MIPS: A DSS for multiobjective interactive project scheduling

We describe MIPS, a prototype version of a screen oriented graphics software package for interactive resource constrained project scheduling with multiple objectives. This system has been designed as a menu driven screen oriented Decision Support System. All the decision situation terms, choice and consequences are graphically represented through a special window system. While working in the interactive mode, the user gets an approximate schedule based on a heuristics selected from list offered by the system and may further improve it by moving a task or a complex of tasks. At the same time the impact of the schedule modification on the quality measures and the resource profile utilization are reported in diagrams and tables. The criteria of economic type (total income, total project cost, net present value) as well as classical measures in project scheduling such as penalties for earliness and tardiness, and completion time are also incorporated in the MIPS model.