A general generator of project networks in terms of their morphological features

Most methods of project scheduling are based on algorithms (such as branch and bound or a large variety of heuristics) and their comparative study implies their application to large sets of generated networks. Usually, the performance of these algorithms depends on the features of the project networks under study and such features are a function of the application domain (for instance, project networks of the construction industry and of banking services tend to belong to different types). Unfortunately, the proposed generators have multiple shortcomings and do not allow the generation of project networks in terms of their morphology which is a critical condition to relate the performance of the studied algorithm with the features of the network, for each domain of application. A new generator is proposed in this paper based on the concept of progressive level and producing networks in terms of six morphologic indicators. The generation of large networks (≈1000 activities) is achieved with very low computing times.