A resources scheduling decision support system for concurrent project management

This paper proposes an integrated methodology for the management of (availability) constrained resources within a concurrent project management environment. The methodology incorporates six main components—the projects interface management module, the impact matrix module, the projects grouping module, the projects prioritization module, the master projects scheduling module, and the resources assignment module—all of which are integrated coherently, within the framework of a decision support system. The component which is delineated in this paper is the resources assignment module; the other modules are respectively the subject of future papers. The essence of such an integrated and coherent methodology is to enhance the centralization and efficient distribution of information on various concurrent projects parameters, such as projects priorities, projects completion times, their associated costs, and resources allocation patterns, etc. The proposed methodology is applied in an actual industrial case study involving the simultaneous construction of three identical projects, where some of the activities utilize as many as six different resource types. The results generated by the proposed methodology are presented in terms of a chronological listing of the optimal schedules (i.e. the shortest possible project completion times, consistent with minimal project total costs and the most prudent resources utilization profiles), for each of the projects in the portfolio. In addition to the optimal schedules, the methodology also outlines the aggregate resources profiles corresponding to the various project milestones enhanced, including their associated cumulative cost profiles. Such features are designed to equip the programme director with the foresight necessary to facilitate the efficient deployment of scarce, limited and often expensive resources, well ahead of any operational or contractual commitments. Thus, the proposed methodology is pragmatic and coherent; further, it represents a potential cost-saving tool, within the framework of a decision support system.