A multi-agent system for distributed multi-project scheduling with two-stage decomposition

Feifei Li,Zhe Xu,Baogui Xin

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0205445

Abstract

A two-stage decomposition approach based on a novel multi-agent system (MAS) is proposed for the distributed resource constrained multi-project scheduling problem (DRCMPSP). In stage one, from the point of view of each local project manager, a forward-backward hybrid genetic algorithm (FBHGA) is developed to generate an initial local schedule with the objective of minimizing individual project makespan. In stage two, from the global perspective of project management office, a sequential game-based negotiation mechanism is employed to eliminate global resource conflicts with the objective of minimizing total tardiness cost (TTC). The proposed approach is tested on 140 benchmark problem instances. According to the computational results, high-quality local project schedules can be obtained by FBHGA in stage one. Furthermore, it is observed that our method is capable of dealing with various complex multi-project instances under different degrees of resource conflicts in reasonable CPU running time. Compared to the existing decentralized methods for DRCMPSP, the proposed approach with sequential game-based negotiation mechanism shows the superiority in producing multi-project schedules with lower TTC, especially for large-size and strong conflicting instances.

Highlights

The resource-constrained multi-project scheduling problem (RCMPSP), as a generalization of the traditional resource-constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP) [1], is more pervasive in today’s enterprise project management
This paper is devoted to solving distributed resource constrained multi-project scheduling problem (DRCMPSP) using a two-stage decomposition approach
Individual project managers focus on minimizing the project completion time initially while the senior manager pays more attention to reducing total tardiness cost (TTC) from a global perspective

Summary

Introduction

The resource-constrained multi-project scheduling problem (RCMPSP), as a generalization of the traditional resource-constrained project scheduling problem (RCPSP) [1], is more pervasive in today’s enterprise project management. As mentioned by Payne [3], managing multiple projects at the same time could bring tremendous benefits for the business firms. The current multi-project context is becoming more and more distributed with the speedy development of Internet technology and globalization [4], which means that the multiple projects could be located at different places and each project is managed by an autonomous decision maker (i.e., local project manager). In this circumstance, local project managers are responsible for scheduling all activities within their respective projects independently.

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Results

Conclusion