints: limited resource availability and project due date. We would like to provide an efficient searching methodology for solving SRCPSP. A Tabu Search (TS) based procedure was proposed as an intelligent search technique for this problem. TS is used in combination with some heuristic rules in order to find the "best" solution within a limited number of search steps. Since our goal is searching an "as good as possible" solution instead of an optimal solution, there is no guarantee that the "best" solution here is indeed the optimal solution. The heuristics that used in the model are serial heuristics. They are the different combinations of MAXSLK (maximum slack), LRD (least resource demand) and RANDOM (random). Six problems, which were also used by Boctor (1990), with different resource constraints were tested by the proposed procedure. In general, the proposed model successfully produced quick, high-quality solutions