Recent results on resource-constrained project scheduling with time windows: Models, solution methods, and applications

This paper surveys recent results on deterministic project scheduling with general temporal constraints, limited resources, and different kinds of regular and nonregular objective functions. First, we formulate a “basic project scheduling problem” and sketch an order-based structural analysis of the feasible region of that basic problem. Second, we classify regular and nonregular objective functions important in practice. Third, we briefly discuss exact and heuristic solution methods, where we exploit the structural results presented. Also, we show how to adapt those solution procedures to modifications of our basic project scheduling problem: break calendars for renewable resources, scheduling problems with different kinds of resources (renewable and cumulative resources), renewable resources with sequence-dependent changeover times, and so-called multi-mode project scheduling problems, where in addition nonrenewable resources are taken into account. Finally, we study applications of resource-constrained project scheduling to make-to-order production in manufacturing, batch scheduling in process industries, and investment projects.