Resource Leveling with Soft Precedence Relations

Abstract

This paper presents a mixed-integer linear model for solving the resource leveling problem with soft precedence relations. The model allows reversing of a work sequence of activities and aims to minimize the sum of the costs resulting from the fluctuations in resource usage from period to period without exceeding the specified deadline. The effectiveness of the proposed model is verified using an illustrative project, with the results showing that using soft precedence relations between activities provides more potential for reducing the fluctuations of resource utilization.