A heuristic scheduling algorithm based on fuzzy logic and critical chain project management

Abstract

Project activity scheduling is one of the most important steps in numerous industrial processes, from building construction to manufacturing. The proposed paper aims at defining a multi-criteria priority indicator integrating the principles of critical chain project management (CCPM), which considers the human factor for delay in task completion, and the fuzzy logic (FL), which model human reasoning. The defined priority indicator provides a different distribution of the activity weights according to their position within the project scheduling. In particular, the fuzzy scheduling approach has been performed in order to overcome the lack in the literature about it. Results have demonstrated the efficacy and efficiency of the method improving the project makespan with a reduction equal to 40% compared to traditional approaches.